# Tanka — The Book of Tea character guide

> Tanka in The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzō.

**Role:** minor

**First appearance:** 0004-iii-taoism-and-zennism

## Who they are

Zen monk known for burning a wooden Buddha statue for warmth.

## Relationships

### [Buddha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/buddha)

_psychological_

Tanka's act of burning a Buddha statue exemplifies a Zen teaching that attachment to icons must be transcended.

### [Buddha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/buddha)

_psychological_

Tanka is a Zen figure who famously burned a wooden Buddha statue for warmth, representing a radical, iconoclastic relationship with the historical Buddha.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters/tanka
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_book_of_tea_se/characters