Events Calendar

Sept. 15    6 p.m. “The Asian Art of Tea: Zen and Tea,” a workshop on mindfulness and Taiwanese tea culture that includes a traditional tea ceremony. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free, but space is limited and reservations are required to participate. Call 570-941-7643 or email asianstudies@scranton.edu.

In celebration of the Asian Moon Festival -a traditional autumn harvest festival - the University of Scranton will host a lecture on East Asian Buddhism and an Asian tea ceremony and workshop. Both events are free of charge and open to the public. Dr. Hsiao-Lan Hu, associate professor at University of Detroit Mercy, will present on “Kuan-Yin (Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara): Empathy and Empowerment through Many Images” at 11:30 a.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of The DeNaples Center. A light vegetarian meal will be provided.

Also on Sept. 15, Caketrees Studio of Taipei, Taiwan, will present “The Asian Art of Tea: Zen and Tea,” a workshop on mindfulness and Taiwanese tea culture that will culminate in a traditional tea ceremony that includes ancient Chinese zither play, meditation, tea and snacking pairing and hands-on learning of tea making. The event will run from 6 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom. Door opens at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. Space is limited to just 70 adult participants, so reservations are required to participate. Reservations can be placed by calling 570-941-7643.

At the event, the Wu sisters (Hsiao-Hui, Hsiao-Chen and Hsiao-Jou), who founded Caketrees Studio, will discuss the history of tea in Taiwan and the different facets of tea culture, including the importance of mindfulness. They will teach participants how to calm their minds to brew and appreciate the tea. The participants will then be invited to practice making and sampling different types of tea. The workshop will conclude with a formal tea ceremony.

The events are co-sponsored by the University’s Asian Studies Program and the Taiwan Ministry of Culture. The events are being supported by the 2016 Spotlight Taiwan Grant.