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Chapter 349 Tea Saint Lu Yu
During the Kaiyuan Period of the Tang Dynasty, culture flourished extremely.

During the Kaiyuan period when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was in power, a large number of saints in Chinese history were born.

The great poet Du Fu, the great calligrapher Zhang Xu, the great painter Wu Daozi, and the great musician Li Guinian were all born during this period.

In addition to these saints, there is another saint who has had a profound influence on the Chinese nation.

China's tea culture is profound and has a long history, which is largely due to the Tea Saint Lu Yu.

Lu Yu ushered in an era of tea and made outstanding contributions to the development of the world's tea industry. His "The Classic of Tea" became the world's first monograph on tea.

"Lu Yu was born in Tianmen, Hubei during the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty."

"Lu Yu was abandoned since childhood because of his ugly appearance. Even he himself didn't know where he was from."

"When Lu Yu was abandoned near the temple, the abbot happened to be the kind-hearted Zen Master Zhiji."

"It is said that one day when the Zen Master Zhiji came to the western suburbs near the temple, he saw a group of wild geese guarding the cradle Lu Yu under a stone bridge."

"With the purpose of compassion, he brought Lu Yu back to the temple."

"Because the baby needed milk, he found another family named Li and asked them to help raise the baby for a while."

"When Lu Yu grew up, the Li family who adopted him returned to their hometown."

"Lu Yu returned to Longgai Temple and served Master Zhiji, who saved his life."

"Since Lu Yu did not have a real name, Master Zhiji used the Book of Changes to divine, and the hexagram he obtained showed that."

"A wild goose lands on land. Its feathers can be used as a symbol. This is auspicious."

"It means that wild geese are flying in the sky, and all directions are accessible. The two geese are moving gracefully, and the movements are orderly and orderly. It can be imitated and is a good omen."

"So, Zen Master Zhiji named the abandoned baby Lu, Yu, and Hongjian."

"When Lu Yu was eight years old, Master Zhiji taught Lu Yu to read and learn Buddhism."

"Lu Yu refused and was punished to do hard labor, including sweeping the floor, cleaning toilets, herding cattle, etc."

"Zhiji Zen Master was very good at making tea, so Lu Yu had the opportunity to learn the art of making tea from him since he was a child, and he became fascinated by this art."

"Lu Yu grew up in such an environment and was a child monk for ten years."

"Lu Yu followed the Zen master in the temple to learn to read and recite Buddhist scriptures, but this did not eliminate Lu Yu's attachment to the world."

"He didn't want to practice asceticism in a Zen temple, spend the rest of his life with the green lamp and the ancient Buddha, and he didn't want to shave his head and become a monk."

Wu Cheng'en: Lu Yu's life story is very tragic, which is similar to that of Tang Monk in Journey to the West.

After Tang Seng's father was killed by a villain, his mother put the infant Tang Seng into a bamboo basket and let it drift away with the river in order to give him a chance to survive.

As his fate was not to end, Tang Seng was picked up by a monk from Jinshan Temple, which led to his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

From then on, the orphan who was abandoned by his parents since childhood grew up in the temple.

When Lu Yu reached the age to read and write, Zen Master Zhiji only let him study Buddhist books and influenced him with his detached attitude.

But at a young age, Lu Yu had his own ideas and wanted to enter the world and do something.

Lu Yu felt that he had neither brothers nor descendants, so he wore monk's robes and became a monk.

It would be against filial piety to let the world hear about this situation, so he wanted to learn from the writings of Confucius.

Lu Yu insisted on his own opinion on this matter.

In the eyes of Zen Master Zhiji, this was simply beyond the reach of the child and he was very disappointed with the result.

He loved his disciple dearly and hoped to persuade Lu Yu through punishment.

Zen Master Zhiji assigned dirty and tiring work to Lu Yu, including cleaning the temple, cleaning the toilets, smearing mud on the walls, putting up beams and building the house, and also herding cattle.

When the Zen master knew that Lu Yu was not concentrating on herding cattle outside, but was fantasizing about reading and writing.

He no longer allowed Lu Yu to go out and asked his older disciples to discipline Lu Yu.

Sometimes, Lu Yu was working while thinking about studying, and he became dazed.

If this trance is discovered by the senior brother, he will be whipped.

The physical pain and mental confinement did not make Lu Yu sad.

The real reason why Lu Yu cried was that he was afraid that time would pass and he would achieve nothing in the end.

This crying and sighing made the brother who was guarding him even angrier.

So he whipped Lu Yu even harder until the whip broke.

Unable to endure such hard labor, Lu Yu escaped from the monastery at the age of twelve.

In order to survive, Lu Yu joined a troupe of actors performing in various places.

Although Lu Yu's situation in the temple was not good, he learned the art of making tea from Master Zhiji, which laid a solid foundation for Lu Yu to become the Tea Saint in the future.

"In the fourth year of Tianbao, the twelve-year-old Lu Yu joined a theatre troupe to learn acting and became an actor."

"Although he is not good-looking, he also has a stutter."

"But he is humorous and witty, and plays the role of a clown very successfully."

"Tianmen Governor Li Qiwu saw Lu Yu's outstanding performance at a banquet and admired his talent and ambition."

"So he immediately gave him poetry and books, and wrote a letter to recommend Lu Yu to study with Master Zou who lived in seclusion in Huomen Mountain."

"In the eleventh year of Tianbao, Cui Guofu, a doctor in the Ministry of Rites, was demoted to Sima, and Lu Yu bid farewell to Master Zou and left the mountain."

"Cui Guofu and Lu Yu knew each other, and they often went out together, tasting tea and water, and discussing poetry and essays."

"In the fifteenth year of Tianbao, the Anshi Rebellion broke out."

"An Lushan defeated the Tang general Geshu Han at Tongguan and approached Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong fled to Sichuan."

"Lu Yu wandered to Wuxing and met the monk Jiaoran."

"Jiaoran was Lu Yu's confidant, and the two wrote many poems and essays to record their friendship."

"Lu Yu traveled to the mountains and valleys of Bashan to study tea."

"Before he set out, Sima Cui Guofu presented him with a white donkey and a letter."

"Along the way, Lu Yu stopped his horse to pick tea when he came across a mountain, and tasted the water when he came across a spring."

"I visited local people and took good notes, which was very rewarding."

"When Lu Yu was 25 years old, he came to Nanjing, Jiangsu and lived in Qixia Temple, where he studied tea."

"Lu Yu came to Wuxing, Zhejiang from Qixia Mountain, lived in seclusion in the mountains, and met eminent monks and celebrities."

"Lu Yu made many good friends, all of whom are literati and scholars whose names are recorded in history."

"Lu Yu studied behind closed doors, delved into the art of tea, and devoted himself to writing, completing the first draft of The Classic of Tea and the compilation of his autobiography and other works."

"Lu Yu was not only a tea saint, but also a writer. Unfortunately, only The Classic of Tea has been passed down to later generations."

"In 770 AD, Lu Yu went to visit his sick friend Huangfu Ran. Huangfu Ran was so happy that he wrote a poem to Lu Yu."

"Afterwards, Lu Yu went to Yuezhou to pay a visit to Bao Fang and inspect the local tea production."

Wu Daozi: The word "tea" and the study of tea only came into being after Lu Yu.

While Lu Yu was living in seclusion in the mountains, he began to compile "The Classic of Tea".

Combining the experience of his predecessors and his own practice, Lu Yu recorded the origin, efficacy, classification, and tools and methods of picking, making and drinking tea.

The "Tea Classic", a tea monograph of about 7,000 words, can be regarded as the first and most complete and comprehensive tea monograph since ancient times.

In The Classic of Tea, Lu Yu creatively proposed the method of brewing tea, which changed the situation that tea was only a hobby of a small number of people and allowed more people to taste the beauty of tea.

Once The Classic of Tea was released, it caused a great response in the whole society and quickly changed the daily habits of many people.

As a result, the tea ceremony became very popular for a time, and kings, generals, scholars and poets all drank tea.

Compared with Lu Yu's extraordinary achievements in the tea ceremony, his own experience is even more admirable.

Lu Yu did not feel inferior or angry about his miserable fate and physical defects.

Instead, he studied the tea ceremony diligently and used his research results to benefit the world. This spirit is particularly admirable.

It took Lu Yu 26 years to complete his masterpiece The Classic of Tea, which had a profound and lasting impact on China's tea industry.

It is precisely because Lu Yu made outstanding contributions to the tea ceremony that he is praised by the world as the Tea Saint.

Mencius once said, "When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a man, it will first test his mind and will, make his muscles and bones weary, starve his body, deprive him of all poverty, and make his plans frustrated."

Judging from this standard, perhaps God really wanted to give Lu Yu a great responsibility, which is why he made Lu Yu go through all kinds of hardships since childhood.

What is commendable is that although fate was unfair to Lu Yu.

But Lu Yu was able to always maintain an optimistic and positive attitude, and relying on his persistent love and research, he made the world remember his name and achievements forever.

Lu Yu was indifferent to fame and fortune throughout his life. He liked traveling and loved nature and life.

Tea culture came into being only after Lu Yu.
Tea comes from plants and acquires unique value because of humans.

To be precise, tea became the dietary habit and spiritual epitome of the Chinese nation because Lu Yu was liberated from the constraints of nature.

"Afterwards, Lu Yu followed his good friend Lu Youping to offer sacrifices at Mount Kuaiji. Lu Youping was the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple and a close friend of Lu Yu."

"It is said that Dayu was buried in Kuaiji Mountain after his death, so the emperors of all dynasties regularly sent people to Kuaiji Mountain to offer sacrifices to Dayu and pray for the prosperity of the country."

"Lu Yu returned to Huzhou and served as a staff member under Yan Zhenqing, participating in the compilation of Yunhai Jingyuan."

"Yun Hai Jing Yuan is a magnificent masterpiece. Lu Yu participated in its compilation, which shows that he had profound literary knowledge."

"When he was fifty-four, the monk Huaisu, a master of cursive calligraphy, met and became friends with Lu Yu, who personally wrote the Biography of Monk Huaisu for Huaisu."

"Lu Yu was invited by Pei Zhou, the governor of Jingnan, to travel to Hunan to serve as Pei Zhou's staff member."

"Pei Zhou and Lu Yu have known each other for a long time. Lu Yu, who is over 50 years old, traveled all the way to Hunan to help Pei Zhou. This shows that Lu Yu is a man of deep affection and loyalty."

"Afterwards, Li Fu, the governor of Lingnan, invited Lu Yu to make plans, and Lu Yu went to Lingnan from Hunan."

"Lingnan was a famously dangerous place during the Tang Dynasty. Tang criminals were usually exiled to Lingnan."

"In ancient times when transportation was difficult, an old man traveled to a remote place with poor mountains and bad waters, just because Li Fu was the son of his benefactor Li Qiwu."

"A drop of water should be repaid with a spring. In order to repay Li Qiwu's kindness, Lu Yu should do his best to help Li Fu."

"In 792 AD, Lu Yu returned to Huzhou from Lingnan, and the legend of the Tea Saint still exists in Guangdong today."

"In 804 AD, Lu Yu passed away at the age of , and heaven and earth mourned together."

"Looking back on Lu Yu's life, it was ordinary but not extraordinary. All he did was taste tea."

"He has a strong interest in tea, has conducted long-term research, is familiar with tea cultivation, breeding and processing techniques, and is good at tea tasting."

“The publication of The Classic of Tea elevated tea drinking to the level of cultural art.”

"The Classic of Tea" discusses the properties, quality, origin, planting, picking, brewing, and utensils of tea."

"Lu Yu loved tea all his life and was an expert in the tea ceremony. He is famous for his world-first tea monograph, The Classic of Tea."

"He was also good at writing poetry, but not many of his poems are still preserved in the world."

"He has a strong interest in tea, has conducted long-term research, is familiar with tea cultivation, breeding and processing techniques, and is good at tea tasting."

"Lu Yu, the Tea Saint, opened an era of tea and made outstanding contributions to the development of the world's tea industry."

Su Shi: The popularity of tea in China today is inseparable from Lu Yu’s contribution.

Lu Yu had a great interest in tea, which originated from the fact that when he was a child he followed Zen Master Zhiji to learn how to drink tea and thus gained a basic understanding of the art of tea.

Because of his love for tea art, Lu Yu traveled around the world throughout his life, introducing and summarizing teas from various places.

It took him 26 years to complete the book "The Classic of Tea", which is of milestone significance.

The book "The Classic of Tea" written by Lu Yu consists of three volumes, ten chapters and more than 7,000 words.

It systematically describes the tea culture from ten aspects: the origin of tea, tea utensils, tea making, tea vessels, tea brewing, tea drinking, tea events, tea origin, tea overview and tea pictures, and can be called an encyclopedia of tea.

The origin of tea, an overview of the main producing areas of tea and the growing environment such as soil and climate, as well as the properties and functions of tea.

Tea utensils refer to the tools used to make and process tea at that time.

Tea making refers to the process of tea making.

Tea utensils refer to the utensils for making and drinking tea.

Brewing tea refers to the process and skills of brewing tea.

Drinking tea, talking about the method of drinking tea and the appreciation of tea.

About tea, talking about the history of tea drinking.

The origin of tea recorded in detail the tea-producing areas at that time and evaluated their quality.

Lu Yu recorded the tea production situation in more than 40 states across the country, and also truthfully noted the tea-producing areas of 11 states that he was not very familiar with.

The brief introduction of tea discusses when tea drinking utensils should be complete and when they should be omitted.

When burning firewood to make tea in the wild, you don't have to be particular about the stove, and you can get water from the spring without the need for tools to hold water.

But at a formal tea banquet, all twenty-four tea utensils are indispensable.

For the picture of tea, all the above contents should be painted into a picture and placed on the tea table.

People drink tea, look at the pictures, taste the flavor of tea, understand the principles of tea, and feel refreshed and pleasing to the eyes.

The mood is naturally very different from just taking a ladle or a bowl and drinking it in a few gulps.

In The Classic of Tea, Lu Yu not only gave a comprehensive account of the distribution, growth, planting, picking, manufacturing and tasting of tea areas, but also mentioned that many famous teas were first discovered by him.

For example, Zhejiang's Zisun Tea was rated as top-grade by Lu Yu and later listed as tribute tea.

Yangxian tea from Jiangsu was directly recommended by Lu Yu as tribute.

Lu Yu's "The Classic of Tea" is a summary of the knowledge and practical experience about tea before the Tang Dynasty.

At the same time, Lu Yu practiced hard, traveled around, and obtained first-hand information on tea production and manufacturing.

I also read a lot of books, learned from the strengths of many books and summarized the experiences of various people.

Before Lu Yu, people believed that tea was a medicinal ingredient.

After Lu Yu wrote "The Classic of Tea", people have a multi-faceted understanding of tea.

Lu Yu conducted detailed research on the origin and effects of tea to help people choose the right tea to drink.

Lu Yu visited most parts of the country and discussed with local tea farmers how tea was grown there. It was common for him to sleep in the open air.

But in order to collect more tea specimens, Lu Yu threw his difficult life aside.

Hard work pays off. Lu Yu spent a total of 26 years writing the book "The Classic of Tea".

The book tells about the many values ​​of tea. Some teas are inconspicuous, but they have high medicinal value.

When the people of the Tang Dynasty read "The Classic of Tea" at that time, they felt an unprecedented sense of freshness, and much of the knowledge involved in it was heard for the first time.

(End of this chapter)