Plum Village Five Contemplations | Meal Gatha

In Plum Village Five Contemplations are recited before each meal to nourish our gratitude and to nurture our mindfulness as we eat. It is a practice similar to saying grace. At home, when the whole family eats together, you can invite your children to read the Five Contemplations aloud. In the first contemplation, we are reminded, “This food is the gift of the whole universe: the Earth, the sky, and much loving work,” and in the second we ask, “May we live and eat in mindfulness so that we are worthy to receive this food.” It is not difficult to be worthy to receive the food. We need only to be fully present and enjoy eating mindfully. When we eat while we are angry, forgetful, or irritated, thinking of things other than the meal and our family, we do not appreciate the gift of food before us and act ungratefully. The next three contemplations are “May we transform our unskillful states of mind, and learn to eat in moderation. May we take only food that nourishes us and prevents illness. We accept this food in order to realize the way of understanding and love.” During the recitation, everyone should look deeply into the food he or she is consuming, to see that the meal really nourishes his or her body and mind..

Created in Plum Village and printed in France.