所作 The Language of Movement

長く稽古を続けるほど、所作だけを整えようとしても、本当の美しさには届かないことに気づきます。

どれほど丁寧に動こうとしても、その時の私の在り方や心持ちは、自然と所作に表れます。

反対に、私の在り方が整うと、所作は無理なく穏やかになっていきます。

歩き方も、お辞儀も、お茶碗の扱いも、お客様との向き合い方も、それぞれ別のものではありません。

すべては、その時の私の心持ちにあらわれます。

だからこそ、茶道では基本を大切にします。

基本の所作は、ごまかすことができません。

一つひとつの動きが、そのまま私を映し出します。

薄茶点前は技術を磨くためだけのお稽古ではなく、その時々の私の在り方と静かに向き合う時間なのだと思います。

The longer I practice the Way of Tea, the more I realize that true beauty cannot be achieved by refining only the outward form.

No matter how carefully I try to perform each movement, my state of being and frame of mind naturally reveal themselves through my actions.

Conversely, when my inner being is at ease, my movements become calm and effortless.

The way I walk, bow, handle a tea bowl, and welcome a guest are not separate skills.

They are all expressions of who I am in that moment.

This is why the fundamentals are so important in the Way of Tea.

The basic movements leave no room for presence.

Every gesture quietly reflects my true self.

Even after many years of practice, I continue to return to the preparation of a simple bowl of Usucha (thin tea).

The fundamentals are not merely a way to improve technique.

They are an opportunity to quietly encounter myself as I am in each moment.

Although the practice remains the same, what is reflected is never the same.

With every bowl of tea, there is something new to discover, and once again I return to the fundamentals.

Perhaps this is where the true depth of the Way of Tea lies.