Buddhist Kitchen Sink Wisdom.

I snapped this photo in Marpa House, a Buddhist community home in Boulder, Colorado, the other day. It was good to see these slogans, again—I’d grown up reciting them before prep cook duty at Karme Choling, a rural meditation center in Barnet, Vermont.

Explanation of “this food is prepared as an offering to the three jewels.” The Three Jewels are one’s teacher or inspiration, the teachings of Dharma or truth, and one’s community (sangha). The idea is that food is prepared not so that we can eat yummy food, merely, but so that we can be strong, healthy, and celebrate life so that we can help others do the same, and be of benefit to our community and the world generally.

Relephant bonus: Mindful Food with Slow Food chef, writer and adventuress Peggy Markel:

Karme Choling’s innovative garden:

An eco bachelor’s cooking lesson: