This paper shows that the practice of drinking tea and medicinal soups during the Tang and Song dynasties had a significant influence on monastic life. One example may be found in Chan 禪 (Zen) “pure regulations” (qinggui 清規), which incorporated drinking tea and medicinal soups into the ritual and daily life of monastic communities. Tea and medicinal soups were also used as offerings during rituals, and could be consumed as part of the ritual process. Monks even consumed tea and medicinal soups as part of the practice of self-cultivation aimed at the “preservation of life” (yangsheng 養生). In addition, this paper explores how Tang-Song monks tried to achieve a balance between adhering to monastic codes (jielü 戒律) and drinking tea or soup as a form of self-cultivation. The most important practice pertaining to this problem involves monks drinking alcohol, including medicinal alcohol. In theory, the codes did not allow such behavior, but in fact it became an integral part of practices such as the cult of the “Sage Monk” (Shengseng 聖僧), presenting wine as an offering to monks, and making sacrifices of wine during rituals. In short, many Tang-Song monks considered the drinking of alcohol to be a legitimate religious activity. The Buddhist practices described above appear to have been at least partly influenced by Taoism, a fact that reflects the profound interaction between these two religious traditions.
