Oryoki is the Japanese way of turning meals into meditation practice. The Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche introduced it to his Shambhala community of Western Buddhists in 1980. He adapted it slightly, putting a Tibetan monastic meal liturgy with it. Accordingly, the book starts with a history of Oryoki going from its beginnings in the East through its early development in the West under the guidance of the Vidyadhara. Following that, the book explains the meaning of the whole liturgy, step by step so that every part of it can be understood and applied to the practice of eating.
The book was originally written to provide a full explanation of Oryoki practice for members of the Shambhala community. And the Shambhala Office of Practice and Study has encouraged the book’s use within the Shambhala community given the author’s extensive knowledge of Oryoki and his first hand experience of the Vidyadhara’s teaching of it at several seminaries.
However, as the book took form, the author was asked by members of various other Buddhist communities to write about the practice in way that would give them access to the practice too. The result is a book that could easily be used as a starting point for any Buddhist practitioner or group, Tibetan or otherwise, wanting to make meals into meditation practice.
The book was originally written to provide a full explanation of Oryoki practice for members of the Shambhala community. And the Shambhala Office of Practice and Study has encouraged the book’s use within the Shambhala community given the author’s extensive knowledge of Oryoki and his first hand experience of the Vidyadhara’s teaching of it at several seminaries.
However, as the book took form, the author was asked by members of various other Buddhist communities to write about the practice in way that would give them access to the practice too. The result is a book that could easily be used as a starting point for any Buddhist practitioner or group, Tibetan or otherwise, wanting to make meals into meditation practice.
