송풍회우(松風檜雨)

松風檜雨到來初 急引銅甁移竹爐
송풍회우도래초 급인동병이죽로
待得聲聞俱寂後 一甌春雪勝醍醐
대득성문구적후 일구춘설승제호

Wind Through Pines, Rain On Fir Trees

This is a poem by Seo-san-dae-sa (Cheonghu Hyujeong, AD 1520–1604) titled “A Cup of Spring Snow Tea.” A tea poem of such a caliber can only come from an exceptional tea master. However, before he was a tea master, Daesa was a devoted Seon (Zen) practitioner, making his tea an expression of Seon.

The sounds of boiling tea water, likened to “wind through pines” and “rain on fir trees,” bring a visual image to the auditory experience, stirring admiration for its poetic resonance. Though traditional hearthstone boiling is rare today, the sounds remain reminiscent of natural elements. The right boiling point doesn’t go beyond where wind seems to blow through pine or rain falls through fir. At this moment, you swiftly move the kettle to the bamboo stove, add freshly picked first tea leaves of spring, and pour it quietly once the water’s bubbling has calmed. Before drinking, one admires the color and subtly senses the fragrance.

Seon is clear, bright, simple, modest, transcendental, tranquil, and natural. It lacks artifice and excess, embodying the ultimate in restraint and depth, with an inherent dignity. Drinking a cup of tea, the Zen master naturally reveals his profound heart—it’s simply a part of a Seon practitioner’s daily routine.