In both Chinese and Japanese tradition, the discovery of tea is credited to the Indian sage Bodhidharma (aka Daruma), the founder of Zen Buddhism.
Bodhidharma, travelling to spread the word of his new doctrine, founded the Shaolin temple in southern China (or the Shorinji Temple to the Japanese). There he meditated while sitting facing a wall. For nine years. At the end of that period Bodhidarma’s legs had withered away and he was just on the verge of reaching enlightenment, but then he fell asleep. He missed being enlightened – all because he could not keep his eyes open. Enraged at missing the last, ultimate step, he ripped off his own eyelids and threw them to the ground. From them grew the first tea bush.
Just to recap: a peaceful Buddhist almost reaches enlightenment, but cannot control his own body and falls asleep at the wrong moment, causing the “peaceful” sage to rip off his own eyelids and invent tea.
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