What is Buddhist cuisine in Japan?

The origins of Buddhist cuisine
The prototype of Buddhist cuisine originated in China
Buddhist cuisine in Japan
Features of Buddhist cuisine
What can we learn from Buddism cuisine in an age of satiation

Vegetarian cuisine is based on Buddhist precepts, and in Zen, food-related behaviour is a practice.

It is often said to be vegetarian cuisine, which avoids killing and does not eat meat or fish, but the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha, was not obsessed with vegetarianism. Vegetarian cooking has undergone change and development over its long history.

The origins of Buddhist cuisine

Buddhism teaches to remove the root causes of suffering and to free people from suffering.

The teaching of non-indulgence based on compassion was one such teaching, and it was forbidden for monks themselves to fish or hunt. In addition, as they did not engage in any productive activities or labour to cut off attachment to things and the desire to possess them, the monks’ food was provided by almsgiving and donations.

Cooking techniques were minimal, and the concept of Buddhist cuisine eaten in modern Japan, China, and Korea still needed to emerge.

The prototype of Buddhist cuisine originated in China

Buddhism originated in India and was introduced to China, where many sects arose under the influence of China’s unique ideology and lifestyle culture. The situation surrounding monks’ diets also changed.

In China, the traditional practice of offering alms and begging for donations to ascetic practitioners had yet to take root. Moreover, the lack of houses around temples in deep mountain valleys, suitable for ascetic practices, also made them unsuitable for begging for alms. Hence, the interpretation of the precepts had to be changed.

The precepts were reinterpreted to permit work such as cleaning and cooking, which had previously been regarded as chores, but they were defined not as mere labour but as ‘important practice’. As a result, daily work was no longer performed for secular production or accumulation of wealth but only as part of Buddhist practice by the monks.

As the Buddhist precepts were reinterpreted to allow labour to ensure food and health, the prototype of Buddhist cuisine is a diet that does not interfere with ascetic practices and allows one to maintain good health.

The fact that vegetarian food had existed in China for about 1,000 years before the arrival of Buddhism, and that it was believed that food as medicine and daily food had the same root, or “medicine and food have the same origin”, may have contributed to the foundation for this.

The Buddhist cuisine that originated in China came to Japan with Buddhism and evolved uniquely in Japan.

Buddhist cuisine in Japan

Even before the arrival of Buddhism in Japan, some Shinto and other sects, they had established the custom of purifying the body and mind by avoiding meat and fish, making it easier for Buddhist cuisine to be accepted in Japan.

While various sects developed their ideas on vegetarian food, Dogen, the founder of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism, significantly influenced the development of vegetarian food in Japan. He left behind the ‘Tenzo-Kyokun’, a set of precepts that explained in detail how to prepare a meal for the person preparing it, and the ‘Fushoku-Hanpo’, a collection of detailed instructions on the preparation and etiquette of the person eating, which has had a significant influence on Japanese food and the tea ceremony.

Features of Buddhist cuisine

Preparedness of the person preparing the food

The role of presiding over meals at a Zen temple is known as ‘Tenzo’, and the mindset of the tenzo is ‘Kishin(joyful mind), Roshin(old mind) and Daishin(great mind)’.

Kishin refers to a mind that never forgets the joy of cooking, lashing refers to a sense that thinks of the person eating the food, and is grateful for the ingredients themselves and treats them with care, and dashing refers to a mind that cooks solemnly with a deep and enormous heart.

The role of presiding over meals at a Zen temple is known as ‘Tenzo’, and the mindset of the tenzo is ‘Kishin(joyful mind), Roshin(old mind) and Daishin(great mind)’.

Basics of flavour

The basics of flavours are similar to those of modern times. The five tastes – bitter, sour, sweet, spicy, salty and salty – are combined with ‘light’ to form the six tastes. Light” refers to using a light flavour to bring out the natural flavour of the ingredients, but it is quite different from simple lightness.

“Awami” flavour, the taste of nature’s bounty

Awami flavour is the ingredients’ taste and does not mean adding excessive flavour or doing nothing at all. Preparing the ingredients appropriately to bring out their individuality is also called ‘light’.

Ingredients suitable for training – ingredients that are not used.

Definitions vary according to period and sect, but no material should be used that would hinder practice.
Gokun(means energising vegetables. Leeks, chives, garlic, rakkyo, etc.), and animal products such as meat, fish and dairy products.

Appreciation of the ingredients and their creator, and the mindset of the eater.

The book also states that we should be aware of the preciousness of the life of foodstuffs and the effort and hard work that went into them, reflect on whether we are doing the right thing to deserve this meal, and be grateful for food as medicine to maintain a healthy body, rather than as a mere object of desire.

What can we learn from Buddism cuisine in an age of satiation

As times change, lifestyles and diets have undergone significant changes, with an increase in rich, instant foods, simplification of meals and a decrease in self-catering, which has led to a considerable spread of health problems.

Many developed countries are materially satisfied, but are they delighted?

The cooking methods and the spirit of our ancestors’ efforts and ingenuity over a long history may hold the key to physical, mental, and social well-being.