The Ritual of Food

A ritual is a great container for helping us to appreciate our life.

We all have our own different rituals throughout the day, however small. The way we stir our cup of tea each time. The way we brush our teeth last thing at night. All ritualistic.

There was a study last year in Psychological Science that had researcher Kathleen D Vohs experiment with chocolate. Half the participants ripped off the wrapper and quickly ate. The other half slowly unwrapped the bar in a ritualistic manner, finding the bar more tasty and longer lasting. They were being aware of what they were doing!
They conducted the same experiment with lemonade and carrots, with the same results. Its not surprising really, if we take more care, we appreciate more.

Monastic life has been aware of the benefit of ritual with food for thousands of years. In Zen Temples and Monasteries ritual is always used to cultivate awareness and to appreciate where our food comes from. Even our shortest mealtime ceremony uses :

First, this food is for the Three Treasures.

Second, it is for our Teachers, Parents, Nation and All Sentient Beings.

Third, it is for all beings in the six worlds.

Thus, we eat this food with everyone.

We eat to stop evil,

To practice good,

To save all sentient beings

And to accomplish our Buddha Way.

If we read that again but this time carefully read every word. Can we see the difference that makes? If we take our time with words in ritual the meaning becomes more powerful.
We eat to save all beings. If we say that in a meditative ritual the words become so very powerful, giving a new perspective on how and where food comes from.

Our formal mealtime ceremony is called Oryoki, the photo above is how we set up our bowls while sitting in meditation. Oryoki demands that we consider the food and the act of eating  in relationship with everything else. We consider how the food got into the bowl. The 'Seventy Two Labours' of the Farmer, Truck Driver, Shop Assistant, Cook, Server and so many unseen helpers are appreciated.
We consider the craftsman who made our shiny black bowls and thank the Mango tree for using its timber. We eat our food and give thanks to all who are involved in this moment of Oryoki. Our neighbour sat on the cushion next to us plays an active part in our ritual, we are all in this together, Oryoki is all of us.

Oryoki is a beautiful ceremony, a beautiful ritual for appreciating our food and our life. It is the culinary version of the Tea Ceremony. When we eat our food we just eat. When we drink tea we just drink.

Oryoki means 'Just Enough'. Greed has no part in the ceremony. We eat to live and give wholehearted thanks for our food.

Living with Pain

I've had a bad back for years, apparently wear and tear through years of hard work in the garden. At first it was fine, it was probably more of an irritation, a backwards stretch and I was ok for another half hour of graft. With the passage of time, as the seasons rolled along my back became so painful that at the end of a day in the garden I would be on all fours with tears in my eyes.

I've been through the system with the NHS, seeing three doctors, two neurology consultants and an osteopath. I've had x-rays taken, MRI scans, injections into my spine and acupuncture. I've been prescribed the most horribly strong drugs. Codeine is an awful drug that is far too easily prescribed, just after a few weeks my body became totally addicted to it, thankfully no more.

At the bottom of my despair with my problem I turned it back in on myself. My pain became a my Koan. What is pain? and who is it that is experiencing the pain. I remembered to old Buddhist quote :-

Meditation is essential in getting to the root of pain. Zazen is the sword that cuts through suffering.
I was trying to push away my pain, to block it out completely, which in itself seems to be a completely 'normal' thing to do. If you have a headache the 'normal' thing to do is to take an aspirin. But by taking pain killers I was negating the existence of pain. Pain is there, it has its existence, It has to live.

I had to learn to acknowledge and accept my pain, I had to learn to give it respect and the hardest thing was that I had to give it love. I saw into my delusion of thinking that the feelings of pain and irritation were bad and that the feelings of happiness and joy were good. A feeling is just a feeling there is no good or bad, its only what we attach to it that causes the problem.

Pain is now a part of my life, this is the life I have. I have this body for the rest of my life and if I choose to attach to pain, my suffering will be life long. I choose to be present in my life so pain comes and pain goes, joy comes and goes, life changes naturally.

Arthritic back pain is now as sacred to me as the feeling of deep joy.

Pain is Inevitable, Suffering is Optional. I choose not to take that option anymore.

Love and Fear

Beauty of Nature

 The beauty of Nature knows no bounds! This living heart is the fruit of the Pear Melon, usually a round shape, it's whole essence filled the glasshouse with LOVE. 

I work as a Professional Gardener and everyday I feel blessed.

Working gardens and my mind.

Forty nine years of raking.

Dew falls on the early morning lawn.

As the roses sing aloud.