ANOTHER TOOL FOR ZEN-CUISINE: INTENTION

Let me drop a word of advice for followers of my practice.

To enjoy life’s immensity, you do not need many things

Zen Master Ryokan,1758-1831

Essential Utensils

Another simple zen-cuisine tool for developing practical cooking skills is intention.  It is said the greatest adventure in the kitchen is your intention to be fully present and aware, adding love to everything you do. The more attentive you are to this purpose, or intention, the easier it becomes to plan and prepare delicious meals.  You delight in cooking for yourself, and for those you care about. Using the essential utensil of intention, dreams turn into reality as you realize love is the most important ingredient in good food.  Zen-cuisine nourishes this heartfelt intention to love, and learning how to keep love alive is zen-cuisine! 

Warm Wood

Even if present experiences in the kitchen seem time-consuming with little sense of pleasurable accomplishment, your intention to practice zen-cuisine offers the gift of really being awake to the joys of life. When you first begin to experiment with zen-cuisine, your intention to be mindful in the kitchen might not be very great. But happily, it does not have to be. If you are mindful of it for even a single nanosecond, you taste living in the present moment.  So powerful is this experience, this is usually enough to inspire you to approach food preparation with interest and a naturally growing awareness. Not only does a longing to tune into the present moment arise, but also your desire to manifest your innate goodness increases. You are motivated to continue practicing zen-cuisine, opening your heart and mind to the endless possibilities of love. This love, our natural human birthright, transforms both you and your task of cooking. The effective tool of intention nurtures your ability as a talented chef, and you find yourself becoming a mindful, conscientious cook for the love of it. This knack of embracing the art of food-making with love is not something that you need a special talent for. Attending a 'cordon bleu' cooking school or a fusion class, downloading new cookery apps, and buying the latest celebrity-chef cookbook are fun options, but you might not need them. Exploring your own unique cooking style and techniques, you'll create your own recipes. You soon discover how to awaken your talent for preparing good and nourishing food.  Zen-cuisine is a process you can teach yourself, and with time you become proficient at practicing it consistently. 

Rimer, and Spoon

Each moment in the kitchen, whether blissful, dramatic, or seemingly routine, is actually full of positive energy and pleasure. You are lovingly mindful of what you are doing in the kitchen and this love nurtures your cooking abilities and skill of being intentional. You practice zen-cuisine by generating love. Its powerful force constantly pulses through you with life-giving energy, gently urging you to approach your kitchen tasks with joy. Love flows from you into the food you are making and the simple act of spending time preparing food becomes pleasant and fulfilling in itself. You truly delight in the art of cooking, paying attention and being grounded in yourself in the present.  As you discover grace and stillness in this inner world, satisfaction and true enjoyment arise and spread, rippling outward in ever-widening circles. Fully alive, you truly enjoy food and food preparation, and your loving attention is the ingredient which spices your food with the delicious flavors of sure balance and calm tenderness.  Cooking becomes an enjoyable activity in itself, and the people you feed will savor the taste of love in every bite they take.