
Continuing on talking about mindfulness of eating and what it means, if you are too busy watching a television program or playing on the computer you are not being mindful of eating and you literally do not enjoy the food like you would if you were paying attention. Science has proven that being more mindful while eating is better for your health and makes the digestive system work better.
People choke on food because they are thinking of something other than their food and swallowing, or they are trying to carry on a conversation while eating. The reason that Zen practitioners eat in silence is because that is mindfulness of eating practice. In fact this silence is seen throughout a Zen monastery because the inhabitants there are practicing mindfulness in all they do.
Some say that eating can become a meditation; well in Zen Buddhism there actually is a meditation that involves eating and food. It is called Oryoki, a very old and traditional practice that involves mindfulness or eating meditation. Oryoki is practiced by Zen Buddhists during intense meditation sessions, retreats and certain ceremonies. Some lay practitioners practice Oryoki in their homes often.
During Oryoki there is total silence, the food is brought to the table by an appointed server and even the process of serving the food is in silence. Only hand gestures are used to speak to the server to tell when there is enough food in your bowls. There are three bowls, large, medium and small usually all the same plain color. There is a small spatula for cleaning the bowls after eating, a spoon and maybe a pair of chopsticks.
There is a napkin that is used to clean the bowls with and another larger cloth that is used to secure all the items after eating and while not eating. When the bowls are set up the larger bowl goes on the left and then the medium bowl and finally the small bowl all in a line. The bowls should not touch each other; the eating utensils (spoon and possibly chopsticks) are set to the right side. The larger napkin is used as a place mat under everything and the other napkin is folded and held in your lap.
This is the proper set up of the Oryoki set. Then the server will come along and server, rice in the large bowl, soup in the medium bowl and some Japanese radishes and or pickles in the small bowl. It is customary to leave one pickle in the small bowl to aid you in cleaning your dishes after eating which is done at the table. The pickling juice from the radish or pickles sanitizes the bowls well.
During eating you simply focus on the food you are eating and the act of eating, you think of nothing else and no word is spoken. Now that is what I call mindfulness of eating practice. As a lay Zen Buddhist this is something that you should add to your practice at least a few times a month. Water is used to clean the bowls after you finish but there is a specific way that involves little waste. For more on Oryoki you can search Oryoki in videos and websites and find there is plenty of information.


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