Off The Zafu
Scoby, we need to cook!
People often assume that meditation requires sitting on the floor with eyes closed and focusing on the breath. When I mention that my main practice is walking meditation, I must explain that I am not mindlessly walking up and down a crooked mountain while whistling. If I am using a sharp knife to peel an orange, it may appear that I am simply preparing a snack. Writing is just a hobby. Perhaps I am the idiot who hates the smoke and mirrors of calming down.
Last week, I almost dropped a rack of caramel chocolate chip cookies during a silent meditation retreat. I was reminded of the first time I cooked with a Bhikkhuni at the monastery in Pioneertown, CA. “Everything you need to know about dhamma happens in the kitchen,” she told me. “If you make a mistake while cooking, it’s because you’re not being mindful.”.
The Bhikkhuni taught me how to make a killer papaya salad while demonstrating that all four elements (water, fire, earth, and wind) exist in anything we interact with. She showed me the importance of creating meals that are colorful and vibrant. She always reminded me that contributing beauty to this world is the essence of making and sharing merit.
I cook with the intention of liberating all sentient beings from heartache. Mindfulness is remembering that for every intention we have, there will be a result. In the supportive role of the cook, I have to center my mind and heart before I can feed retreatants, monastics, or loved ones. This is an opportunity to provide the causes and conditions for awakening.
The menu is carefully produced to harmonize with the practice flow during the retreat. Ingredients are selected to support the body’s energetic field. Caramel chocolate chip cookies, Hawaiian butter mochi, and Murasaki sweet potato pie are infused with Metta (love, good vibes, etc.) sourced straight from the Citta (heart-mind). The qi (life force) within my homemade desserts has not been questioned yet!
Intentional cooking is a practice that allows me to keep meditating when I’m not on the floor. Creating meals that heal is a gift from the Dhamma because I have another chance to repair unskillful actions from the past. This is why the karma yoga of cooking is not something that I take lightly. The energetic exchange between myself and the beings I have the honor to serve is the reason why I can sit down to meditate even when I am falling apart.
In Buddhist traditions, to nourish practitioners is an immeasurable and generous act. I have brought this sincerity to the days I am working at a restaurant in the city. Food is a holy offering.
**My apologies for missing the November Substack. It was a busy month. I was learning how to balance cooking for retreats, guiding weekly metta meditation, and personal practice. Thank you for your patience and support!
January 2024 Metta Meditation Online TBA.
Start date & time TBA. Please email scoby@substack.com for more info or follow instagram to be updated @gangum_hunty.
As a renunciate, I’ve made a vow to dedicate my life to the teachings of Buddhism. Your monthly, yearly, or ‘founder’ Substack donation goes directly towards necessary food, clothing, and medicine. You may also donate via Venmo @euna_soleproprietor.
Please email scoby@substack.com for any questions.
Pretty interesting to see someone from Mills who's gone so far into the Dharma! I lived in Berkeley and Oakland for many years, and went to Uni across the street from Scripps College in SoCal (so perhaps some crossover there with some of the people and energies). You might enjoy my multi-part series with famed translator and China-writer, Bill Porter/Red Pine, who did pioneering work finding hermits in China, and has done a lot to illuminate the Way for many of us:
https://nickherman.substack.com/p/an-interview-with-writer-and-translator
https://nickherman.substack.com/p/an-interview-with-writer-and-translator-af2