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That\u2019s the American way as Ed Brown sardonically puts it in his wonderful presentation, Dogen\u2019s Instructions to the Cook<\/i> (click here for mp3<\/a>). \u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
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Ed light-heartedly and piercingly connects dharma, a social message (often missing or assumed in today\u2019s American dharma world), and the importance of relating with the red pepper we might be selecting at the store, chopping and cooking today.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Opening ourselves to an unknownable and unpredictable outcome, intimately meeting the ingredients of our life, and allowing things to come into our lives, is required for cooking as Zen practice \u2013 and this extends, of course, to all the activities of daily life.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Ed does an especially nice job emphasizing the meaning of \u201cdharma\u201d as the way to do things \u2013 like cooking \u2013 as well as \u201cdharma\u201d as phenomena, teaching, and truth.\u00a0 So how do we clean the spinach for this meal? How do we do it? How can we honor and bring forth the delicious quality of this moment, taking full responsibility for the ingredients at hand?\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Practice as on ongoing inquiry into the way \u2013 how do we do it? \u2013 is the adventure in living each moment freshly.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Ed\u2019s talk linked above (and the movie in which he\u2019s featured, How To Cook Your Life<\/i>) will be recommended resources for the upcoming practice period, Wholehearted Play: 90 Days of Cooking this Great Life, February 20 \u2013 May 22.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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If you\u2019d like to participate, please register soon and\/or sign up for the introduction to the practice community on Saturday, February 13, 9am \u2013 10am CST -6 UMT). More information is below on the video invitation and on the blog post preceding that. To register or ask questions, email wfzango@gmail.com<\/a>, attn: registration.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n