Tenzo Note 8: The Path of The Cook 2.0
Food is so much more than sustenance; it's a profound connection to ourselves and the world around us.
In the Zen tradition, the cook is known as the "Tenzo." This term refers to both the physical space where we practice cooking—the kitchen—and the person responsible for guiding the practice—the head cook.
The word "tenzo" derives from two Japanese characters, "典座," which can be interpreted as "ordaining seats." This concept embodies the tenzo's role in helping people find their place in the world.
Within the kitchen, the Tenzo fosters a seamless connection among all those involved in the cooking process. It's about harmonising the dynamic yet often unnoticed spaces between individuals, activities, objects, and even the weather—a holistic ecosystem.
Moreover, the Tenzo shoulders the responsibility of creating a connection to the whole through meals. By attentively selecting quality natural ingredients, balancing flavours, textures, and colours, and avoiding strong seasonings like garlic and onions for centeredness, a Tenzo ensures that those who partake in their meals can remain present and engaged during retreats or periods of heightened awareness. Of course, for regular occasions, the inclusion of garlic and bolder flavours is perfectly acceptable.
Yet, the essence of Tenzo practice lies in cultivating a silent mind—a profound offering to life. In return, it gives us the opportunity to be fully alive and completely present while we cook. Embracing "Shikan taza"—simply doing what we're doing without planning, analysing, or being distracted by others—we move in harmony, fostering peace, joy, playfulness, and relaxation.
This same dynamic space of silent sitting extends to a tenzo's daily practice. It's a path of non-self, allowing the food to be cooked through us instead of exerting our ego-driven will. In essence, it's about forgetting ourselves while cooking and intuitively knowing how to respond to each moment.
Understanding this practice isn't easy, as it's an experience rather than a technique to learn. It begins with introspection—examining our motives. Are we solely concerned with impressing others with the best recipe? Craving external validation? Pressuring our team due to attachment to desired outcomes? Feeling exhausted from trying too hard? The journey starts by understanding these motivations.
When people cook together regularly, the inter relational dynamics become the essential ingredients in a kitchen, serving as the foundation for genuine teaching. It prompts us to reflect on our responses when we feel out of place. How do we handle power dynamics stemming from strong authority, be it from others or ourselves? How do we navigate feelings of rejection when someone expresses emotional reactivity? How often do we resort to self-victimisation as a response? What truly drives our desire to be in the kitchen and serve as a cook? And what does it mean to cook for the community while being an integral part of it?
This is the path of wholeheartedly "being with" whatever arises—embracing our feelings, fears, and stress—allowing the practice to unfold naturally within each situation.
It is also the practice of right effort. "Right effort" means having faith in our own inherent worth as an interactive being, connected to everything we encounter—the ingredients, the community, the weather, and others. That faith is all we need to cook, trusting that we are more than enough to honour this role. This way of cooking, this unwavering faith and trust in the process unfolding through , is the true recipe. As a cook 2.0, our role is simply to create the framework that nurtures this alchemical process. All we need to do is approach each task with relaxed concentration, moving from one step to another, nourishing and being nourished by the world as it is.
Valerie Dai Hatsu
To know more : please check in our zotero open library references on the zen practice related to food practice . There is also in this list a dark mountain book which is not directly related to this tradition but embraces its spirit in a different way.
