Conscious Cooking

Spiritual traditions around the world have developed the notion of a life force--a vital energy that is not only present in plants and animals but animates the universe as a whole. In India, the life force is called prana. In China, it is known as chi. The Jewish notion of the shekinah, the holy spirit of God, is a closely related idea. In all these traditions, the presence or absence of the life forceis closely identified with he state of our physical and psychic health.

So the traditional concept of a life force and its influence on our health is closely linked to the food we eat, to how it's prepared, and even to the benevolence and vitality of the cook. The art of cooking includes bringing out the life force in the ingredients and projecting one's own spiritual qualities into the meal. Thus, a Zen treatise on the preparation of rice instructs us to "see the pot as your own head, and see the water as your life blood."

One need not be a confirmed mystic to see the basic truth in this observation. If you're preoccupied or unhappy when you enter the kitchen, it's unlikely your cooking will be either tasty or nourishing in the true sense of the word. You'll do things in a hurry, you'll omit ingredients, and your meals will be either too hot or two cold--not just in temperature but in the emotions that are mysteriously but unmistakably transferred to the food. How, then, can we bring out the best of ourselves as cooks? Here are some ideas that will help point the way:
We enter the kitchen with positive thoughts and loving emotions, aware that these will be expressed in our cooking.
We create an ambiance in the kitchen--and to all aspects of cooking--that is both relaxed and attentive.
We cook from basic ingredients, locally produced whenever possible.
We devote the same attention to simple cooking tasks as to more complex ones, aware that we express ourselves in every detail.
We show respect for the blessings of nature that make up our ingredients. We waste little or nothing, aware of the scarcities that afflict much of the world and of the abundance that has been given to us.
In serving the meal, we demonstrate a quiet generosity of spirit. We minimize personal authorship in order to include everyone in the process of creation and enjoyment.
Above all, we realize that cooking is a self-rewarding process. No dish or meal, no matter how masterly or how awful, is an end unto itself. The spiritual cook understands that cooking--like breathing--continues as long as life.

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