Chado: The Zen Art of Tea

Chado—the way of tea—sits at the intersection of aesthetics, ritual, and Zen practice. This three-day retreat treats tea ceremony not as a performance or craft to master, but as a direct expression of wabi-sabi principles: the beauty found in impermanence, incompleteness, and the understated. The 16th and 17th century Kyoto context grounds the practice historically, anchoring it in a specific moment when Zen influence on Japanese culture was deepening.

The retreat examines tea as a practice of presence and attention to season, space, and the subtle geometry of human encounter. If you've practiced zazen or studied Zen philosophy, you'll recognize the same precision and simplicity applied here through gesture and tea-making. If tea ceremony is new to you, this retreat treats it as an accessible entry point into Zen aesthetics and practice.

Zen Mountain Monastery has not yet published the daily schedule, teacher name, or lodging details for this retreat. Contact the center directly for information about accommodations, what to bring, and how the three days are structured.