Idea of Respecting the Sages Appeared in Six Virtues of Tea in Dabu

Dabu, written by Hanjae Yimok (1471-1498), occupies a very important position in the history of Korean tea culture. Dabu is considered a literary work that reveals a profound spiritual state and is the first professional tea book in Korea. On the other hand, research on the philosophical and mental values shown in Dabu is still insufficient. In particular, research on ‘the idea of respecting the sages’ is still insignificant. Therefore, this study examined Hanjae Yimok's tea spirit, particularly respecting the sages. The results of the study are as follows. First, ‘the idea of respecting the sages’ revealed in the preface of Dabu is embodied in the paragraph discussing ‘the six virtues of tea’. In addition, it formed a respectable core of saints of Confucianism and Taoism. Among them were Yáo, Shun, Confucius, and Laozi, as well as writers, such as Bailetian and Bai Juyi. Hanjae aspired to gain the physical and mental health they gained through the six virtues of tea. In the course of the study, the researcher tried to interpret ‘five harms’ and ‘eight truths’ based on ‘the idea of respecting the sages’. As a result, the existing interpretation based on the theory of Buddhism was an error, and it should be interpreted from the standpoint of Confucianism or Taoism.