In “The Samādhi of Fresh Rice,” the great 13th century Japanese Zen monk, poet, and philosopher Dōgen, wrote that one should “turn both the dharma wheel and the wheel of food with excellence.” What does the growing, preparing, eating, and cleaning of food have to do with the dharma? Why does Dōgen say that “food is the dharma of all dharmas”? In this program, we will gather together in our homes one evening each week, exploring the practice of food as dharma. Our exploration will include dharma talks and dialogue, preparing a meal, chanting to bless the food, and dinner discussion.

In preparation for the weekly meals, Daiken Nelson, Zen teacher and founder of the Mandala Cafe, will provide a shopping list of common ingredients and simple recipes. He will guide participants through the preparation of the meal. The dharma talks and discussions will address some of the basic foundations of Buddhism, how Buddhist practice is manifest in the preparation and eating of a meal, why Zen teachers from Dōgen to Bernie Glassman have recognized the importance of the cook, and how the preparation of food can be a practice of service and embody a socially engaged Buddhist practice. Participants will also learn about setting up a kitchen, basic cooking techniques, and the ritual of Zen meal service.

BCBS is offering “Turning the Wheel of Food” in collaboration with Zen Peacemakers International, the socially engaged Buddhist organization founded by Bernie Glassman. This program will be raising funds for Maṇḍala Café, in New York City, to which Daiken and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies will be offering all their dana at the end of the program. Maṇḍala Café is a socially engaged Buddhist project that serves free meals in central Harlem, offers job training to work in commercial kitchens, and supports these activities with a small catering business. Click here for more information on Maṇḍala Café.

Recommended Reading: 

Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life That Matters, by Bernie Glassman and Rick Fields, Shambhala, 2013.

How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment: Dōgen’s Classic Introduction for the Zen Cook with commentary by Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, translated by Thomas Wright, Shambhala, 2005.