"Sharing and making others happy through tea"
Interview with Søren M. Chr. Bisgaard, The Urasenke Tea Master from Denmark
"A Tea house may be the refuge that could restore not only cultural values, but human self-esteem and bring meaning and direction to a fulfilling life.”
Søren M. Chr. Bisgaard
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1946. Became interested in philosophy at the age of 15, went to the Oracle of Delphi at 18, and became a sannyasin monk at the age of 20. Studied Sanskrit, philosophy, and Japanese at Copenhagen University. Arrived in Japan in 1976 and joined the Urasenke Midorikai program, continuing his studies to this day in Kyoto and engaging in tea-related activities in Japan and abroad.
<KVG> You have been leading such an eventful, unique, and interesting life around the world and you have lived in Kyoto for nearly half a century. What made you first come to Kyoto and then what made you decide to keep living in Kyoto for so long?
<Søren> This is to be understood literally as gazing at a white wall less than half a meter in front of you with open eyes and no thoughts whatsoever. This can still be seen to this very day in the ancient temple of Kailashnatha in Kanchipuram, which has also been the headquarters of Adwaita Vedanta since antiquity. However, I didn’t find any knowledgeable academics in Kyoto and therefore turned my attention to my great passion – tea ceremony and the aesthetics surrounding it.
On just my second evening in Kyoto in 1976, I met a Canadian who was already studying tea at Urasenke (one of the three Japanese tea ceremony schools derived from Sen no Rikyu in the 16th century). Within a week, I was introduced and began regularly to attend classes as a visitor. Since my original quest had lead nowhere, I decided to join the three-year fulltime Midorikai course and this proved to be the right choice which has determined my life in Kyoto, the place I now consider home.
The Kyoto I arrived in October 1976 was very different from the Kyoto of today in looks, but it still retains a unique spirit which will prevail. I love Kyoto and have made here my home. I have been to many fantastic sites around the world, however, Kyoto is the best city in the world in all respects.
<KVG> What is the biggest impact that the encounter with tea ceremony brought to your life?
<Søren> Having already spent a decade in pursuit of Indian philosophy as an ordained monk, tea ceremony gave me the possibility to give the formless form and teach something essentially spiritual to elevate my students to the Zen practice of meditation in action. Likewise, to elevate guests for tea to a higher level of mind from the one in which they arrived. Sharing and making others happy is at the very core of my life.
<KVG> Compared to other tea cultures in the world, what is special about the Japanese tea ceremony?
<Søren> Japanese tea culture has its origins in the tea culture of the Song dynasty of China down to its very essence and expression. All around the world, cultures learnt tea drinking in various degrees of refinement from China, however, the Japanese, in the characteristic Japanese way, brought what they learnt from China to an unparalleled perfection with a full philosophy, symbolic meaning and aesthetic sense unsurpassed even in China.
<KVG> Tea ceremony comprehends so much of true Japanese culture and spirit. Do you perceive any benefits for people living today from the practice of tea ceremony?
<Søren> The formative development of the Japanese tea ceremony took place in the Sengoku period (16th century) of warring states. The tea house was the only place of peace recognized by all. Nobody could bring weapons into the tea house and all were considered equal there in stark contrast to the ordinary world were all carried weapons within a society strictly stratified by clans and ranks.
The tea house was even a place for diplomacy, a sanctuary of peace where you could relax in an elegant, refined and beautiful environment conducive to appreciation of nature, the arts and crafts and not least lofty philosophy to attain peace of mind and sanity in a turbulent world. The mental effect of tea itself induced this state of mind.
The modern world has seen the uprooting of many traditional values and even families, not least in the western world. Former wellfunctioning close societies are falling apart with estrangement following. War and destruction are prevalent in many places. Japan is relatively calm due to the docility of the Japanese, but is actually also hard hit with lack of meaning and direction in life leaving many unhappy, disoriented and depressed and caught in the treadmill of modern business and poor housing conditions split from immediate family and friends. The falling birth rate is a clear symptom of this malaise.
In this turbulent and increasingly insecure world the tea house may be the refuge that could restore not only cultural values, but human self-esteem and bring meaning and direction to a fulfilling life. The drinking of tea in a peaceful environment has the same effect today as it did in the past. People outside Japan have discovered this and crave more and more matcha. The Japanese are closest to this health bringing and life prolonging gift of nature and should certainly take a break and drink some matcha with family, friends and colleagues, preferably in a tea house, traditional or modern. Tea not only opens all doors, but all hearts and brings ever more friends.
I have during my time in Kyoto been doing many things to sustain myself and my family, including the export of everything from computer chips to old furniture and kimono. With a background in computer programming, from the time when only 10,000 people in the world knew what a computer was, I have done very advanced programming and consultancy. I have, as a representative of several Danish companies, been deeply involved in large scale regional development, world exhibitions and even politics on the diplomatic level.
I now concentrate entirely on my work with tea especially with my numerous students in China, while I still attend to my students in Japan, Denmark, Indonesia and elsewhere. Also, I will continue to make offerings of tea at temples and similar places, the next being Borobudur in Central Java, which will be a major Indonesian event.