The famous saying Chan cha yi wei 禅茶一味 means that tea and Zen are the same (lit. Zen and tea, one taste). This illustrates the fact that Zen practice is not bound to the meditation cushion, but should necessarily be integrated into daily life: “meditation in action.” The tea ceremony can then become a vehicle for practicing Zen.  The character for Zen in Chinese is Chan 禅 (禪). “Chan” is a transliteration of the Sanskrit word dhyana (jhana) which is a form of meditation that involves profound concentration and deep absorption on a singular object of meditation. The word can be broken down into dhi (mind) + yana (vehicle). The…