>Tsukubai: Purity
Whenever I go to have tea with Sôeki (Sen Rikyû), he brought a bucket full of water that he poured in the stone water basin.
Rikyû:
"In the roji, the dewy path,
the host's first act is to bring water;
the guest's first act is
to use this water to rinse his hands.
Herein lies the great foundation
of the roji and thatched hut.
The stonebasin is provided
so that in the roji, the host and the guest can together wash off the stain
of wordly dust.
Nambôroku, Records
of the monk Nambô
(ca. 16. Jhd.)
4 / 15
kokoro wa meikyôdai no gotoshi
jiji ni tutomete hosshiki shite
jin'ai wo hikashimuru nakare
Our body is like the tree
on which the fruit of enlightenment grows,
and our heart is the clear
standing mirror that reflects the enlightenment.
They should always carefully cleaned so no dust can settle on it.
Gyokusen Jinshû
(um 700)