Efficacious Green Fields: Perspectives on the Role of Ecological Tea in Taiwanese Buddhist Communities

Tea is historically entangled with Chinese Buddhism, as networks of monasteries in medieval China were predominantly growers and distributors of tea. Beyond production, Buddhist communities over the years were responsible for the ritualization of tea, contributing to a thriving culture of tea in East Asia. In contemporary Taiwan, Buddhist communities are involved in the production, circulation, ritualization, and consumption of tea. Tea is harnessed for modern forms of practice, community building, and the financial sustainability of Buddhist groups. Approaches to the place of tea and its relationship with Buddhist identities and cultivation vary in ethical, philosophical, and practical aspects. This paper examines the place of tea within the context of environmental approaches to its production, consumption, and incorporation in modern rituals. The study is based on ethnographic data, examining large-scale Buddhist monasteries and smaller-scale Buddhist grassroots communities, from the perspectives of practical, material, and social effects on Buddhist life worlds.