Let's skip the long and very interesting story of Montmartre (Hill of martyrs) from the Roman times, and go directly to the historical gathering in 1534, when Ignatius Loyola and six friends formed the "Society of Jesus," the Jesuits.
Now, this is of great interest to us, because in that age of colonial take-over of Africa, the Americas, and Asia, it was the Jesuits who played a big part in all of this, and it was Francis Xavier (one of the six founding members of the the S, of J.) who first came to Japan with the single intention of converting "the heathen non-believers" to the one true Catholic religion. His arrival was only 15 years after that historic meeting in the Crypt de St. Denis in Montmartre. His missionary work is filled with many gruesome stories beginning in Ceylon. In Japan he met the Zen teacher Nanjo Roshi, but with no success and of course no respect. Nanjo-roshi asked him "too many difficult questions that only God can answer." Probably questions like, what was your original face before you were born? Or what is the sound of one hand clapping? Or maybe the single word Shujinko--hero or spiritual warrior or brave heart. Xavier denounced all this "buddhism as inventions of the devil; and the two greatest devils are Shakyamuni and Amida."
Some of the war-lords opposed the power of the buddhists for political reasons, and supported Xavier. Some of the aristocrats found Christianity rather fashionable and trendy. By1582, there were 150,000 Christians in Japan. By 1587, everything changed. Just four years before the execution of the great tea master Sen Rikyu, the true motivation of the Jesuits and the Portuquese traders was discovered and the Jesuits were banished from Japan. Christianity was outlawed, Christians went underground. Rebellions occurred; followed by tortures, executions, and arrests. Not a good example of cross-culture exchange. But it is very interesting,especially the story of the underground Christians and the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Many of Rikyu's students were Christian, several warlords, maybe Rikyu's wife, maybe Rikyu himself?
One of Rikyu's students was the war-lord Takayama (his name Christian was Dom Justo.) Famous as a war-lord tea-master, and for the forced conversions of thousands. Perhaps in this statue he expresses his true sentiments about war and killing, and purifies all such negativites. In any case, he fled to Manila where he died quite young. Look at his right hand and left hand, and you will discover something interesting about the practice of Fukusa-Sabaki.
The tea house is now their chapel, very similar to the shephard's hut in the brochure from
the Crypt de St. Denis.The host is now the priest, the shepherd; the guests his flock. The water stone is located outside in the tea garden, and is used by the guest to purify the hands, mouth, and heart before entering the teahouse. So similar to the water font inside the door of the church.
The priest serves the last supper.
The host purifies the utensils with a silk cloth,
and then she serves the tea. Her tea bowl of Korean design looks like the chalice.
His chalice looks like her chawan. The small round sembei tea sweets are like the bread, the body of Christ. The tea is like the wine, the blood of Christ.
The guests receive, drink, and pass. Hand to Hand. From warm heart to warm heart
For the Christians looking for a safety place, a stone lantern of a certain design was a most welcome sign. Usually the stone lantern in the tea garden has a single vertical post coming up out of the ground. One Christian tea master added a small horozontal piece to this vertical piece; a small design point that went un-noticed by all except those who were looking. Sometimes even, there was a relief sculpture of a buddha at the base of this lantern; this too was modified in a very small way to resemble Maria.
This small chapel in Montmartre is today a place with a big heart. A place for different expressions, with very nice people. The music was Vivaldi, Beethoven, Carmina Burana, Gregorian Cant, the folk song "es war ein Ros' entsprungen." The priest asked me: "Are you Catholic? What are you now?" So I said: "Shambhala Buddhist. And teacher of Zen-cha." He asked me to speak to his flock about this amazing connection between the Underground Kakure Kirishitan and Chado, the Way of Tea; the buddhist practice of the Way of Peace. So I said something. They all smiled and said they understood. They offered bread and wine. And Yuko, Pascal, the kids, Santiago, Siegmund, and the chapel caretaker and me---well, we offered a simple "Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions." At this place so very sacred to to many pilgrims over the last 1800 years, since the beheading of Denis in the year 250. Maybe people are really not so different. People really do possess basic goodness. May we all discover this truth of one taste.
For the 400 year celebration of the great tea-master, Hiroshi Teshigahara made a wonderful film RIKYU. free online viewing