A New Kind Of Awareness

A. Gillert        Click on photo to see larger image

Zen-cuisine shows us how to cultivate a new kind of awareness. We focus our attention on the present moment, paying attention not to the situation but to ourselves. What is happening inside?  We carefully and caringly observe our own thoughts and feelings. Are we in touch with our truest self? When our attention is rooted in the present, we open to the fullness of what is happening now.

A. Gillert        Click on photo to see larger image

 If our habit is to locate our consciousness outside of ourselves, we are often working in the kitchen without being aware of the present moment. Instead of experiencing ‘what is’, our attention is hijacked by thinking about the past or the future. We overlay each event with thoughts about ‘what was’ or ‘what could be’; sometimes our thoughts aren’t even about food! 

A. Gillert        Click on photo to see larger image

Our zen-cuisine practice encourages us to embrace the present moment. With our newly-cultivated mindfulness, we rest in a deeper awareness. We ‘pay attention’ to what we are experiencing in an intentional way, instead of letting our minds wander. We center ourselves in the present moment, and pause every so often to make certain we are staying focused in the here and now, letting go of everything else as best as possible.

A. Gillert        Click on photo to see larger image

  If we find ourselves paying attention to anything that pulls our mind from the present moment, we refocus our awareness. How can we do this? By stopping our habitual thought patterns. We remember our intention to be mindful in our practice. Zen-cuisine involves changing our tired ways of thinking. But here is the surprising twist. Instead of struggling to be mindful, we simply relax with ourselves and stop being ‘unmindful’. We look at what is happening in our mind and interrupt the process; we halt the direction our thoughts are moving in. Then, for this moment, we rest in the simple awareness: “it is what it is.” And ‘what it is’, is the sweetness of zen-cuisine.

A. Gillert        Click on photo to see larger image

Once we return to mindfulness, a subsequent state of awareness naturally arises. We return to a fresh, newly-emerging reality. Resting in this awareness, our time in the kitchen becomes a blissful experience. We touch the joy of cooking, fully alive in the present moment, truly practicing zen-cuisine.   Happy cooking! 

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