Vegan cuisine
We will not use dairy and egg products during the whole retreat. From now on, all of our retreats and, of course, all of our practice centers in Asia, Europe, and North America will be conducted like that.
Our present practice is to help everyone become aware of the danger of global warming, in order to help save Mother Earth and all species.
Thich Nhat Hanh, “Letter from Blue Cliff” 12 October 2017
As a mindfulness center in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Pardesa we serve and consume only plant-based meals. Without getting caught in labels, we welcome vegan cuisine as a practice:
Openness to change
We enjoy creating healthy, tasty and creative meals. For those of us who do not usually follow a plant-based diet, our cooking is a great opportunity to try something new and discover that it’s possible to enjoy delicious meals, nourishing ourselves in a different way.
Together we’re also opening the way for a collective change towards a civilization that values sustainability and compassion.
“Where does it come from? And where does it go?”
This practice, like a children’s game, invites us to explore the causes and conditions upon which each meal depends. It’s an invitation to not take for granted what is in front of us, and on our plate, and to recognize the many bonds that connect us to the human, animal, vegetable and mineral worlds.
The practice of looking deeply can lead to gratitude, recognition and intimacy with people and beings seemingly far from us.
Contact with joy and suffering
In meditation practice we develop the courage to look honestly, both at the functioning of our mind and at the effects of our actions. Often our habits – of thought, speech and actions, both individual and collective – are motivated and supported by convictions and certainties that, thanks to our commitment to truth, slowly soften and give way to openness and empathy.
The positive side of exposing ourselves to suffering is that it opens the door to compassion e therefore to benevolent action. Aware of the damange to the ecosystem and to living beings caused by our collective choices regarding food, knowing that we’re causing less harm and are protecting life is a powerful condition for joy and satisfaction.
For more information
- Jonathan Safran Foer, We are the weather. Saving the planet begins at breakfast
- Thich Nhat Hanh, The world we have
