This podcast is offered by the San Francisco Zen Center on the web at www.sfzc.org. Our public programs are made possible by donations from people like you. I'm very happy to see all of you. Thank you for coming. And thank you for coming to work period or continuing to live here and work through the summer. It's a challenge. So first, modeling after Greg and the way he starts his talks, I want to thank my teacher, Norman Fisher, who has given me great support and trust for a very long time, and I greatly appreciate it. And also I want to thank Leslie and Greg and Linda here at Tazahara, who have also given me great support and encouragement for many years.

[01:02]

It makes a big difference. Well, this evening we're going to talk a bit about one of my favorite subjects, the meal chant. We all have been chanting it every day, twice a day. Some people here have been chanting it for years, and some people have been chanting it as part of a longer chant that's used during oryoki meals in the zendo. or during sashins at other temples. The part that we chant here at Tazahara during this time is referred to as the five contemplations, and it also continues with the portion that is used during bowl raising during the meal. And the chant we've used

[02:04]

you may have noticed, is only done at breakfast and lunch. That's because it's for meals. Dinner is not a meal. It may look like a meal. However, what it really is, is medicine. And in our yogi and in monastic practice, the evening meal, we have two bowls instead of three. And the main bowl, the entree, is referred to as medicine bowl. It used to be called gruel. It's been upgraded to medicine bowl. And the second bowl is some form of fresh vegetable. And as you may know from some of the Theravadan traditions, they still only eat two meals a day, concluding before noon. But in the late afternoon or early evening, they are allowed, like a tea, they can have particular foods, cheese cubes, candied ginger, chocolate, some other candies, and tea with milk. So this developed in part as Buddhism migrated from India into China, where the monks started to cultivate food and be farmers, and they needed more energy.

[03:18]

And also as they moved into areas that were colder climates, and they needed more fuel just to get through the night. So medicine... was introduced as a way of kind of sustaining the health and well-being of the monks and then also of the nuns. In addition to the little tidbit about why the evening meal isn't a meal, some of you who may be new here or hadn't pursued this before may not know what's happening when those drums are beating before we start the chant every day. Because you know what's going on. First you hear the umpan. And then you hear the drum rolls with a boom and boom, boom, and a boom, boom, boom. And then we go clap and we start chanting. What's happening during those drum rolls is our Eno, or her representative, is taking a tray from the kitchen, from the altar at the kitchen, and walking up into the Zendo, to the altar in the Zendo, and making an offering to the Buddha,

[04:20]

with little bowls and a little miniature chopstick and a little bitty spoon with samplings of the foods that are being presented at the meals, also only for breakfast and lunch. So those drum beats have to do with how Eno is making the presentation to the altar for the Buddha for his meal. So that's another little piece of information. When I walk into discussions of the meal chant, which I've done once before in a different format, what I thought about are the forms and traditions of saying grace, to give thanks or to bless a meal. For many of us, we're Zen students as a second spiritual practice. Many of us come into this as young adults or older people, and we have these other traditions. And many of these, especially around food, Saying grace, being grateful, having a blessing of some kind is something that we still hold in our hearts or resonate with when we're back in an environment where that's taking place, whether it's Thanksgiving or a family meal or some other occasion.

[05:31]

Saying grace may be a short-spoken prayer or unvoiced intention made before or after eating, thanking God or another entity or entities that have given themselves to furnish the meal. Some see grace as a blessing that sanctifies the meal or a recognition of a plant or animals giving their life for us to have the meal. I was looking at this interesting book. I love going to bookstores and perusing the used bookshelves. So I found this one a while ago, Wake Up and Cook, Kitchen Buddhism in Words and Recipes. It's a tricycle book. And in a section called Grace... Here's a couple of excerpts from some writing by Gary Snyder. Eating is a sacrament. The grace, we say, clears our hearts and guides the children and welcomes the guest all at the same time.

[06:32]

Anyone can use a grace from their own tradition and really give it meaning or make up their own. Saying some sort of grace is never inappropriate, and speeches and announcements can be tacked onto it. It is a plain, ordinary, old-fashioned little thing to do that connects us with all our ancestors. So a couple of other examples of blessings at meals. There's the Jewish prayer in this case, the one made over bread often before every meal. Which is thanking the Lord who brings forth bread from the earth. And then there are two ecumenical prayers that you may be familiar with that voice gratitude.

[07:36]

God is great. God is good. let us thank him for our food. Or another version, for what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. And another version of our own meal chant that is a little shorter than the one we use, is we venerate the three treasures and give thanks for this food, the work of many people and the suffering of other forms of life. So returning to the meal verse we use, the full version includes sections during the whole process of the Oriyuki meal. The first part identifies the locations and events in Buddha's life, starting with Buddha was born in Kapalavastu and goes until his death. The next part... is when bowls are being taken out and placed in front on that board. And as you sit in the taan, there's that board in front.

[08:38]

That's where the meals are presented. Concluding with, may we realize the emptiness of the three wheels, giver, receiver, and gift. Really important to think about. Giver, receiver, and gift. They're all intertwined. Then the next section cites the names of the Buddha invoking them in our presence. The section after that is a food offering verse that's given at breakfast and a different version at lunch. Then comes what's referred to as the five contemplations, which is part of what we chant here, followed by the bowl raising verse. And we're going to come back to that in a moment. The final parts are the verse for the water we use to wash our bowls because the Oriyoki meal is all contained in the place, including the washing and the disposal of the water that you've used to wash your bowls.

[09:38]

And then there's a closing verse offered as a solo by the Kokyo, which refers to abiding in this ephemeral world like a lotus in muddy water. And that concludes the whole meal at the time. As discussed by Dogen in his Pure Standards for the Zen Community, and by other Buddhist teachers, notably Shohaku Okumura, who has a chapter on the meal verses in his book, Living by Vow, and there are copies of that in the library, as are copies of Pure Standards for the Zen Community by Dogen, which discuss the preparing, serving, and eating of food among the activities in our daily lives that become spiritual practice, and from Dogen, that practice itself is enlightenment, And that the Dharma is itself food. And food is itself Dharma. Reality itself. So, the box of chant cards for the meal verse are back on the serve up there.

[10:42]

Why don't we pass those around? Because we're going to chant this together. If you already know it, I know there are not as many cards as there are people here. So, can you pass those around? Is the box there? Yeah, Aaron brought it in. And we're going to do it a little slower than usual and think about the words, and then I'm going to come back and give a little explanation. While those are being passed out, don't shout any of this information, but how many of you know who the four benefactors are? Not too many. That's a semi-trick question, but it's a really interesting piece of information. That's right up there with why we don't chant for the meal that isn't a meal in the evening. Are the cards passed around? We're going to start, okay?

[11:44]

We reflect on the effort that brought us this food and consider how it comes to us. We reflect on our virtue and practice and whether we are worthy of this offering. We regard it as essential to keep the mind free from excesses such as greed. We regard this food as good medicine to sustain our life. For the sake of enlightenment, we now receive this food. First, this is for the three treasures. Next, for the four benefactors. Finally, for the beings in the six realms, may all be equally nourished. The first portion is to end all evil. The second is to cultivate all good. The third is to free all beings. May we all realize the Buddha way.

[12:50]

So, Here's some of the meaning behind those words. Whoops, this is falling off now. We reflect on the effort that brought us this food and consider how it comes to us. We're expressing gratitude for the immeasurable work from the producers, the farmers, the purveyors, the sources of the food, as well as, of course, to the earth, the sun, the water, the fire, the wind, and other contributions. to what creates the food that we enjoy. We reflect on our virtue and practice and whether we are worthy of this offering. Are we acting with ethical behavior? Are we giving everything a wholehearted effort? Are we being kind and compassionate toward others? We want to recognize our interconnection with all beings,

[13:54]

and how we interact with others. We regard it as essential to keep the mind free from excesses such as greed. We want to avoid unwholesome actions and the three poisons of greed, hate or anger, and delusion or ignorance. It's important to remember that part of that one that's referred to usually as delusion is ignorance. our own and that of others, and to recognize our ignorance for so much. We regard this food as good medicine to sustain our life. This is our middle way, neither indulgence nor self-mortification. It's good medicine. We get to enjoy it as well, but it's there for our nourishment. For the sake of enlightenment, we now receive this food. We receive and eat this food in order to attain the way.

[14:57]

The next section, which is part of the bowl raising during the oryoki meal, is an expression of gratitude and repaying kindnesses, thinking of them, giving them acknowledgement. The three treasures, those you probably got down, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Next, the four benefactors. Parents, teachers, teachers at any level, Buddha, your teacher, your Zen teacher, your Buddhist teacher, teachers you've enjoyed and appreciated and who've helped you, who've been benefactors for your development in your life. The third, the first time I heard this explained, the expression was the emperor. which is really the rulers, the leaders, and actually the government that helps provide us a civil society. And the fourth one is expressed variously as homeland, all beings, or the world, the four benefactors.

[16:09]

Finally, for the beings in the six realms may all be equally nourished. Those beings in the hell realm, The hungry ghosts, those are the ones with the big bellies and the tiny little necks so they can't get the food that they're so hungry for down. They have a lot of suffering. Animals, the Ashuras or the fighting spirits. The human beings, that's us. And the heavenly beings. Then the last part is similar to our vows. The first portion is to end all evil. We want to stop unwholesome deeds. The second is to cultivate all good. We want to nourish wholesome deeds. And the third is to free all beings, to help others cross to the other side from samsara to nirvana.

[17:15]

May we all realize the Buddha way. Now, since this talk is not a spectator sport, for those of you who've been at talks I've given before, turn to somebody nearby, next to you or behind you, and then I'm going to tell you what we do next. Okay. So here's the drill. I'll ring the little bell. You'll take a moment just to settle, and one of the two of you will start, and you'll have four minutes. When I ring the bell again, finish the statement or sentiment that you have, take a breath, and I'll ring the bell again, and the second person has four minutes.

[18:17]

Let the person talk without crosstalk. give that person the greatest gift of your full attention. So here are some things you can talk about. How do you feel when you chant the meal verse? Do you have any other traditions or blessings of saying grace in your life that are important to you? And how did you or do you relate to them? Another possibility is, are there any particular words, phrases, or lines in the meal chant? that you are particularly drawn to or feel distant from. And if something else has arisen as a source of this discussion, you're welcome to share that as well. So I'll ring the bell. The first person will have about four minutes. Then the second person will have four minutes after the next bell. And then we'll come back together to share what you've discovered. Okay? Any questions? So I know we're kind of really full house here. So talk both quietly, but make sure the person you're talking with hears you.

[19:21]

Okay? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. But you have a lot of people that, you have to teach me, I guess, if you left a lot of people.

[20:31]

So, if you have to leave them, then, and [...] then. Thank you. Thank you. ... [...]

[21:32]

I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to do that. I think. [...] The same thing, you know, if you make this, [...]

[22:55]

Okay, so just finish up whatever your thought was there. Take a breath. Give yourself a moment. Sounded good? Okay, second person. Okay.

[23:57]

It's interesting. I like the new thing. It's not. [...] I mean, I think there's a different way for it. I like it, particularly when you like it.

[25:02]

I think it's very nice. It's hard to practice. I'm trying to hit that. I can't be cute. But now I'm excited to see it. I think it's tough. It's okay. [...] It Yeah, man. It's like this video. It's like this video. I like this. Yeah, I think this is it. It's a video. [...] So it was kind of the greatest, but it was like eight weeks to appear to be successful.

[26:05]

But now, there's no problem. But when I look at the candidates, there's no reason to work, and they're, I think, at that time. And at the same time, I like it, because I guess there's a lot of people that people do. So it's a very efficient kind of job, right? So it's a very efficient kind of job, right? It's interesting that the literature is on the field. The literature is on the field. The literature is on the field. It's [...] on the field.

[27:05]

It's on the field. That sounded like fun. It really did. I love the buzz in the room. It's great. So, what did you discuss? What would you like to share? Make any discoveries or recollections? Yes. Hi, Mark. the concept of the appreciation of how our food gets to us. We have a society that really has turned into one of this great reward for entertainment. If you're an athlete, if you're a performer, if you're a singer, somehow we idolize those people and support them in such a generous way, and yet the food that sustains us, the food that is our medicine that we speak of, and we all know it to be true. We all know we need fear.

[28:07]

Some of us live a vegan life, but others of us eat. you know, different types of food, unhealthy foods. And we know when we come here, we feel so refreshed and so revitalized by the food that's available. So Jay and I were discussing the concept of how farmers seem to be, they're always the shun ones, they're always the poorest ones, they're good in the least, they're respected in the least, and yet they provide us such an analogy. So I think in our conversation, both of us agreed that it would be great to spend time really honoring that in that morning prayer to say, hey, How amazing is it that not only was this food delivered, but for the people to prepare the food, serve the food, for all that goes into giving us this life-sustaining and energizing and empowering medicine. Yes, very much so. That's what's in the words. Thank you for bringing them out. Someone else? Thoughts? Revelations? Something to share? Yes! Hi, Bill. Can you speak up a little bit?

[29:18]

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's a lovely aspect. You again. Yeah. I'm not sure. It's kind of how we chant in our temples. Except for the refuges. That's notably different. I don't know. Anybody have an idea? I'm not sure what the reason is. Whether it's just it came that way or... Does anybody have an insight that I'm not aware of? In the Pali refuges at the end of the evening? Yeah. That's the one chant. It's chanted in Pali.

[30:31]

People start harmonizing sometimes like three parts. It really is. It's unusual for us, and it stands out. Most of our other chants are of a more monotone style. Some groups do it more spoken with a little bit of emphasis on things, but a lot of them still do. We still do them kind of straight out. The other traditions, Shasta Abbey had a tradition of chanting in a... plain song style, Gregorian. And they had an organ. They have an organ up there. It used to be played to accompany it. And the Theravadans have a... When Ajahnara came here when I was here in 1999, they chanted the Heart Sutra in their style. Very different as well. Yeah. Anything else about the meal chant? Yes. I just think it's...

[31:35]

to take the time to be grateful for food and something that not all beings or all humans have access to as easily as we do. It's true. And it's easy to take for granted how much energy goes into food not just by the people producing but for the plant itself. We're talking about this. It takes months for a tomato to exist, to come to existence. When we look at a tomato, oh, it's just a tomato. Yeah, it's a lot. All the earth and sun. I just thought it was really nice that we stopped to acknowledge that. Acknowledge how lucky we are to have access to both medicine or two or three. It's true. At Green Gulch Farm at Thanksgiving, there used to be a separate harvest event, but now it's been combined with Thanksgiving. They put up all samples of the produce from the farm and the garden and the altar, and it's quite an amazing visual feast.

[32:42]

And in the service before we eat, there's a reading of how many pounds and how many bushels and how many bouquets of lavender and, you know, the run through the hole. production from that season and then one year it ended and a bouncing baby boy so we have a bouncing baby girl here as far as what this community has seen come forward yeah so anything else anybody else have something yes hi um speak up so that you can eat the food and practice zazen and that cycle just being a monastic cycle that Vera described to me has a very it just speaks to the real essence of knowing how much you are physically working in order to cultivate this food

[33:58]

the help of nature. And actually how beautiful that cycle is because that work is as in, that work is practice in a sense, which then continually nourishes practice so that you can practice. Right. And the fact that it's not one or the other, we're one separated from the other. Practice in our daily lives and everything that we're doing at the time are all part of practice of zazen and the practice of others is all practice comes together and that leads us for the opportunity for enlightenment and for helping nourish and save all beings which is a big vow that we take every day so hopefully this may have given you a little insight into the meal verse and hopefully you might think about these the meanings behind it when you chant it you don't have to do it every day I actually adopted chanting this at home or wherever I am, since about 1998, because I really love it.

[35:00]

I think it's very moving, and the meanings are touching. Yes, Ash? When you're alone, do you say we or I? Where? You said when you chant, when you're at home. I chant. If you're by yourself, do you say we reflect, or I reflect? Oh, I say we. Yeah, I feel there's other folks out there as well. Yeah, because it's like certain kind of events that happen at times of year, holidays, traditions. There's a moment when you feel like you may be alone or you may be in an outlying location, but so many other people that you know in that tradition are doing the same thing on that day at that time. So it's a way of feeling connected. I've... I've been blessed with being part of Zen Center since the late 80s and especially since the mid-90s. It's deeply important and it helps me feel connected even when I'm not here or when I was at Green Gulch when I'm not there anymore.

[36:10]

Things like that. I think we is fundamental. It helps me feel less alone too sometimes. And hopefully you're chanting for me too. I figure we're all in this together in any case. So the more the merrier. This is a good thing. Any final questions or comments? Anything else? Bernard? Sam and I were talking about the worthiness of the suffering and how we both sort of felt like it was a sort of reminder of... sometimes how ungrateful I am for certain things, especially when it comes to onions. Oh, onions. Yeah, no onions for Bernard. Stuff like that. Sorry for that. But, yeah, there's a sort of reminder in there just to sort of like to see what actually is happening in terms of practice. So it's very nice to sort of like be reminded.

[37:13]

Great. Thank you very much. Well, I think we better conclude because it's about the time that we'd be leaving the Zendo. Thank you all so much for being here. I really appreciate it. Thank you for listening to this podcast offered by the San Francisco Zen Center. Our Dharma talks are offered free of charge, and this is made possible by the donations we receive. Your financial support helps us to continue to offer the Dharma. For more information, visit sfcc.org and click Giving.

[37:50]

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