Fo Guang Shan New Zealand
November 17, 2023

On 29 October, FGS Art Gallery held the first session of the Cultural and Art Experience of the spring season. There are 12 participants attended and the session was led by BLIA South Island Subchapter Presidents Cao Qian and Tiffany Su as practitioners to share about Chinese tea culture.

The session started with a guided meditation and was followed by an intro to the two types of tea with different degrees of roasting. The practitioner explained Chan’s stories and illustrated the steps of the tea ceremony, such as offering flowers to the Buddha, warming tea cups, and so on.

The session started with a guided meditation and was followed by an intro to the two types of tea with different degrees of roasting. photo／FGS NZ

The tea ceremony was held in the FGY Art Gallery providing a tranquil atmosphere where the participant could observe their inner mind through tea tasting, realizing the beauty of Chan, and practicing mindfulness.

The cultural and art experience also featured a special sharing session on the art of flower arrangement with a live demonstration of flower arrangement by the BLIA South Island Subchapter committee, Sally Lim. Through skillful arrangement, a simple yet artistic flower arrangement was presented to the participants in various pots.

Participant observe their inner mind through tea tasting, realizing the beauty of Chan, and practicing mindfulness.  photo／FGS NZ

Participants were thankful for the experience, leading them back to their spiritual roots to explore inner joy. One of the participants Katka, from the Czech Republic shared that she had been working in a busy urban city, and she was excited and grateful to appreciate the tea which make her relax and feel the joy of present moment. English Dharma Service students Ola, Dedrie, Michael and Astrid from had registered for all three sessions in one go. All the paticipants reckon the tea ceremony experience a real treasure for settling the body and mind.