STORYTELLING
A Bowl of Zen Salad
What I learned from my meditation treats about metabolic health
It was lunchtime at the Meditation Retreat…
At the food counter, Monks slowly gathered picking up their plates and bowls and filling them in silence. We were all monks for a day as per the meditation camp rules.
Feeling like a feather after the rigorous sessions of dynamic meditation followed by dance meditation, I slowly walked toward the open dining area near the swimming pool.
My main attraction to this meditation resort is its serene crystal clear, swimming pool, surrounded by bamboo bushes and ancient Gulmohar trees.
Bamboo reeds rubbed against each other and made an eerie creaky sound in the slightest of breeze.
I removed my meditation robe and wore a swimsuit. Immersing myself in the sparkling cerulean pool filled my every pore with joy. I swam towards the bamboo bushes at the far end of the pool and floated near them in awe, listening to the mystical murmuring sound.
I enjoyed a few rounds of unhurried laps feeling the rejuvenating touch of water on my bare skin. A lone monk was sitting under a tree engrossed in reading, another one was working on his laptop. Some of them were huddled together at the dining table and laughed aloud cracking harmless jokes.
Couples were walking around the campus hand in hand in bliss.
I walked towards the sauna near the pool.
‘’ tujhe dekha to ’’ …,
A popular Bollywood song floated from a shower room in a sweet female voice.
I stopped in my tracks…
Music always has this effect on me!
A happy person normally sings from a bathroom…
Must be another one-day monk!
I dried myself in the sauna bath and changed once again into my white meditation robe.
I wasn’t feeling the normal hunger pangs, which I usually feel at noon. I was not hungry at all. But I needed to fill my tummy before the lunch hour got over for the day at 2 PM.
The dining area was small yet sophisticated. A variety of dishes were neatly arranged in big trays covered with glass panels. There was hot and steaming rice and dal fry, rotis and butter paneer, boiled eggs, kheer, and jalebis. Another tray had a salad mix consisting of a variety of neatly cubed boiled veggies.
I took a white ceramic bowl and started filling it with small pieces of olives, broccoli, apples, carrots, bell peppers, soft corn, and chunks of cucumber. My little bowl was full soon. I added some lettuce and celery for the fresh green touch. There was a small glass bottle of salad oil. I poured some salad oil on top. Added a dash of salt and pepper.
My bowl was up to the brim and looked inviting!
Let’s call this salad a Zen Salad!
I moved to a table facing the water and sat alone. The pool was covered in the shower of bright red and yellow petals from the giant Gul mohar tree.
All I needed was solitude to accompany my light meal. I started enjoying my Zen salad one bite at a time. There were no thoughts, no hurry to get up and go. So, I observed the ripples in the pool while emptying my small bowl of salad. Once the bowl was finished, I felt full and satiated. My watch told me it was already 3 pm and I was sitting there for an hour munching a bowl of salad.
I couldn’t explain this mystery yet … how can a small bowl of salad fill you and keep you energetic till the next meal?
I keep wondering …
The Miracle of Five loaves and two fishes.
As I write this; a beautiful Biblical story comes to my mind.
Feeding the multitude story!
Once, Jesus the epitome of compassion and kindness was faced with a difficult situation. A crowd of 5000 hungry people were waiting to be fed.
One disciple was carrying five loaves of bread and two fishes with him as per the instruction of Jesus.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, Jesus gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
These stories may sound like miracles!
Anything is possible in the realm of meditation and spirituality!
These must be true stories…I keep wondering!
