Images in the Mind

Think about making a nutritious and flavorful meal for yourself and those you care for. What images come to mind? Are they pleasant or do they make you feel uneasy? 

We all carry ideas about our culinary talents in our heads. Long after their formation, we cling to these images.  Some images of ourselves in the kitchen make us look like skillful, successful cooks. Some images make us look clumsy and inept at food preparation. But whether they generate happiness or discomfort, mind-pictures keep us trapped in the past. When we practice zen-cuisine, we let go of these static images and step into the vibrancy of the present moment. We realize these images are not real. They’re simply distorted energy patterns stuck in the mind’s eye, not a reflection of who we truly are. The real person preparing food is part of a dynamic and complex process – full of vitality and alive to new ideas and experiences. Practicing zen-cuisine, we open ourselves to inspiration, always willing to move beyond our current understanding of reality. We look at what is happening as we cook with fresh new eyes.

 In the kitchen, things are ever-changing. We practice zen-cuisine by entering into this awareness. We pause, and center ourselves, perhaps through focusing on our breath, or meditating on the beauty of a ripe strawberry. Our perspective shifts. Suddenly, we find ourselves cooking with a different consciousness. As our sense of self changes, the outdated images we hold in our heads dissolve. Grounded in the here and now, this fluid and relaxed way of being finds joy in creative cooking. We get a taste of our true self, and discover a newly-emerging awareness and happiness in each moment.  

Our practice of zen-cuisine takes us to new places, and we see things unfolding as they really are. In the present moment, this flow of life is boundless. Touching it fills us with positive energy. We realize life is self-sustaining, and self-renewing. Energy, creativity, and innate ‘kitchen intelligence’ grow and evolve as we mindfully embrace this awareness. Awareness is the key to change, and awareness truly changes our lives. Opening to our experiences with acceptance and joy, we discover that in this present moment, in our kitchen, we are the very essence of this flow of life itself. 

Drinking tea, eating rice,

I pass my time as it comes;

Looking down at the water, looking up at the rocks,

How serene and relaxed I feel indeed!

Ch'an master Nan-ch'üan P'u-yüan (南泉普願 Nansen Fugan)