You are here:

Buddhists/What's the teaching on tea and meditation?

Advertisement

Expert: - 1/19/2009


Question
Do your teachers say it's good to drink tea for the
experience you seek while meditating?  Or is it a
hindrance?

Answer
Hi Jason,
I do know that Zen Buddhists are very keen on tea.
In Tibetan culture tea of a different sort is drunk a lot, and used to moisten dough as well as just to drink.
As far as I know, apart from the fact that tea contains the same chemical as coffee, usually called caffeine, and that if you drink a very, very large amount it is really not good for you, I've never heard anything in particular being said about it.
All the best
Alex W

Buddhists

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Alex Wilding

Expertise

I have practiced and studied Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions since the early 1970s, and have a good knowledge of theory, history and of the struggles of trying to practice the teachings, including meditation, while leading a normal, modern life. I am also available to provide background information for journalists.

Experience

I have been a practitioner since the early 1970s; have run a small Buddhist centre in the English Midlands and was vice-president of Kagyu Benchen Ling e.V. in Germany, for whom I managed three large Buddhist summer-camps. More importantly, I maintain a habit of personal practice. I am the "owner" of the Kagyu list at Yahoo.

Education/Credentials
My first degree was an M.A. from Oxford. I later obtained a Master of Philosophy degree for a research thesis in "Initiation in Tibetan Buddhism" from Leicester University. I also have engineering and educational qualifications.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.