Hey brother, can ya spare a dime...(Now with Bonus Photo)

So one of the bigger events for me this past weekend was officially receiving my begging bowls. The term Bhikkhu (for male - Bhikkhunis for females) is used to describe Buddhist monks but translates as "beggar". The original sangha (Buddhist community) was a commune of beggars. They would go through the surrounding towns at a certain time each day and the shop keepers and people living in the town would put small amounts of food in their bowls. So the bowl is a pretty important thing to have. No bowl, no food.



The Korean style of bowls (4 or 5) are used to this day three times daily in the "bowl ceremony" during meals. This exact way of doing meals has been going on for over 2000 years in Buddhist monasteries in different parts of the world.



The ceremony we were taught the last retreat we were able to perform this time (but with more people). I won't go into mass detail, but basically, each move is signaled with a chugpi (a bamboo clapper). We unwrap the bowl set which has the outer tie, a cloth placemat, a holder for chopsticks and spoon, a napkin, the bowl cover and the bowls.





After everything is out - there is a specific way to lay out the bowls (using your thumbs). Each bowl is used for something different: rice, soup, vegetables and water.



Then the junior person will get up and serve water (which we use to wash the bowls) and in turn, rice, then soup, etc...

After is all is passed out, we chant briefly and then we have three minutes to eat. I'm not kidding, we have to eat quickly, and each time we switch food, we put one bowl down, then pick up another. Also we eat in silence. As the monk says in the movie "Hi, Dharma": "We are eating rice and vegetables, not spoons and chopsticks, so there should be no noise."

We also have to eat everything we take, down to the last grain of rice. I was shown a trick last time to make this easier - by sprinkling a little soup broth into your rice the grains don't stick to the bowl. I was never the last one to finish, but was also never the first. I was able to eat everything without much issue, I just learned early on that you don't stop - I went in a circuit of rice, then soup (which helps washing down a mouthful of rice) then vegetables (Kimchee!), then back to rice, etc...

At the end, we use water to wash out the bowls, and we leave a little piece of Kimchee or pickle to wash out the bowls with our chopsticks. Its like a little brillo pad. We move the water from bowl to bowl, washing and moving and then we drink the water and eat the brillo pad! It was kinda gross at first, but you get over it. The bowl ceremony is completed by drying out each bowl and reassembling the whole deal. Then the bowls get placed in order for the next meal. It is simple, wastes nothing and is very efficient...

Our teacher was placed in the kitchens when he was growing up as a novice monk. He said even after he was fully ordained he was put in the kitchens to work. Good luck for us, because he does all the cooking. I volunteered to be the kitchen assistant this time which was a lot of fun for me assisting him and learning how to make these great, yet simple dishes. Korean temple food seems to have a couple of general ingredients: garlic, garlic, vegetables, broth and garlic. Oh and Kimchee. The result is simple dishes that have great flavor. Also the Kimchee and pickles help digestion. He made soup every morning and evening, starting with German Potato Soup which had sausage, potatoes, celery, zucchini, garlic and ketchup in the broth. Many of the soups he made were like this: simple ingredients, broth, some oil and a few spices.

Wait, did I just say sausage in the soup? That's right, meat was in the soup. Vegetarian diets are a stereotype of Buddhists (one I was perpetuating for seven years). Remember what I said at the start? Buddhists were beggars - if someone throws a steak in your bowl, you eat it. Even if it's medium rare, and you like it rare, and there is no A-1. Bhikkhus can't bhichoosers. The Buddha ate meat. Don't want to shock anyone, but that is pretty well known. In fact there is a great story about him eating spoiled meat at the end of his life...(doesn't sound great - but I will elaborate at a different time). Some Buddhist cultures do not eat meat, many, if not most, do...

As Teacher told me the first night when we were prepping the most of the food to get us through the weekend, that "you can't be a monk if you don't know how to cook!"

That is all for now. When we finish our meals we shout this - and so I will shout it to you: "Kamsa Hamida!" (thank you!)

BONUS PHOTO!