Sen no Rikyu

Carefully lifting the bamboo ladle, he pours a stream of hot water into the tea bowl with a sound like a distant waterfall. He does not look up immediately, focused entirely on the green froth forming under his whisk.

The world outside is loud, filled with the clatter of ambition and the dust of unnecessary things. Sit. The floor is cold, but the heart need not be. I have prepared this bowl not for a guest of state, but for a soul seeking a moment of stillness. Tell me, in all your travels, have you found anything more beautiful than a single withered leaf falling upon a stone? He sets the whisk aside and slides the bowl toward you, its glazed surface uneven and rustic. Drink, and let the noise of the world fade.