oryoki

oryoki refers to the nested bowls used for serving food in zen temples. loosely translated as "just enough", it is of sino-japanese origin much like soto zen itself. in the rest of this post, it will also refer to the act of eating [using oryoki bowls]. for a layperson, oryoki is the "food" equivalent of the tea ceremony or chado. in most formal zen retreats, food is served oryoki style, comprising of 4-5 bowls and the form varies slightly with the lineage. the largest bowl is called the buddha bowl and care is taken not to touch it with one's lips. all the bowls are nested and along with the utensils (chopsticks, a spoon and a spatula), a napkin and a drying cloth and enclosed inside a longer piece of cloth that is knotted and opened just prior to meals.

the whole purpose of this beautiful but seemingly complex and anxiety inducing form (at least to novices) is to extend the state of mind during zazen to eating. dogen in fact makes no distinction between sitting in zazen, eating food or other quotidian acts. it was deeply touching to be participating in a tradition which is traceable to 13th c japan in eiheiji, dogen's temple if not to the much more ancient chinese zen temples from where dogen imbibed the tradition. i had eaten oryoki style once before during a retreat with the kwanum school (korean) but had forgotten most of the forms but there was an orientation on friday night.

the actual form is quite complex and more info including all the verses that are chanted can be found here. in brief, the principal actors are the tenzo (cook), the soku (server coordinator) and 2 servers. the servers do all the serving with cues given by the soku using gestures or the occasional clapper. whilst the rest of the people are still in zazen on the cushion, low tables are first laid out, one for each pair and a washcloth is passed around, with which the tables are wiped, each person covering the space in front of her. then gomasio (salted, spiced sesame seasoning) is served, again one for each pair. after reading some verses, the knot is untied and the bowls are opened and spread out on the tablecloth which itself is folded into a rhombus with a triangular piece sticking out of each side like a beak fold in origami. there are forms for how to open the napkin, what direction the chopsticks and spoons point before and after the meals etc. food consists of three items, one for each bowl (the fourth bowl which looks almost like a small plate serves as a stand for the third). the servers bring each dish to everyone and serve kneeling; hand signals are used to communicate amounts, raising means stop. once all three bowls are filled in three separate rounds, the utensils are laid on the bowls and everyone starts eating after a set of beautiful verses-

First, we consider in detail the merit of this food and remember how it came to us;
Second, we evaluate our own virtue and practice, lacking or complete, as we receive this offering;
Third, we are careful about greed, hatred and ignorance, to guard our minds and to free ourselves from error;
Fourth, we take this good medicine to save our bodies from emaciation;
Fifth, we accept this food to achieve the Way of the Buddha.

during lunch everyone is required to leave a small bit (a grain of rice typically) for the hungry ghosts which is collected by the servers. midway, the servers again walk around with each item and people can get second servings by expressing their indication using a bow. once everyone has finished eating, the spoon and chopsticks are licked clean and the bowls using the spatula. hot water is poured into the buddha bowl. the bowls are then cleaned and the utensils and the water with some residual food can be drunk or poured into a waste container circulated although in practice it can all be drunk as it tastes like ambrosia, according to one of the verses. the bowls are then dried using the drying cloth, nested, placed inside the kerchief, knotted and stored away. of course, there is a whole lot of bowing which i am skipping both by the servers and those eating. the buddha at the altar is also served a symbolic meal replete with the three bowls and mini chopsticks !!

one of the more beautiful lines of all the verses extols and stresses the unity of giver, receiver and gift, something i was able to experience by serving one of the meals as well as during meals where there are no servers and everyone serves their neighbour on one side and is served in turn by the other. it is certainly an beautiful thing to experience and reevaluate how we do things in our samsaric lives.