Gongfucha -- Gongfu tea – Taitotee in Helsinki 12 May 2014
Perinteisesti
kiinalaisen kulttuuripiirin alueella tee, taiteet ja yhteiskunnallinen
keskustelu ovat kuuluneet yhteen. Oppineet keittivät teetä lähdevedestä ja
kokoontuivat puutarhapaviljonkeihin keskustelemaan ja nauttimaan taiteista,
esimerkiksi runoudesta.
Tästä ajatuksesta minulle on syntynyt haave luoda sellaisia teenmaisteluhetkiä, joissa
yhdistyisi taide ja yhteiskunnallinen keskustelu. Tämä sarja on
muodostunut
tämän haaveen pohjalta...sarjan teemana on ekososiaalisen hyvinvoinnin rakentaminen, jossa
ihmiskeskeisyys ja luonnon kunnioitus ovat kestävän kehityksen keskiössä. Samalla tavalla kuin kestävän kehityksen haasteet, idän ja lännen kohtaaminen on myös asia, joka tarvitsee ajatuspaja-tyyppistä
lähestymistä
CONTINUES IN ENGLISH:
Because
of our English speaking guests, I will speak partly in English. The Finnish
translation of my short introduction has been given to you in paper form.
English-Finnish translation will be provided throughout the evening.
When
training Chinese business culture, Confucianism is a central theme for me.
Confucianism has a rich virtue heritage. The Chinese world
also places heavy importance on form and symbolism. In the example below
symbolism and virtues interact
Phoenix
(feng凤)
The phoenix is the ‘king of birds’ and
symbolises good fortune and opportunity as it appears only in times of peace
and prosperity. In Chinese mythology, the phoenix is a benevolent bird since it
does not harm insects, and each of its body parts represents one of the virtues
of benevolence (ren 仁 ),
righteousness (yi 義),
propriety (li礼),
knowledge (zhi 智)
and sincerity (xin 信).
For
me, gongfucha is a celebration of skill and wisdom, to which the theme of
balance is very much inter-related. Virtue can be seen to be the golden way in
the middle of two extremes. Virtue is about balance. Virtue and skill are not
automatic in nature, but require training... Gongfu means skill that has been
acquired through training.
For
example when studying dance, one realizes that training, stretching and bending
are required. This can sometimes even hurt.
So
it is with the search for wisdom; sometimes we must let go of our own
magnificent plan in the light of the brilliance of Wisdom. The art of letting
go…
For me the Gongfucha tea brewing method
symbolizes the search for wisdom and skill as potrayed in Proverbs 2. One
translation in Finnish says “ ...to apply (bend) one´s heart to understanding?”
Proverbs 2
The Value of Wisdom (my two notes like this)
... if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you,So that you incline your ear to wisdom,And apply (BEND) your heart to understanding;Yes, if you cry out for discernment,And lift up your voice for understanding,If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures;Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom (A HER!); from His mouth come knowledge and understanding…
Finally,
As a social entrepreneur, I am interested in
finding ways of doing balanced business, business that is in harmony with both
nature and my community. In more detail, my research question is how to
"not only look to your interests, but also
to the interests of others"
Thank you
