Fuden-an: Leaves from a Tea-journal

　　On the occasion of the start of this, the Year of the first of the East Asian zodiacal signs, the Monkey, 2004 C.E., I desire most humbly to offer my felicitations concerning my reader's entering upon a New Year.

　　It is my dearest wish to make my way, along with all of you, through this coming year, without major mishap befalling anyone, and with, as our guiding spiritual principle, the desire to 'enrich the heart through cha-no-yu'. As, in my own case, the Year of the Monkey is my lucky year, I myself feel this last resolve particularly strongly.

　　Speaking of the Monkey, among all the traditions and proverbs associated with this animal the first that comes to mind will certainly be that of 'the wisdom of the three monkeys', these being the 'see-not monkey', the 'hear-not monkey', and the 'speak-not monkey' - the first of which is covering both eyes with its paws, the second both ears, and the third its mouth - which, as a trio, constitute that unique motif so often represented in paintings and carvings, and is also found in cast-metal or pottery kettle-lid-rests designed for use in cha-no-yu.

　　Without going to a zoo and studying the monkeys there, I cannot tell whether this group of species does characteristically adopt any of these three poses, but, in human society, this 'wisdom' is certainly of great significance as a guiding rule for successful survival.

　 Of course, if it is applied merely in order to avoid inconvenience to oneself, one will soon turn into the most irresponsible person imaginable; yet there will be occasions upon which this principle gains an important relevance, when applied with regard to third parties. That is to say, the faults and errors of others should be left apparently unnoticed, unheard, and undiscussed, and someone that can do this possesses a generosity of spirit that we should all do well to emulate - or that at least is how I myself take it that this guideline is to be best interpreted.

　　There is a short, epigrammatic classical poem that runs as follows:


　　　　　　　more difficult than
　　　　not to speak, not to see or hear,
　　　　　　　is to maintain
　　　　a heart indeed that does not even
　　　　conceive those thoughts themselves


This I think well worth pondering.

　　Then again, the Monkey, the First Zodiacal Sign, itself represents much that is important to us. The character for 'the First of the Signs',「甲」, means not only 'a beginning', and 'the foremost', but also 'the best'. Among those Japanese of a generation senior to my own there will be not a few that still recall this character once being used in enumerating things, and in expressing scholastic achievement. The form of the character is a representation of the outer casing of a seed or a fruit burst open, and so also relates to the splitting of a shell or sheath under the pressure of a new shoot surging forth from within.

　　And the character for 'the Monkey' itself,「申」, means 'longitudinal expansion' or 'lengthening', with extended meanings of 'pile one thing upon another', 'repeat', and, thence, 'to state', 'to utter respectfully', and finally 'clear, evident'. Again, its Sino-Japanese pronunciation, shin, is said to relate to the process of 'lengthening, or growing upwards, absolutely straight'.

　　All of these meanings are worth our well chewing over, each in his or her own manner.

Consequently, it is my own feeling that this is a year during which I wish both to return to basics and relearn these more thoroughly, and yet not to remain merely concerned with what has been handed down, but also to encourage new shoots to grow, upwards, and absolutely straight.