What precisely are the most important things that must be understood and kept in mind at a tea gathering?'
Sen Rikyu answered: 'Make a delicious bowl of tea; lay the charcoal so that it heats the water; arrange the
flowers as they are in the field; in summer suggest coolness; in winter, warmth; do everything ahead of time;
prepare for rain; and give those with whom you find yourself every consideration.'

The disciple, somewhat dissatisfied with this answer because he could not find anything in it of such great
importance that it should be deemed a secret of the practice, said, 'That much I already know....'
Rikyu replied, 'Then if you can host a tea gather ing without deviating from any of the rules I have just stated, I
will become your disciple