The Way of Tea for Serenity - Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility   和 敬 清 寂

Mindfulness to Mindlessness

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Come experience the Japanese tradition of the Way of Tea, or Chadō as we transform our Sanctuary into the quiet, timeless setting of a tea house.  Let the tea ceremony be your meditative time and let it guide you to feel simple joy and appreciation. 

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Facilitated by Sawako Ama

 

For Safety: We only allow four guests maximum in our tea room to keep the social distance. Please wear a mask and wash your hands upon your arrival. We are cleaning and sterilizing the rooms between each tea ceremony for safety.

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Place: Temple KUKURI front tea room or as announced. (Please enter from the front door.  Please remove your shoes when you come in.)

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Time: Usually held on Wednesday or Sunday afternoon closest to new moon. Please see our event calendar or FB event page for our next ceremony. We highly recommend to sign up to secure your seat before the ceremony. Please contact us.

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Fee: $10-$30 Suggested Donation (Donation will be collected at the end of the ceremony)

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Registration fee: free for Temple Associate member, $5 for non-member to secure your seat. Registration fee is transferable. Please make donation at the end of your tea ceremony.

Reservation is highly recommended. Space is limited. Drop-in is only available when we still have seats left.

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Duration: We have a new tea ceremony set up now.  Each tea ceremony takes about 15-20min. We only allow four guests maximum in our tea room to keep the social distance.

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Soundscape in Sanctuary: We will be having live music in our Sanctuary from 5:45pm to 8pm. Feel free to come and bathe yourself in sound of serenity and relaxation before and/or after your scheduled tea ceremony.

 

Cancellation Policy: Please let us know when you cancel so we can give your seat to other guests.

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Volunteer Opportunity: We would love to have some volunteers to help us set up and greet guests at the ceremony.  If you are interested please contact us.

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What to Wear and Bring:

Dress Code: There are no dress codes but we appreciate if you can wear clean sock in our tea room. No short skirts or short pants please. We have floor seatings and chair seatings. Comfortable pants or long skirt are recommended for floor seating. Our tea ceremony is mainly for guests to enjoy the taste of  tea and Japanese confection to bring deep relaxation to your mind and body. Please wear comfortable clothes or fun Japanese themed or other cultural clothes if you would like.  If you are interested in wearing kimono or something Japanese for this event and/or future events check out Sacramento Kimono Club page. 

Shoes: It is a respected space and a shoe-free zone so please wear clean socks or bring your own slippers (we have extra slippers to share). 

Chair: Usually the tea ceremony guests sit on the floor but at our ceremony you can sit on chair if you do not feel comfortable sitting on floor.  We will have cushions for floor seats. 

Kaishi Paper: Bring your own Kaishi paper if you have some.  (We provide it with a piece of confection and have some for sale, as well.)

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What is a Tea Ceremony?

Chadō is a cultural tradition of Japan that was developed in the 15th and 16th centuries in close conjunction with Zen. The basic principles of Chadō are expressed in these words:"Harmony can be created between persons, between objects, between a person and an object ... among all matter of the world. We should respect everyone and everything without distinction of status or rank. Spiritual purity is essential and we can embody tranquility only when we make harmony, respect and purity our own".

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What do I expect at the ceremony?

At a Temple KUKURI tea ceremony, we serve organic green tea/Matcha (caffeine-free mulberry leaf tea is also an available option) to each guest along with Japanese traditional confection on a piece of paper called Kaishi. Your role as a guest is simply to be willing to be fully present and open to the possibilities of this particular gathering of people, this particular time and space. As we say,"Treasure each encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime event". "一期一会” in the principle of Chado. We will guide you on how to receive the confection and tea. No prior experience is necessary.  If you would like information on how to receive tea beforehand, please read our tea guide. During the tea ceremony Rev. Sawako guide you to meditation so you can enjoy the quiet time and experience the "being in the moment" at our tea ceremony.     

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We usually serve two groups in different times. Each group usually takes about 60 minutes to receive tea and to have a short quiet time/meditation time at the end. Each group can have a maximum of 15 people. first come, first served, so we highly recommend signing up for a ceremony beforehand by contacting us (please specify the time you would like to come) or online registration(see our event calendar). 

 

If you would like to experience the richest, finest, smoothest tasting, organic, aromatic green tea - Matcha - come and join us at Temple KUKURI. It will change your tea experience forever!

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Waiting room/Sanctuary: The sanctuary (the back room studio where you enter firt.) becomes a waiting area for the guests. We sometimes have live musicians playing quiet enchanting music for you.  We encourage guests to arrive early and/or to stay for a while after the ceremony to enjoy the experience and to have some grounding time and social time.

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Where Can I learn how to receive tea? ​​

We have Tea Meditation Club twice a week where you can learn how to receive tea as a practice of mindfulness.  We have different kinds of tea each week so please contact us to find out when we have ceremonial tea practice.  We are also planning to have formal tea practice class in 2018.  Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive the schedule.

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What kind of tea are served at the ceremony?

We serve the highest ceremonial grade organic Matcha/powdered green tea (from Kagoshima, Japan) and organic (caffeine-free) mulberry leaf powder tea at our ceremony.

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Can I host a tea ceremony at my house or community?

Yes. Private Tea Gatherings are available.  We will help you to connect and celebrate with a group of your friends at your home or venue of your choice. Tea ceremonies can be arranged as part of a school educational program, as a ritual, office stress management program. We can customize a tea ceremony to your needs. Please contact us .

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