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| Mon, 07-02-2007 - 11:02am |
"Zen Munchies
The horse in the field knows nothing of breakfast, lunch or dinner. It eats when hungry. The point of zen is to follow that same kind of naturalness.
Zen masters have a saying, "Eat when hungry, sleep when tired." It means simply, listen to the rhythms of the body. The body has an inherent wisdom, telling us what it needs. If we ignore those needs too long, we weaken the vessel of our spirit.
Learning to distinguish between what the body needs and what it craves is part of training. For the true lesson of "Eat when hungry, sleep when tired" lies in what's unstated: Don't eat when not hungry. Don't overeat, indulge in too many cups of coffee, or use food as a substitute for emotional or spiritual sustenance.
"The biggest bowl fills last," zen masters say. Through reducing our cravings, we learn to keep our bowl small. Then it doesn't take much to satisfy our hunger.
When you grab a bite, make sure it's to feed your spirit."
Source: "zen 24/76, all zen/all the time" by Philip Toshio Sudo.
