喫茶와 精神의 治療 Tea Therapy 를ㅡ모색하여ㅡ

THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF TEA THERAPY

1. Development of tea drinking Tea drinking is closely related to the formation of basic trust formulated by E. H. Erikson. Adequate and sufficient drinking of fluid as well as good eating makes emotional life of human being secure and optimal by relaxation. Drinking, as well as eating, is a suitable method of relaxation for more stable and peaceful state of human mind not only in pathological conditions but also in pan-human situation. 2. Cha~do(True way of tea drinking) About a thousand years ago in China and Korea, tea drinking encountered with Buddhism, because the both systems were similar each other in purpose and method for establishing peace of mind. Through well-regulated process of preparing tea, tea-etiquitte and tea-tasting, the tea-drinking man is able to get an insight into and attain the true way of life, and aquire the maintainance of optimal emotional intensity. 3. Tea therapy Theoretical foundation of tea therapy would be derived from several principles of Cha-do which may be incorporated to psychotherapy. a) Quietness, cleanliness, peacetulness and respectiveness; these four factors are traditional and classical expression of the orient for emotional stability of healthy person. On account that these four factors emphacized in tea drinking for making atmosphere of tea room comfortable, the tea drinking can be said as a therapeutic atmosphere. b) Maturity: in Cha-do, water for tea must be boiled evenly (evenly matured) and calmed down for a while after the water boiled sufficiently (being passed through maturity) in order to reveal the spirit of tea, i. e., true taste of tea. This is an indirect expression of the importance of emotional maturity. c) Distance: In the process of tea preparation, interval is carefully regulated for the better taste. This is considerably an symbolic expression of the importance of distance in human relationship. Ma~ ture person has an ability to regulate emotional distance adequately in interpersonal relation, just like that good taste in tea drinking needs well regulated interval in tea preparation. d) Five tastes: Good tea reveals five tastes： bitterness, astringentness, saltiness, sauerness and swea- tness. When a person tastes the five tastes of tea meaningfully, he can examine carefully the meaning of bitterness of life and the meaning of sweatness of life. These two situations can be compatible to early frustration and later contentment. Thus, he can reexperience the pain-pleasure principle of human life. e) Optimality: In true way of drinking, caffein many excercise for elevation of mood in one hand, variable principles and etiquettes of the drinking may do for calmitig down emotional intensity on the other. This counter-action would contribute to maintain emotional intensity optimal. f) The spirit of tea: The spirit of tea, the most delicate taste of tea, goes so far to examine carefully the delicasy of the universe, i. e., Buddha. Tea drinking, tasting the delicate tea in delicate atmosphere of tea room, facilitates his healthy identification with the enormous and delicate cosmic power. In other words，he enters into the state of samadhi, i. e., a state of trance. The samadhi purifies emotional chaos, corrects emotional distortions and treats malconditioned behaviors.