Tea developed an even stronger relationship with Chan Buddhism because one of the great challenges of seated meditation is maintaining a clear and balanced mind.
Two classic obstacles often discussed in meditation are restlessness and dullness.
Restlessness occurs when the mind becomes scattered, agitated, or unable to settle. Dullness arises when the mind becomes heavy, sleepy, or unclear.
Tea is particularly effective against the latter.
Over time, tea became so integrated into Chan monastic life that monasteries developed formal customs and roles surrounding its preparation and service. During the Song dynasty, Chan monasteries could include tea halls, designated monks responsible for tea service, and established practices for preparing, offering, and sharing tea.
Tea was no longer simply something one drank whenever one felt like it. It gradually became part of the rhythm, discipline, etiquette, and social order of the monastic community.
This is important because Chan practice was never limited to sitting on a meditation cushion.
Walking can be practice. Eating can be practice. Sweeping the floor can be practice. Boiling water can be practice. Drinking tea can also be practice.
In this way, tea slowly transformed from something that merely helped monks stay awake into an activity that could itself embody awareness.
At first, tea might have been understood simply as:
“A drink that keeps me from falling asleep.”
Eventually, it could become:
“The act of drinking tea itself is part of the practice.”
This transformation lies at the root of what would later be called “Tea and Chan are of one taste.”