‘Freedom is obedience to self-formulated rules’ – Aristotle
During my last project, ‘The Enclosed Garden,’ I learnt about the strict and holy rules that form the traditional tea ceremonies and how, for the Japanese, these rules create freedom. I was immediately fascinated by this. I grew up with the idea that being rebellious, forced or not, created freedom for myself. The idea of having many strict rules feels to me like losing my freedom. So, how is it possible that their rules turn into freedom?
The Japanese tea ceremonies (chanoya or chado) are developed by zen-buddhism-inspired simplicity and a greater emphasis on spirituality. The founding father of this traditional way of tea making is Se No Rikyu (1522-1591) who advocated an austere, directness of approach and honesty of self. He believed in finding beauty in the simple and imperfect. To accomplish this, you simply need rules. Thresholds and frames are markers of changes in the spiritual realm and rules. Why? As the tea experience is based on Zen-Buddhism, the whole experience was meant to involve a spiritual element, a shared moment of calm and renewal for its participants. The rules are set up in a simple way to encourage a calm spirit. As the old Japanese saying goes, ‘cha-Zen ichimi’ or ‘Tea and zen have one taste.’
To get to this moment of calm and renewal, you need to get into a certain state of mind. This can only be obtained when you don’t need to think, when you know what is coming.
‘ There are rules so that there is no need to doubt’ – Soen Bigaard
With a specifically designed room, landscaped garden, and fine tea bowls all becoming essential components of the ceremony you always know what you can expect, what the next step is going to be and how to behave. This predictability, brought about by the rules, creates a sense of security and preparedness in the tea ceremonies.
Some important rules start with wearing the right clothes. Avoid gaudy fashion, jewellery and fragrances that distract from the tea experience. Traditional tea ceremonies are surrounded by a garden which is kept tranquil. Flora and fauna that excludes too much colour or scents are avoided as they are a distraction. As one goes deeper into the tea experience, more frames shape the expected behaviour. But besides all these rules, it is acceptable to make mistakes. Life is not controllable, and a human should not desire to do so. As long as you are prepared, you should be ready to welcome the unexpected. Accepting mistakes in the tea ceremonies is a comforting reminder that perfection is not the goal but the journey and the experience itself.
The Japanese may seem to live by following heavy rules, but these lead them the way. Rules allow them to tailor the experience to ensure the desired effect is made possible. Rules are not just constraints, they free us from doubt by reducing our scope of actions. The essence of Zen is attempting to understand the meaning of life directly, without being misled by logical thought or language. Without rules, we would not exist. Everyone sets rules for themselves and lives thereby their own story. I thought I was doing the opposite, but instead of ‘breaking’ them, I was creating my own to live by, thereby creating freedom for myself.
