According to legend, Bodhidharma was an Indian monk who brought the teachings of Buddha to China.
The legend states that he spent nine years meditating, adjacent to a cave wall.
It goes on to state that Bodhidharma became increasingly frustrated with his inability to stay awake during meditation and eventually ripped off his eyelids and thew them to the ground to ensure that he would no longer fall asleep.
It is said that once his eyelids touched the ground, they proceeded to grow into tea plants, which were then grown and consumed by monks during long meditation sessions. Some people say this tea was a gift from Buddha himself.
While it’s fairly obvious that this legend isn’t true, it is an example of how Buddhism and tea have intertwined with each other throughout history.
