Savor Every MomentAutumn has fully embraced us, marking the onset of my favorite time of year: the harvest season. As my world transitions inside, the cooler seasons usher in more shared meals with family and friends. Evenings are spent processing the bounty from the garden as the oven warms up the house.
As Gesshin Greenwood writes below: “In meditation we sit with whatever feelings rise: pain, boredom, joy, restlessness. Eating is a practice in the same way.” The meals we eat each day are such an integral part of our lives, but amongst the business of life, they can sometimes feel like routine chores.
The three pieces below remind us of the magic of food, dining, and the ways we can celebrate these small moments in our days. Each meal we cook and eat brings with it the opportunity to practice mindfulness, calling us to appreciate each hand that took part in bringing food to our table. As the days grow shorter this season, I hope you, too, can embrace the beauty of these moments, and savor every bite.
—Martine Panzica, Assistant Digital Editor, Lion’s Roar |
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Arepas have been eaten in South America since pre-Columbian times. For Mariana Restrepo, they’re a reminder of all the hands that have fed and shaped her.
Food that brings us comfort does so because of the memories attached to it. I recently went to my son’s preschool to teach his classmates how to make arepas. In preparation, my mother and I premade enough arepas so everyone would have the chance to eat their own. This was the first time I ever made arepas with my mother, and I was the one teaching her how to make them. I went to the preschool dressed in a traditional Colombian chapolera outfit: flowers garlanding my braided hair, a white peasant-style blouse adorned with ribbons, and a long skirt with ruffles that mimic the wings of butterflies fluttering through coffee fields. Teaching my son and his classmates how to prepare arepas, I was reminded of those who have come before me, those who will come after, and my role in passing down the traditions and stories of my people. For me, arepas are a reminder of all the hands that have fed me, all the hands that have shaped me.  |
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Oryoki is the meditative way of eating practiced in Zen monasteries. Gesshin Claire Greenwood on how to bring the spirit of oryoki into our home kitchens — and feel more deeply nourished. Illustrations by Carole Hénaff.
Practicing gratitude at the beginning of a meal helps cultivate a gladness of mind, which can stay with us long after we’ve washed the dishes. In formal oryoki practice, we chant the names of ten buddhas and then acknowledge that the purpose of food is to sustain our life and practice. The meal verses point to the interconnectedness of ourselves and those who cook and serve the food. At home, we can acknowledge this same interconnectedness without the long, ritualized chants.
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Realizing the middle way between asceticism and indulgence, Siddhartha accepted milk-rice from the farmer Sujata. Hun Lye celebrates the delicious, healthy rice dishes, which can remind us of that pivotal meal.
With or without a thousand cows, auspicious signs, and golden bowls, Sujata’s meal is recognizable. It’s the soothingly sweet kheer that we order at Indian restaurants after a satisfying, spicy meal. It’s the rice pudding that many of us longed for as a simple but comforting childhood treat. It’s the arroz con leche that mamita uses as a “bandaid” for all bad days. Milk, rice, and sugar (or their close equivalents) are sources of nourishment and comfort for many societies around the world. |
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