Tea and practice

Originally tea was used for the cultivation of energy or chi (qi) when the monks were spending many hours in meditation, in practice and working on the land. They used the tea to balance their energy levels, gathering it with great reverence and mindfulness because they knew that it contained within it, all that they needed to sustain their aspirations for great insight and understanding. 

They drank tea at the beginning and end of each day as well as part of their ceremonies when they gathered together to meditate and receive teachings from the master, sitting sustained by the magical properties of the teas. They could feel it moving through their bodies, its actions purifying the suffering and the torments of the past.

 It helped to break down the limitations of their minds, so they could achieve great states of awareness through its use. It fortified them when fighting their inner demons and it elevated them so that they could feel the sacredness of life in their hearts.

When they moved to generate chi, they used the younger tea because it was more fluid and dynamic in its action. 

The older tea was used to fortify them when we were seated.