Korean temple food and the Buddhist ethos at home: how vegetarian foodies can bring mindfulness to their lives through the kitchen
- In Korean Temple Food – With Gratitude for Life and Prayers for Peace, the writers tell us a vegan diet is ‘an important means of practice’ for Buddhists
- This vegan cuisine ‘has developed distinctive flavours through creative combinations of ingredients, unique food preservation techniques and original recipes’
Many cultures were preaching the importance of sustainability and a plant-based diet long before it became common knowledge that these practices are essential for the good of the planet.
Because they had such a long time to develop their primarily plant-based cuisines, they got good at it – think of all those delicious meat- and seafood-free dishes you can find at Indian vegetarian restaurants, or how you can eat in many Middle Eastern countries without a scrap of animal protein passing your lips, and still have a great meal.
In Korean Temple Food – With Gratitude for Life and Prayers for Peace (2013), the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism writers tell us, “Temple food has always been an important means of practice for Korean Buddhist monks and nuns.
“In its literal sense, it just means the food consumed at Buddhist temples but a cuisine always carries in it the spirit of the cultural heritage that gave birth to it. Temple food wholly embodies the sacred depth of spirit that Korean Buddhism has cultivated for over seventeen hundred years.
“Temple food has been continuously developed and improved throughout the long history of Korean Buddhism. Every step is equally important and necessary for spiritual practice, from growing and harvesting food stocks to preparing and cooking them.
“Monks prepare food in sincere devotion and mindfulness as the cooked meals are perceived as offerings to the Buddha. After the offering ceremony, they share the presented food with the whole congregation. Repeating this ritual allows monks to practise Buddha’s teachings through their communal tasks.
“Also, monks always remind themselves to take a moment and express gratitude for everyone whose hard work made their meals possible. Therefore, monks only serve themselves the amount of food they can finish and leave no leftover behind. The act of eating food is transformed into a spiritual ritual for those who are on their path to attain the ultimate wisdom.”
