The Core
展鉢の偈 (Tenpatsu-no-Ge) is a Buddhist verse chanted in Zen training monasteries when practitioners unfold and prepare their Oryoki bowls before a meal. It includes the story of the Buddha's life from his birth to his entry into Nirvana and expresses the act of beginning a meal as Buddhist practice. It is chanted to transform the ordinary act of eating into a practice of regulating body, speech, and mind while letting go of attachment. While commonly regarded as "a ritual verse associated with formal meal procedures," this dictionary defines it as "a declaration for establishing a meal as a practice of regulating body, speech, and mind while letting go of attachment to body, speech, and mind."
Q&A
- Q: Why does chanting the Tenpatsu-no-Ge help one let go of attachment?
- A: Because it recalls the entire life of the Buddha, from his birth to his entry into Nirvana, and places the act of eating within the path of Buddhist practice. By doing so, it helps regulate body, speech, and mind, and becomes a practice of letting go of fixed attachments and preferences related to daily food.
