The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with Mindfulness and Gratitude by Thubten Chodron


The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with Mindfulness and Gratitude
Title : The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with Mindfulness and Gratitude
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1611806348
ISBN-10 : 9781611806342
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 144
Publication : Published December 11, 2018

Eating as a spiritual practice: wisdom from the Buddhist tradition that you can use at home.

Every aspect of our daily activities can be a part of spiritual practice if done with compassion—and this compact guide offers wisdom from the Buddhist tradition on how eating mindfully can nourish the mind as well as the body.

Thubten Chodron, abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Washington state, shows us that eating and activities related to it—preparation of food, offering and consuming it, and cleaning up afterward—can contribute to awakening and to increased kindness and care toward others. Chodron offers traditional Buddhist teachings and specific practices used at the Abbey, along with advice for taking the principles into our own home in order to make the sharing of food a spiritual intention for anyone. By eating consciously and mindfully—and by including certain rituals—we find ourselves less obsessive about food and can enjoy our meals more.

The Compassionate Kitchen: Buddhist Practices for Eating with Mindfulness and Gratitude Reviews

  • Artemisia Hunt

    A lovely little primer on Buddhist practices around the preparation and consumption of the food we bring into our homes and eat and share with our families and others. Beginning with the very simple act of eating with mindful attention, The Compassionate Kitchen goes beyond the basics to the special rituals and dedications used at mealtimes in Buddhist monasteries like the author’s own abbey in Washington state. In a culture like our own, known for fast-food meals and eating on the run, there is much to think about here, even if only the simplest understanding about making our meals more mindfully attended, with gratitude and reverence for the blessings we receive and the many hands that contribute to bringing what we eat to our tables.

  • Literary Redhead

    I was intrigued by the title and beautiful cover of THE COMPASSIONATE KITCHEN, in which author Thubten Chodron offers a Buddhist perspective on eating mindfully with gratitude. The author, abbess of Sravasti Abbey in Washington state, shows how eating and associated activities — cooking, serving and consuming food, and cleaning up after a meal — can all be performed with spiritual awareness and kindness towards others.

    Chodron combines traditional Buddhist teachings with practices used at the Abbey, as she teaches us how to apply these principles to our own lives. We learn how to make the sharing of food a spiritual practice, while becoming less obsessed with food and enjoying it more. Highly recommended!

    Pub Date 11 Dec 2018

    Thanks to Shambhala Publications, Inc. and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

    #CompassionateKitchen #NetGalley

  • Victoria

    Very informative about the Buddhist way of eating.... it includes many insights with regard to choices and lifestyle of monastics...Though there are pretty strict rituals and rules, it is a beautiful philosophy that we can all consider to improve our relationship with food and gratitude for the many things that come together to produce and deliver the food we eat... it also gives ecouragement to eat without killing other species... Informative and beauifuly written.

  • Sara

    For those who practice more Vajrayana flavored forms of Buddhism, this little book has some wisdom and explication behind various blessings and chants performed at mealtimes, as well as some practical explanations for some of the various precepts. I personally found it a little dry and uninteresting, but like all dharma books, I found a little here to digest.

  • Mollie

    This book would be an excellent resource for someone who is seriously interested in a Buddhism. I appreciate Buddhism but was hoping for something more generalizable to a broader range of readership.

  • Sandy

    An explication and explanation of the prayers and chants used at the main meal.Very helpful.

  • Ning Lee

    Eat to nourish. I like that. In the abby, they eat in silence, to appreciate the food, to connect with the mind.

  • Cherie

    Primer on mindfulness in eating.