Confucian Self-cultivation through Tea Meditation as Explored in Hanjae's Dabu and Husil-shaengbaekbu

Korea's oldest known tea text, Dabu (Rhapsody to Tea) written by Hanjae Yi Mok (1471-1498), explores tea as a medium for self-cultivation, and is considered a key resource in the history of Korean tea culture. In Hanjae's Husil-shaengbaekbu (Rhapsody on Purity Born from the Empty Chamber), the theoretical foundation of Confucian meditation is articulated, whereas in Dabu the meditative process within the tea ceremony is systematically outlined through its discussion of Three Grades, Seven Stages of Cultivation, Five Achievements, and Six Virtues. HanJae described the state of unity between tea and the practitioner, achieved through meditative cultivation, as “the tea of my heart.” Tea meditation described in Dabu illustrates a process of self-cultivation aimed at restoring the original nature endowed by Heaven through resonating the nature and principle of tea within the human mind. Ultimately, such cultivation as a mental discipline embodies the ethical attitude of a Confucian scholar who strives to realize the Do-hak (the ideal: benefiting the world and bringing peace to the people). Thus, Hanjae’s tea meditation as a practical form of mindfulness embedded in daily life continues to offer valuable spiritual insight for the modern individual.