A CUP OF HUMANITY COURSES TEACH MEANING TO JAPANESE TEA CEREMONIES.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

MALIBU - The Way of Tea has nothing to do with a tea bag in a Styrofoam cup.

At Pepperdine University, students can spend up to eight semesters studying the ancient Japanese tea ceremony known as chanoyu or chado.

``It's like taking piano or ballet,'' said Glenn Webb, Pepperdine professor of East Asian Culture, who teaches the classes with his wife, Carol, adjunct professor of Japanese studies. ``It's an art you can study for the rest of your life.''

``It's the way the Japanese learn to be good human beings.''

On Saturday, the Webbs and two of their students practiced part of the tea ceremony, which can go for several hours in length and may include an 11-course meal.

``The tea ceremony is more than just the process of boiling water and pouring it over leaves,'' said Gordon Nakagawa, interim chair of the Asian-American Studies department at California State University, Northridge, which doesn't offer classes on the tea ceremony.

``It's really tied to history, to tradition, to Buddhism; it signifies a general way of life in Japan,'' Nakagawa said. ``Each part of the tea ceremony ritual has a particular meaning tied to historical, spiritual traditions. That makes it qualitatively different from what we would typically think of in terms of making a beverage.''

The tea ceremony originated in China with the Buddhist monks and was brought to Japan, where it spread from the priests to all people, Webb said.

The Japanese have been practicing the tea ceremony for more than 600 years; young people take classes on the art, and it's common for corporations to celebrate a major deal with a four-hour tea ceremony.

At Pepperdine, classes are held in an actual teahouse made from pieces of a teahouse that stood on the grounds of the Urasenke estate in Kyoto, Japan. Now located on the second floor of the university's library, it includes an indoor garden area with a stone basin for guests to wash their hands and mouths, and a series of rooms behind paper screen walls.

``Practically every breath is choreographed,'' Webb said, and even the simplest actions have meaning.

``Everything is geared to make you understand that things don't last forever, that things change,'' Webb said. ``And you are not the center of the universe; you are one with all beings.''

When a guest is presented with one of the cereal-bowl-size tea bowls, he turns it away from himself before drinking, Webb said. By turning the bowl so it faces others in the room, the tea drinker is affirming the Buddhist belief that all are one and there are no separate beings.

``Traditionally, you're supposed to drink it in three sips,'' Webb said, carefully turning the footed bowl. ``Your birth, your life, and the last one - slurrrrrp! - is your death.''

The tea itself is made from very fine, powdered tea leaves called matcha. Two kinds are served: a thick tea and a thin tea, both bright green in color, with the thin tea having the texture of a cappuccino.

The Webbs and some of their students also dress in kimonos for the ceremony, and phrases are said in Japanese. Practicing the art can be costly: the kimonos and other assorted garments can cost thousands of dollars, and a bamboo tea whisk can run as much as $75.

About 30 students take the classes each semester, with no more than 16 beginners at a time. While the classes do attract those interested in Japan, Webb said he also gets a lot of biology majors and theater majors. He suspects the biology majors like the perfectionist aspects of the ceremony and the theater majors like the costumes.

Jim Albarano, 22, of Studio City, who recently graduated from Pepperdine with a degree in theater, took four semesters of the class.

``I like to learn about the culture from the inside out, to learn it by doing,'' he said. ``You can't help but become great friends with the people you do tea with.''

Abby Johnson, 24, now a physician's assistant in Las Vegas, who came back Saturday to participate in the ceremony, says she still practices the ceremony at home, with her brother. She, too, took four semesters of the class at Pepperdine and likes the ``selflessness'' of the ceremony.

Lisa M. Sodders, [phone]

lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Even wiping a particular cup in a Japanese tea ceremony is done in a very specific manner. Classes in conducting such ceremonies are taught at Pepperdine University.

(2) A leaf that covered a bowl is properly put away during the end of a tea ceremony. Tea ceremonies can consist of 11 meals, ending with a sugar-type candy.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News