This sign used to hang outside of our gate to the zendo. “Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku,” famous Sado (tea ceremony ) word describing four essential elements of Sado.
和(Wa) Harmony
敬(Kei) Respect
清(Sei) Purity
寂(Jaku) Tranquility
So why this word for tea ceremony relates to zen?
It is believed that Eisai, who established the Rinzai Zen, brought green tea seeds from China and promoted tea culture in Japan. As a result, at many zen temples, sarei (茶礼) is offered, after morning zazen, after meals during the break, and before going to sleep.
We can apply these principles to our zen practice
When we enter our zendo, we can
-Open up our minds (Wa),
-Respect each other, and be compassionate (Kei)
-Clean up surroundings. Also, we can purify our minds by leaving any biases (Sei)
-Keep ourselves calm (Jaku), which we try to archive through zazen meditation.
We can apply this to our daily life.
Hakone Zendo 