So we had a mindful eating retreat this weekend. Another opportunity to look into the depth of experience with food. After several months of eating Ōryōki (a Japanese Style of Formal eating used in Chinese and Japanese Monasteries for hundreds of years) I've gotten used to the style of eating and gained a certain ability to tune out. Which is unfortunate when you consider how much experience in possible in the consumption of food. I relished this opportunity to try relearn old tools to be present with my food.
We did great exercises like putting the spoon down between bites, looking deeply into food where we look at all the people and beings that took part in bringing what we eat, and a great exercise where we see the effect of very small amounts of sugar, salt, chocolate, and hot sauce on memories and emotions.
I personally enjoyed all the wisdom that other people shared about their experiences and as always was amazed at how much suffering food can cause. A thing that everyone needs and so many people don't have enough of causes people a great deal of pain. I got to see the power of what we consume from food, to energy, to information. A friend of mine who I just met briefly this year talks about it in her blog which I commented on earlier. You can read her blog and what I wrote here. But the jist of it was that there is so much to be said for how we consume so much in this country in the form of energy. Food, fuel, and information.
Chozen Roshi spoke to the fact that ultimately we have a big problem with dissatisfaction. Even though we have way more then we need of certain things she spoke to the essential nutrient so many people are missing. That is spiritual food in any form it takes, but which usually manifests in the act of being present with what is.
A way I approached this in my own practice this weekend was by allowing a fly to land on my body and face without swatting at it. I found that though my mind objected that when I was able to be really present that the experience had a lot of depth to it. I could feel the tiny legs on me and the life that those legs carried. How often have I let a lady bug crawl on me with joy, but with a fly I have only aversion. It is amazing to see how the mind judges and chooses. It also amazes me how to really breakdown all these choices leads to freedom, and yet they happen slowly. As Chozen said it doesn't happen all at once but with small edges of practice that chip away at the low level suffering as well as it's more deep and powerful counter parts.
As I have seen when I stopped seasoning my food there is so much texture and depth to what is there when I am really willing to look and see it. A fellow residents noted tonight that when I came to the monastery I never looked people in the eye and now I fully engage. I was amazed to have him notice this change in me. To me it seems subtle, but after 6 months of intense practice I feel so much more able to engage in the world.
Every moment has an infinite depth of experience and the struggle to stay present is endlessly challenging. Yet it is always worth it. It's so strange that I used to feel like I needed to watch so much news to feel like I knew what was going on and yet never real paid attention to the 6 inches in front of me. I took those basics for granted. I am seeing more and more that the rustle of leaves in the trees and the real connection you feel in someone's eyes when you engage with them is more real than any news story. To know that is to know what is really going on.
I hope this helps brings some new awareness to your day. And if your interested in mindful eating you should check out the book Mindful Eating by my Teacher Dr Jan Chozen Bays Roshi.
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