In 1995, I was a young man backpacking solo through India. At the time, I was practicing yoga back home in Finland and felt a deep curiosity toward Eastern philosophy and its history. I had already stopped drinking coffee by then, seeking a clearer and more stable state of mind. Despite being in the heart of the region, I never encountered the strange legend of Bodhidharma during that trip. It was only much later that I discovered this dark tale about the origins of mental clarity.
The legend centers on Bodhidharma, an Indian monk who traveled to China around the year 520 to spread the teachings of Zen. He famously vowed to meditate facing a cave wall for nine unbroken years without sleep. When he eventually dozed off for a moment, he was so frustrated by his own physical weakness that he cut off his eyelids and threw them to the ground. In a miraculous turn, the first tea plants supposedly sprouted on that very spot. Their leaves were shaped like the eyelids he had sacrificed and provided a brew that helped other monks stay alert during their long spiritual practices.
It is a heavy story for a drink that I find so centering. While it is obviously more folklore than fact, it illustrates why tea has been linked to mindfulness for centuries. For those of us who value staying focused without physical restlessness, this ancient tale of sacrifice remains a fascinating part of tea culture.
Source:
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/bodhidharma