The Core
Gokan-no-Ge (The Five Contemplations on Meals) is a set of five verses chanted before meals in the Zen tradition. It positions eating not merely as physical nourishment, but as a ritual directly connected to one's spiritual practice. While commonly regarded as "a prayer of gratitude recited before meals," this dictionary defines it as "an active practice of eating, where, rather than just ritually reciting specific words, one contemplates the countless background elements that support a meal—from the origin of the ingredients to the workings of the Earth—to realize how one's own existence is supported by vast connections, and to pledge oneself to the fulfillment of the Buddhist path."
Q&A
- Q: Why do we view a meal as "good medicine"?
- A: Because if we see food merely as a luxury or a source of pleasure to satisfy our hunger, we tend to crave it impulsively based on our emotions. By defining a meal as "good medicine," we are able to look at it objectively as a means to heal the body's suffering—such as hunger and illness—and to nourish our vital life force, thereby freeing ourselves from attachment to food.
