Drenched in the rain, sitting and telling stories over tea

Thai Hao

The time I lived in Tay Lac Vien was my most special day. Here, I reread Walden by Henry David Thoreau, immersed in the most profound experiences.

In 2016, I moved again after quitting teaching and returning to the garden to become a farmer. It is a suburban garden with few houses, including rubber, pepper, fruit trees, and a dreamlike wild bamboo forest. There are also two ponds in that garden, one with a laterite bottom; the clear blue water can be used to wash rice and vegetables. The remaining pond is so deep in mud that you can wade it up to your thighs. Under this second pond are giant water lilies that bloom at night like hundreds of lanterns, sparkling under the moon and stars.

I planted more lotis; there are three varieties: lotus and “western lotus,” pink lotus and white lotus, single petal, and double petal. Soon, lotuses covered the pond’s surface, and majestic flowers proudly bloomed. I built a bridge near the middle of the pond, making a booth to sit under the lush green fig tree.

The lotus buds were blooming close to the foot of the bridge. From the previous afternoon, I brought out the tea and put it in the lotus, wrapped it in lotus leaves, and left it overnight. Tomorrow morning, wake up early, reach out, pick it up, boil water on the pond bridge, and make tea in the middle of the mist. I named that garden Tay Lac Vien. Nowadays, many of my articles from that time still have the words “Tay Lac Vien” after the signature, which is the address in this place.

The time spent living in Tay Lac Vien was the most special day for me. Here, I reread Walden by Henry David Thoreau countless times, immersed in the most profound life experiences alone, completely free and quiet. It’s strange, but after two years, I “got out of the woods” and returned to teaching again.

Before returning to Tay Lac Vien, I loved tea. I have all kinds of tea trays, including bamboo and wood, ceramic in large and small shapes, and all types of tea tools with earthen pots, such as Long Dan, Tay Thi, Chau Ban, Thuy Binh, Thach Bieu, Bao Xuan… .; Which tea is Tan Cuong, Red tea, Oolong, Pu-erh… The way of drinking tea is also very sophisticated and multi-faceted. I read books like “Tea Classic” by Luc Vu to deeply penetrate the “tea ceremony.” I visit Hue, Da Nang, and Hanoi teahouses whenever possible. In short, I have whatever people serve with tea. And especially the life of “living alone in the forest” with a frugal vegetarian diet, listening to sutras every day, meditating…, not everyone can achieve it.

But then I quit and didn’t play anymore.

When I listen to myself deeply enough and understand myself and life more, I gradually simplify everything. Be happy with things that are close, natural, and not complicated. Have fun with cats and dogs, garden vegetables, fruits, the sounds of birds every morning, and frogs in the lake. The lotus flower still blooms beside the fruit trees, and the scent of laurel is present at night. The earthen pots were gradually put away in the corner of the room, leaving only the Tay Thi to accompany us throughout the years; with so many tea tools and preparation movements, how to raise a cup of tea and enjoy the scent of everything. , all folded up. “When you’re hungry, you eat; when you’re tired, you sleep.”

Up to now, after returning to the North, I still keep the habit of drinking tea. Now I drink it every day, besides tea, I hardly drink anything else. Although many earthen kettles have been scattered, about a dozen still exist. The wasp burrows into the kettle’s heart and the spout’s mouth to make nests. I only use a Japanese Tokoname simply because it’s convenient: thin but sharp, wide mouth, easy to change tea; Long handle, poured sideways for convenience, clear flow, bright color…

For many years, I have no longer tied myself to “procedures” and restrictions. Allow yourself to be “lazy” and indulge in a simple life, from eating to daily activities. Ultimately, all “precepts” and majesty are to bring people to freedom, not to chain and imprison them.

It can be said without exaggeration that I went through a period of “tea ceremony” and “tea meditation” to a rigorous and “proper” stage. It was a beautiful, profound experience that will forever remain in my heart. But I chose to step out and live a different life, one that is more comfortable, more accessible, and gentler.

That’s just my own life. Everyone should maintain a lifestyle that makes them feel like they have the most beautiful and meaningful life, no matter how strange and eccentric. Pursuing tea, for example, is also an exciting choice. As for me, I would like to “say goodbye to weapons.”

I like the Western spirit, like America’s Thoreau. He went into the forest, soaked in Walden Lake, immersed himself in the sunrise, and counted every step on the lonely road… There is another America that many people do not know: Thoreau’s America. , there is a profound corner of life there that is not inferior to the East with its Zen and Taos. However, like Lao Tzu, Thoreau only chooses to ride a buffalo deep into the mountains and disappear with a trace. After being silent and letting the “birds nest on his head,” Thoreau came out like a fierce light that could penetrate all shadows; writing the famous “Civil Disobedience” next to “Living Alone in Forest” has become a classic. There is a Dionysus who is passionate, furious, and passionate about life next to a rational, exemplary, and full-of-light Apollo.

The line between greatness and lowliness is sometimes very fragile and complex to distinguish; The noble and the humble, the big and the small, the deep and the shallow, the still and the moving, the sacred and the profane… are the same, as fragile as a thin shirt.

“Take joy as the purpose of life” is my concept. Joy comes from connecting with people, nature, and life; joy arises from inner self-control, knowing joy, anger, love, and sadness without losing oneself in the turmoil of delusion and addiction. Don’t fool yourself into pretentious, melodious creeds…