INDIAN LEGEND Fakir Dharma

At around 500 AD, Fakir Dharma wanted to spend 7 years with no sleep in order to devote his life to the Buddhist faith.

After 5 years, he fell to the ground, and on his way down, he grabbed a branch. He shoved the leaves from the branch into his mouth, thinking that chewing would help keep him awake, and these leaves happened to be tea.

Fakir Dharma was able to stay awake for the full 7 years, and then tea became an important part of Buddhist culture and an essential part of meditation.