"Mindful Eating" Practice

Maughn sent this in to share:

Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Zen master who coined the term "Engaged Buddhism" to describe the application of Buddhist insights to situations of social, political, environmental, and economic injustice.  He convinced Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak against the war in Viet Nam and King nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Nhất Hạnh was exiled from his country from 1973 to 2005.  He organized a monastery called Plum Village in France which has satellite monasteries and practice centers in New York, California, Mississippi and in other countries (http://plumvillage.org/monastic-practice-centres/).  The monks and nuns of this order (and occasionally TNH himself) lead retreats in the US every year, typically lasting 6 days, where participants practice sitting and walking meditation, mindful eating, mindful movement, and dharma sharing, and listen to one dharma talk each day. Meals are taken in silence, in each other's company, and we are invited to eat slowly, mindfully, savoring each bite, and to practice the "Five Contemplations" (http://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/eating-together/):

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 recognise 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 Sangha, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.

(Note that the Web page of the "eating together" practice linked here has also a list of other mindfulness practices you can look over. Also note that Thích Nhất Hạnh, now 90 years old, is slowly recovering from a serious stroke that took place in November, 2014.)