Tie Guanyin (铁观音)
One night, during the first half of the Qing (清) dynasty (1644-1911), a tea farmer had an auspicious dream. He dreamt of a particularly luxuriant and fragrant tea plant. Suddenly awakened by a barking dog, the farmer still remembered where the tea bush was growing in his dream. When daylight came, he decided to look for that place. Surprisingly enough, the tea plant was there in the crack of a rock next to a mountain stream, exactly as he had dreamt. He took the plant with him, replanted it in an iron vessel and cultivated it with great care. When brewed, its leaves resulted in an extremely fine and tasty beverage. The farmer being a devout Buddhist, used to offer every day a cup of tea to the Guanyin (观音) bodhisattva. He saw a connection between his devotion and his happy find. This is why, he decided to name the tea after the bodhisattva. “Tie” (铁) , which means iron, comes from the vessel in which the first crop was cultivated.
This is one variant of the Tie Guanyin legend.
Post a Comment