Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of aestheticism–Teaism. Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life.

Tea may, of course, be served without any formality. Hot water may be poured over ordinary tea without thought as to the manner in which it is done. But those who practise the art of Cha-no-yu follow a regulated mode of serving with utensils carefully selected and correctly arranged. It is the elaboration of details which gives additional pleasure to the tea-drinker.

Training in the serving and drinking of powdered tea includes nearly all phases of etiquette observed in the Japanese mode of living. For this reason young ladies are encouraged to take lessons in the tea ceremony before marriage. Through this medium they learn correct manners and deportment. Nor is this training useless for older people.

Opening the sliding-door of the service room, the hostess makes a bow before entering the tea-room. It is interesting to observe the elementary lesson of how to bring in the water-jar, which has to be placed in a prescribed position. She leaves the room to reappear immediately, holding the tea-caddy in the right hand and the bowl in the left. She then makes another trip before she sears herself in front of either the stationary hearth, or portable fire-brazier, as the case may be, according to the season.

It would, however, be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to appreciate the fundamental ideals and traditions of Cha-no-yu without knowing something of the philosophy of life and art according to Zen Buddhism.

Meditation and introspection are stressed in the Zen philosophy, and the habit of individual and independent thinking is cultivated. It is natural that the inadequacy of words as vehicles of expression should be recognized. In the mental discipline of Zen, concentration is considered more important than anything else, and devotees are taught to cultivate direct communion with the inner nature of things in order to arrive at truth. The value of suggestion and intuition are therefore emphasized by those who follow Zen traditions.

Cha-no-yu is now a secular pastime, as we have seen. Neither religion nor philosophy has much to do with the cult as it is today. However, the canon of preferring plainness and austere simplicity to elaborate decoration cannot be accounted for except as being of Zen origin.

Paintings in black and white by Zen monks and artists, creating an atmosphere of transcendental calm, are highly prized for their simple, but subtle and suggestive beauty. For the same reason, hanging scrolls bearing inscriptions by the ancient Zen monks are still used for Cha-no-yu parties. The sentiments expressed may be moral or religious, but they are characterized by untrammelled aloofness from dogmas and creeds, and exercise a liberating influence upon the mind. The free and natural strokes of the ideographs, which are different from the more regular styles of the ordinary calligraphers, suggest the writer’s freedom from worldly emotion and passion.

Only a small section of the Japanese people understand the institution of Cha-no-yu, but the common intuition of seeing true beauty in severe simplicity and refined poverty may be considered a racial trait. This characteristic phase of Japanese life may also be traced to the ideals inculcated by the early masters through the medium of the tea ceremony.

With the introduction of Western modes of civilizationJapanhas undergone changes in many directions; the beauty of chaste simplicity is often sacrificed to ugly vulgarism, which characterizes all cheap copies and imperfect adaptations. Nevertheless, the inborn love of simplicity is so deep-rooted that it is discernible, not only in the art and architecture ofJapan, but also in the daily life of the Japanese people. The influence of the tea cult is to be seen in the Japanese home even though nothing be known of ceremonial tea.

Having observed the tea-master’s way of training his pupils, and having taken part in more than one entertainment, the readers will have noted that Cha-no-yu is related to nearly all branches of arts and crafts, as well as to various phases of Japanese home life. It is its many-sidedness that makes Cha-no-yu one of the most interesting aesthetic pursuits.

The love of chaste and refined simplicity, which is the key-note of the Japanese cult of ceremonial tea, has exercised a wholesome influence upon architecture, pottery, landscape gardening etc. For those who are satiated with looking at elaborate, tawdry and pretentious works of art, it is a relief to discover subtle beauty and refinement under an inornate and almost barren aspect. When accomplished tea-masters and devotees give entertainments, they know how to attain artistic effect without depending upon what is colourful and gaudy.

Pottery is perhaps the most important of the industrial arts allied with Cha-no-yu. The ceramic art ofJapanis greatly indebted to tea-masters and devotees for its refined taste, which has inspired artisans. Some knowledge of ceramics is therefore essential for the full enjoyment of a Cha-no-yu entertainment, at which by far the larger part of the utensils are of pottery. Any guest not interested in pottery will disappoint his host. Such a guest invariably fails to appreciate the tea-bowl, caddy, receptacle for fresh water, etc., of which the host is highly and justly proud.

There are builders and carpenters specially trained to build houses for ceremonial tea. In order to appreciate that artistic value of the work of these specialists, one has to acquire the taste for a plain style of architecture. It is natural that a devotee who is about to have his own Cha-no-yu house should make an intensive study by paying careful attention to the minutest details of the building plan.

Nor is the art of landscape gardening less important. The fundamental principles as evolved by ancient masters like Rikyu and Enshu are observed today in laying out new gardens. The deeper our knowledge of the Japanese art of landscape gardening, the greater will be our enjoyment when invited to inspect any garden, even though not connected with Cha-no-yu.

None but a person with an artistic sense strongly developed is capable of arranging flowers in a simple but highly effective way, which is so characteristic of the alcove decoration at a Cha-no-yu party. Should a guest fail to appreciate the vase and flowers arranged in them, his host might never invite him again.

No host would blame those unfamiliar with the Japanese language and literature for their indifference to hanging scrolls bearing inscriptions. A knowledge of textiles will, however, be helpful in appreciating the quality of the ancient brocade used in mounting them.

Devotees of the tea cult are also expected to be connoisseurs of lacquer ware, and those with scanty knowledge of iron and bronze will be incapable of admiring the antique kettles and vases of rare value.

The art of cookery is one of the most important subjects, because the kaisekimeal is served at a regular Cha-no-yu party. Those but slightly interested in the culinary art will make unsuccessful hosts, no matter how superior they may be in their possession of rare works of art. Fastidious epicures who praise an excellent menu might disappoint their host, should they remain insusceptible to the artistic superiority of the china dishes and lacquer bowls selected for the meal.

It will therefore be realized how profound a devotee’s aesthetic pleasure may be, if he makes a study of one subject after another allied with the tea cult, which has exercised a deep refining influence upon the arts and crafts of Japan for hundred of years. It is sincerely hoped therefore that facilities to become more familiar with Cha-no-yu may be extended to those who desire to penetrate more deeply into the cultural life of the Japanese people.

I am not a devout Buddhist. While I subscribe and love much of the tenets of Buddhism, especially the Mahayana sect, I cannot be part of any organized religion. So naturally, when killing nuisance pests was the question posed to his holiness the Dalai Lama, this came to mind. Someone asked him what he thought about swatting a mosquito and he evasively smiled and gave some answer that naturally  did not offend either sides. The philosophy of non-killing can also be done dogmatically as we very well know. My first spiritual teacher  often said that he would have killed defending the life of his guru. Why not? After all, non-action, in this case can be damning as well, and as the result the wrong party could perish.  We all incur some negative Karma throughout our lives “so when make a mistake, make a big one”, he often said.

As a friend to Buddhist philosophy, I was a committed non-violence subscriber until my house was invaded by feral pigeons.

For quite a long time I did nothing. I did some research on the Internet, and started to get violent thoughts.

There was a nest of a pigeon family right above the side entrance way and a fair amount of pigeon poop was on our doorstep daily. There were several generations born into that nest and they come back to the same place to nest, following their honing instinct.

So, I’ve bought an air rifle. There were some other alternatives, like placing some unfriendly spikes and objects on the top of the roof where they like to land. But that seldom works, plugging the nest with these substances may have worked but we live in a rental house. We cannot alter things willy-nilly. We have a great absentee landlord, living in Colorado and we cannot ask them to come back and make the pigeons somehow magically go away.

So, I have started shooting them. That works. There is no more pigeons poop and diseased feathers and dirt. I have made two nests on our roof empty and they have been empty for quite sometime.

First, I felt no remorse at all. Pigeons are rats with wings after all. Why was I doing something bad? The last time I shot down a family of birds, frequenting the house next to us, something has happened. I have realized that I was killing a family of creatures, that mate for life. There are the papa pigeons and mama pigeons and the little ones, too many of course. Pigeons breed rapidly and they love sex.

So why was I feeling remorse? Well, after some contemplation I have realized that I was killing pigeons on the neighbours house and those pigeons bothered me none. After I’ve killed one the other came back looking for his mate. He waited there looking, and I shot him. They have a right to live just as much as I have the right to live; philosophically speaking of course. Also I have realized that I was becoming more morose and inward looking, unfriendly…I was losing my mojo. I have realized that we are creatures driven mainly by our hidden, subconscious mind. Killing pigeons was not good for me. I did not realize it first but it had become quite apparent – I’ve achieved my goal, the pests were gone but I was becoming more miserable by the number of pigeons I was shooting down. By killing pigeons I was slowly killing my  own soul. This is when I realized the truth the old saying holds. By harming others you also harm yourself. As we are all one, a big hodgepodge of life and souls, all in it together.

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This post is some further explanation of certain ideas conveyed in my updated, new book the Secret Explained. (available in printed or electronic formats)

New Thought and the Secret has much merit but both fall short on practical advice and cautionary warnings.
The magick community also has its problems and misunderstandings with the true nature of phenomena. Let me post some ideas of mine;

• Ceremonial magic, while it is an important facet of the whole, it is not as important as they make you believe. Ceremonies, costumes etc. are like are crutch to place the practicionair into an altered states, a trance that can be achieved without any costume or hocus pocus.

• true magic is not obvious yet consistent. That is the beauty of it! You operate under the radar and everybody thinks you are just lucky or blessed, while you are making everything happen. This way you avoid attention and negative consequences or unwarranted animosity or envy.
  People come to you for a good show if you want to show off by all means try – good luck. True, transcendental magic is not like that. You do not want to show off and do not want attention. You do things for others and a little for yourself.

• Magical thinking is only partial of the whole – there are the vibrations of letters, colors and sounds can and will work with your mental effort on tandem.
• Lastly, your invisible selves must be in harmony in order to work with the elemental forces. Your physical is only ONE aspect of it. The invisible is ALWAYS more important.

On a certain, mental level time and space does not exist, in addition all possible events are not only possible but actual and probable, as nothing is yet final, sequential.

In our so called “reality” much of that we think as actual and final event is in reality, just a perception based possibility of one in the trillion of permutations of the whole.
What finally “happens” is based on individual and collective visualization, ideas, current and old thoughts and karmic balance of positive and negative individual or group Karma. Nothing is by chance or happenstance, at least not the way most people think of it. Akasha, the fabric of the Universe has traces of the karmic information. Everything is choreographed to perfection, but to a certain extent you (the initiated magician) can alter and change it. You can also create! Conjour up things from nothing. In fact, that it is easier than altering karmically defined future events. In the old days the rainmaker or the soothsayer was often killed when his/hers prediction or effort was not realized, but many times the desired outcome – rain was karmically not possible that time.
For example, a shuffled deck of cards, on the mental level where there is no sequence of time based events, any possibility of the shuffled deck is probable so a true magician can “invoke” any cards, to the low level thinker(neophyte) who is stuck in the trap of time/space fabric of this Universe cannot see that as a probability but as hard as it is to believe this – ANYTHING is possible when imagined and acted out on the mental body, which then automatically gets pushed(propagated) to the physical realm and becomes, final and “REAL”.
This is the true philosopher’s stone, the true empowerment.

Dogmatic non-duality is a mental illness. If not yet a full-blown psychosis it has a potential to become one for many people. It is socking to many seekers to explain the Hindu concept of Maya, (illusion) but with the advent of a Course in Miracle a new movement had sprung up inAmerica. Some of the followers are extremists with dangerous ideas.

The new book of Joe Vitale Zero Limits describes a new form of Hawaiian healing Ho’oponopono – Dr Hew Len a follower of the last remaining Kahuna, the late Morrnah Simeon, allegedly had healed a ward of dangerous psychopaths in a Honolulu Hospital of the Criminally Insane. Except other claims question his record of this feat and claim that he and Joe Vitale just in this for the fame and money. I am not sure of the truth, but I’ve decided to write about the idea of pure non-duality and the dangers of the world view where we claim that everything is our own perception and only our thinking will heal the world’s ills.

I am sympathetic to much of what the Course in Miracle(acim) teaches and I am even more fond of forgiveness and looking inward to solve problems of today. However as with all teachings that claim absolute solution to anything, the extreme way of looking at the world could have adverse effect on some people.

Subjective versus Objective Reality

Some extreme followers of acim and other new age teachings actually believe that everyone is a reflection of themselves and they are the only point of observation in the universe. All encompassing oneness is the only REAL thing and all else is an illusion.

While there is an element of truth to this school of thoughts, the real understanding of

what REAL and UNREAL is to understand the invisible side of things.

Our non-Physical Extensions

Some of the ancients (hindu) describe this as a septenary existence, where they count the seven existence of everything there is. The Cabbalists count these layers of existence as nine, but for the sake of simplicity I just use 3 layers – mental, astral, and physical. Since the demarcation from one level to another is murky the numbers we pick is not important.
The three worlds or “planes” are as follows: the mental plane is the highest reality, save for the undivided akasha, and is the true and eternal ego. Where the akasha is in a sense the world of ideas, it is the mental plane that sets these ideas in motion. The astral plane is the next one down and contains the archetypes of the physical world and to some extent the vital energy behind it; the physical world is the lowest of the planes and requires little explanation. Each of these worlds forms a matrix for the world below it. Since humans also have three bodies corresponding to their presence in each of the three worlds, severing the link between any two of these bodies will cause the dissolution of the lower forms (or death). Such things as astral projection are still possible as they only involve loosening the hold between the bodies.

It is important to point our that we often think that the source of all is the physical and that somehow extends out to the higher spheres. The reality is the exact opposite. Our nervous system and biology is controlled and affected by our “doppelganger” at the mental layer. To be able to do extraordinary things we must have these three/nine/seven layers in synch – perfect harmony.
In order to heal or be healed we must first be effective on the mental level and if successful the result will automatically be propagated down to the physical.

According to the Cabbala, Infinity (Oneness) is a very important concept.  The undivided infinity of being (Atziluth), multiplies itself by another order of infinity and causes the infinity of specified, non-sequentialized meaning (Briah).  In this state, Unitary being experiences the whole infinite variety of specific meanings, but without sequence or order.  This is the archetypal, symbolic ocean, in which each drop reflects the whole and the whole is mirrored in each drop.   It is a chaos of potentiality in which all things are not only possible, but also probable and actual.

This infinity of random meaning (Briah), multiplies itself by another order of infinity and causes the infinity of sequence and relationship (Yetzirah).  This is the realm of symbol, of order, logic, emotion, thought — the realm where one thing leads to another.  This is also the realm of time, the essence of which is sequence.

This infinity of sequentialized meaning (Yetzirah), multiplies itself by another order of infinity and causes the infinity of spatial relationship (Assiah) and our familiar physical realm.

The first multiplication of The One Self — the transition from the Atziluthic Unity of being, to the Braitic infinity of non-sequentialized meaning – is described in the Genesis, chapter one, creation story.  The second transition, from the Briatic infinity to the sequentialized Yetziratic infinity, is the topic of the Sepher Yetzirah.  Thus the S.Y. is very orderly and systematic in its presentation and closely examines the structure of time (“eternity”).

My conclusion is that Oneness, infinity only the realm de joure at the highest spheres and we as humans should strive to access and attain that level. Down on earth infinity exists only as an abstraction and polarity, decay (death) rules, on a simplistic level. The only escape is ascension which is everybody’s birthright but will not be attained by reading acim repeatedly.