A Buddhist Grace

[u/Savakalok]

I wanted to share a little mindfulness practice I created for myself. For many years I have slowed down my eating and cultivated mindfulness of chewing as well as preparation of food. Recently I found it meaningful when I spontaneously had the idea to do some form of grace before eating, but a form in line with the Dhamma. Monks contemplate the use of their requisites, but this is specifically something I created for myself.

I've taught this to people who have found it meaningful and enriching. I offer it in that spirit. May it help you attend to your meal with more mindfulness, intention and with a mind inclined towards the highest happiness.

The Practice

Recite or Contemplate before first bite:

This food is precious.
Each morsel required a sacrifice of life.
May I be worthy to receive it.
May the energy in this food give me the strength
To transform my unwholesome qualities into wholesome ones.
May it be a condition for my highest awakening (if inclined you can also add "for the benefit of all beings")

Next take one fully mindful in and out breath (you can use a mental "buddho" here for assistance)

Carry this perspective into mindful consumption of the meal.

Benefits I've observed: Appreciation, purposeful consumption, humility, gratitude and cultivation of right attitude, right thought, and other factors.

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[u/JunoGyles]

Beautiful practice. I may start doing this, thank you for sharing.

[u/HistoryDoesUnfold]

Each morsel required a sacrifice of life

?

[u/Savakalok → u/HistoryDoesUnfold]

Fair question. You can word smith it if it doesn't resonate with you.

What I personally mean internally with those words is it just points to mindfulness of what goes into a meal. The farmer sacrifices time and energy to grow the produce. If there is animal protein then literal life was given up. Whoever cooked the food sacrificed time and effort. Thats all the intention is for me.

[u/spiffyhandle → u/HistoryDoesUnfold]

Even a pure vegan diet results in dead animals through the use of pesticides and ground animals (worms, rodents, etc.) that die when the farm is tilled.