Once upon a time a young North Indian man who was seeking enlightenment came to the South. Here, he met a South Indian woman who was also seeking enlightenment. They fell in love and married.
After marriage, they began practicing the five mindfulness trainings and meditation. They now studied the sutras together. It was wonderful! They would hold each others' hands and practice walking meditation in the morning and evening. They would study the sutras during the day. The young man would tend to the plants while his wife cooked delicious vegan food. At night they would practice sitting and hugging meditation before falling asleep.
There was just one problem. The young man ate very fast. The young woman diligently practiced cooking meditation and put all her love and culinary skills at work but it made no difference. It did not matter what she cooked, the young man would just gobble everything up in no time. She used to put in a lot of effort while cooking and desired to see her husband eat in a relaxed manner enjoying the food but this was not to be.
One day she confronted the young man.
"Why do you eat so fast?", she asked.
"What a strange question! ", he answered, "This is how my father ate, my grandfather ate and my great grandfather ate. They must have had a good reason!"
The young woman explained to her husband, "Dear one, do you remember the Kalama Sutra? Do you think we should do something just because our father, grandfather and great grandfather did so? Do you think this habit of eating so fast makes sense? How would it be if we walked very fast while practicing walking meditation? How would it be if we got up immediately after sitting while practicing sitting meditation? If we just hugged for the sake of hugging? An action performed in a hurry has no meaning. Eating mindfully also means to contemplate the food that we are eating and to enjoy it. Food is a gift of the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the rain, the farmer etc. There's my love in it too. I wish that you practice mindful eating from now on."
Upon hearing these wise words from his wife, the young man immediately understood the Kalama Sutra - the charter of free enquiry. He also understood the importance of eating mindfully.
Later that night while practicing sitting meditation the young man realised that we are what we eat. He realised that food obtained through cruel methods brought about suffering and food obtained from plants helped heal and nourish the body and mind.
He opened his eyes and looked at his wife. She looked so serene and beautiful practicing sitting meditation. He immediately understood that it was her love in the food that she cooked for him that brought him to such important realisations. He realised that it was her practice of the third mindfulness training, True Love, that was taking him closer to enlightenment. How wonderful it was that she was in his life!
(The author, Saurabh Singh, is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh.)
