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The story they say in Zen is, if you have a little piece of shit on your nose, then you will smell it wherever you go: ‘Oh this stinks, oh this stinks, cooking stinks, everything stinks, it’s all bad.’ So the expression in Zen is, ‘Wash your face.’
Edward Espe Brown, from How to Cook Your Life -
When I was first starting to cook, I asked Suzuki Roshi if he had any advice for me. He said, “When you wash the rice, wash the rice. When you cut the carrots, cut the carrots. When you stir the soup, stir the soup.” This sounds sort of simple and obvious, but a lot of the time we go through the motions. We’re not seeing with our eyes, feeling with our hands. We’re thinking about all kinds of things, and we have stuff on our minds. So it’s not so simple. Do what you’re doing. Take care of the ingredients. Take care of the activity. Make it happen. And it’s up to you: No one can take your place. Mom will not show up to handle this for you. The cook is off today.
Edward Espe Brown, from the documentary How to Cook Your Life
I'm Emily. This is my online commonplace book. Email: bookishemily (at) yahoo. My other blog: Thrifted Sisters.
