Zen Cooking As Attention

Zen Buddhism is often pictured as silent sitting, but its monasteries have always insisted that practice continues in the kitchen. The tradition of shojin ryori — devotional temple cooking — turns preparing vegetables, simmering broth, and washing bowls into meditation in motion, and it has been meat-free for centuries. What Zen offers modern eaters is less a diet than a quality of attention brought to every stage of a meal.