At the Monastery, we've been looking at communication around making changes in the meals we eat, particularly breakfasts. I've noticed a karmic pattern in myself that inhibits communication about something that might very well be beneficial to myself and the whole community, in this case, adding cooked apples to the breakfast menu. The voices say:
- "Oh, it's probably just me."
- "It's too much trouble."
- "It's fine the way it is."
If we generalize the inhibiting technique employed by ego, it would be:
- isolate
- dismiss
If we believe the isolating, dismissive messages and fail to communicate the desire or impulse, which may or may not have dropped in from Life (who knows until we check it out?), the hapless human is cornered, penned, and trapped in a conversation with ego with the idea of "cooked apples" rattling around in conditioned mind, absorbing attention, building resentment, fostering a sense of deprivation, or any manner of ego reactions.
The simple, straightforward responsibility of students of Awareness is clear:
- get here
- communicate
and everything else flows from here.
Speaking of apples, below is the recipe from the Zen Monastery Cookbook for homemade applesauce. It's simple, makes the kitchen smell wonderful, and adds a lovely touch to breakfast.
Gassho,
Rebecca
Applesauce
6 cups apples (tart or sweet - your choice), peeled and quartered
¾ cups water
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. lemon juice
A pinch of salt
- Put the apples in a saucepan with water, bring to a boil, cover, and steam apples until very tender.
- Add remaining ingredients and mash with potato masher. Add more water as necessary to make it a sauce. Chill.
Serves 6