“Kung fu” refers to a devotion of time
At a tea gathering led by a Chinese translator who follows the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, I learned that “Kung fu”—which I associate with aggression and Bruce Lee movies—actually refers to a devotion of time. It doesn’t just apply to martial arts, but in fact to anything that requires patience, time and energy to complete, including learning to serve tea.
During the “TEAgather” session, Professor Sherab Chen shared the history of Puerh tea, demonstrated how to serve it, and guided his apprentices Baocheng, Yuzhao and Ruth as they practiced his methods. After this two-hour experience, I found myself energized and focused—allowing me to grade more student papers than I usually do in a sitting. It inspired me to consider the benefits of applying “Kung fu” to many areas of my life, including my interactions with loved ones, my writing, my yoga practice, my teaching, and even cooking, cleaning and gardening.
During the “TEAgather” session, Professor Sherab Chen shared the history of Puerh tea, demonstrated how to serve it, and guided his apprentices Baocheng, Yuzhao and Ruth as they practiced his methods. After this two-hour experience, I found myself energized and focused—allowing me to grade more student papers than I usually do in a sitting. It inspired me to consider the benefits of applying “Kung fu” to many areas of my life, including my interactions with loved ones, my writing, my yoga practice, my teaching, and even cooking, cleaning and gardening.
To what in your life would you like to apply “Kung fu”—your patience, time and energy? How can you start today?
Inspiring! My mind literally sparkles in reading your "report" on "Kungfu" tea! - Sherab
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherab! I was so touched that you included my description in your TEAgather presentation. Looking forward to our next "tea time," Jenny
ReplyDelete