The regrettable thing in the tea meditation session with billionaire Bill Gates

Poet Tran Dang Khoa (right) and tea artisan Hoang Anh Suong. Photo: NVCC.

According to artist Hoang Anh Suong, despite careful preparation, there were things he planned to do during the tea ceremony with billionaire Bill Gates that could not be...

Artist Hoang Anh Suong shared: That afternoon on the top of Ban Co Mountain, I really wanted to read to Mr. Bill Gates and his girlfriend - Mrs. Paula Hurd the poem "Drinking Tea with Friends in Early Spring" by poet Tran Dang Khoa. Of course, in English. According to the previous plan, I would read it at the end of the tea meditation session, before saying goodbye to them. Unfortunately, the tea meditation session ended late, and it was dark so I didn't have time to read it. I believe, in the quiet, poetic scene like a paradise on the top of Ban Co Mountain in Son Tra Peninsula, in a peaceful state of mind after having just gone through 80 minutes of tea meditation, Mr. Bill Gates and Mrs. Paula Hurd will feel happier when listening to this poem.

Why did you choose the poem “Drinking tea with friends in early spring” by poet Tran Dang Khoa? Tea master Hoang Anh Suong shared: Anyone who loves Vietnamese tea must know the poem “Drinking tea with friends in early spring” by poet Tran Dang Khoa. Because this is not only one of the best Vietnamese poems about tea but also because of its profound philosophy about happiness imbued with Buddhist teachings. It is no coincidence that many monks also love this poem. And many monks have painstakingly carved the poem on precious wood in the form of calligraphy and hung it solemnly in the temple.

“Take the first cup of tea

The meat suddenly smells fragrant.

Real life becomes dreamland

Earthly paradise.

I raise the second cup

For pure earth and sky

My heart is enlightened

Know more about the unknown.

Even if life is great in the future

Surely more than now

Come on, pour another cup.

We fly together.

“
There is an international unit specializing in organizing discovery and experience programs for the super-rich in the world . They invited me to organize a tea party for billionaire Bill Gates when he came to Vietnam. His assistant worked with this company and gave a detailed program: How many days in Vietnam? What to eat and drink on the first day, where to stay, who to meet?... They suggested that I organize a "tea meditation" session. The chosen location was Ban Co Mountain in Da Nang City...
Tea artist Hoang Anh Suong

However, there is a more special reason, which few people know, which is the special friendship between poet Tran Dang Khoa and tea artisan Hoang Anh Suong. “I still remember, on the morning of the second day of Tet in 2009, poet Tran Dang Khoa and I sat drinking at Truong Xuan Tea Terrace (13 Ngo Tat To, Hanoi ). Like every other day, my brother and I enjoyed lotus tea in that familiar ancient space. The only difference was that the Tea Terrace on Tet was quieter, more beautiful, more full of spring because in the yard, peach blossoms, apricot blossoms, and narcissus flowers were blooming brightly. The weather that day was really nice. Blue sky, white clouds, yellow sunshine, and chirping birds. In that peaceful, poetic setting, the scent of lotus tea seemed to become more fragrant, stirring the poet's soul. Emotions welled up, and right at the tea table, poet Tran Dang Khoa improvised a poem for me, “Drinking tea with friends in early spring”. The first sentence popped out until the last sentence ended, in just a few minutes, enough for guests to enjoy a cup of tea”, Hoang Anh Suong shared.

“Since its inception, the poem has been warmly received by tea and poetry lovers. Many people have recited, commented on, and praised the poem with the best and most beautiful words.”

According to this tea master, there are two things that he sees that few people discover and few people mention. The first thing is that poet Tran Dang Khoa is a tea connoisseur, a tea "expert". That expertise is not only shown in the "specialized" words that tea connoisseurs often use such as: sip, lift, and prick... very delicately, very meditatively, but also in the moderation when enjoying. Tea connoisseurs from ancient times to the present only enjoy a maximum of 3 cups. They sip each small, gentle sip to fully appreciate the aroma and rich taste of the tea. No one drinks in one gulp, no one drinks until they are full. Therefore, if someone drinks the 4th cup, that person will be classified as a "buffalo drinking" (buffalo and horse drinking). The poem "Drinking tea with friends in early spring" has 3 stanzas, corresponding to the enjoyment of 3 cups of tea.

Second: Writing a poem praising tea, poet Tran Dang Khoa did not purely praise the aroma, taste, and color like other poets often do, but he praised the miraculous transformation of the body and mind when enjoying tea. From there, he conveyed a concept, a declaration of happiness. Therefore, the poem has great ideological significance, containing profound philosophies of Buddhism and Zen.

“Take the first cup of tea

The skin suddenly radiates fragrance.

Tea master Hoang Anh Suong analyzed: The scent of lotus tea is so fragrant that after just one sip, one suddenly feels as if one's skin is also permeated with the scent of lotus, also emitting the scent of lotus. Poet Tran Dang Khoa praised the fragrance of lotus tea as extremely talented. But if we only understand it like that, then this is just a good poem. Its real meaning is much greater than that: Tea has the ability to purify the body and mind, "wash away the dust of the world, wash away the mundane heart". And thanks to that miraculous transformation of body and mind:

"Real life becomes a dream

"Earth becomes heaven".

He quoted the Avatamsaka Sutra, which says: “All things are created by the mind.” That means all phenomena are created by the mind. When our mind is pure, heaven, earth, and the universe seem to be pure as well. Thanks to that, we can connect with many different, higher, and purer levels of space. In particular, when the mind is peaceful and pure, the treasure of wisdom will be opened. That treasure of wisdom is expressed by poet Tran Dang Khoa in a simple, familiar, and easy-to-understand image: “I raise the second cup/ For heaven and earth to be pure/ My mind is enlightened/ To know more about what is unknown.” That is the Buddhist path: Mindfulness - Concentration - Wisdom.

Hoang Anh Suong said that in the poem, he especially likes the third stanza:

"Even if life is terrible in the future

Surely more than now

Come on, pour another cup.

We fly together.

For poet Tran Dang Khoa, no matter how good life is tomorrow, it is not more certain than right now, when we have peace in our hearts, love and understanding, and soulmates... Possessing these "treasures", we truly become fairies in this very mortal world.

The view that “Even if life is forever/ It is not certain to be better than this moment” is the view of an awakened, enlightened person. It is very close to the teaching of “Living in the present moment” - one of the most fundamental teachings of Buddhism. The Buddha once taught: “The past has passed. And the future has not yet come. Do not let your mind sink. In regretting the past. In worrying about the future. You can live peacefully and leisurely. In the present moment”.

“Drinking Tea with Friends in Early Spring” is a poem praising tea but is also a concept, a philosophy of poet Tran Dang Khoa about happiness. Happiness, to him, does not lie in money, fame, power… Happiness, to poet Tran Dang Khoa, is when we have a peaceful mind, filled with understanding and love.

“The poem does not mention Zen or Buddha in any way, but it contains profound Buddhist philosophies. Therefore, “Drinking Tea with Friends in Early Spring” deserves to be one of the best poems written about tea,” shared tea artist Hoang Anh Suong.

That's why he wanted to read it during a tea meditation session with billionaire Bill Gates, but in the end "regretfully" he couldn't do it. "But well, in life, nothing is 100% perfect. Sometimes, having a little bit of unfinished, regretful things makes everything more impressive," artist Hoang Anh Suong expressed.

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