Examples of how to think abt our food:
“So in this slice of bread there is sunshine, there is cloud, there is the labor of the farmer, the joy of having flour, and the skill of the baker and then—miraculously!—there is the bread.”
“The trees, the clouds, the soil, and every living thing brought about the presence of your body. We can eat with care, knowing we are caretakers of our bodies, rather than their owners.”
“You may like to choose to eat the same meal every week silently.”
Why so?:
“Contemplating our food for a few moments before eating can bring us much happiness. We look at the food in a way that the food becomes real. We think about all the people, animals, plants, and minerals and all the conditions that brought the food to our plate.”
“When I eat in this way, not only am I physically nourished, I am also spiritually nourished”
Other
“Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile,”
“To be truly present we have to stop our thinking.”
“What is the purpose of eating a tangerine? It is to eat the tangerine”
Helpers for eatings
“THE FIVE CONTEMPLATIONS 1. This food is a gift of the Earth, the sky, numerous living beings, and much hard and loving work. 2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive this food. 3. May we recognize and transform unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation. 4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that reduces the suffering of living beings, stops contributing to climate change, and heals and preserves our precious planet. 5. We accept this food so that we may nurture our brotherhood and sisterhood, build our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.”
“ In the dimension of space and time, We chew as rhythmically as we breathe. Maintaining the lives of all our ancestors, Opening an upward path for descendants.
“ This plate of food, so fragrant and appetizing, also contains much suffering.