Dharma Blog

I love the taste of apples baked in an apple strudel but always found the pastry a tad too filling, and not something I wanted to take on at breakfast. So one morning I thought, how about just taking the apples and bake them on their own? It was delicious. This recipe also makes a

Raita is an amazing versatile side-dish of Asian origin. When paired with chutney, it adds a tangy brightness to the spiciness and earthiness of a good curry. When poured over rice or salad, it gives them a sunny lightness. This fruity raita reminds me of the classic “cottage cheese with pineapple” that goes with anything

This simple recipe was inspired by a special occasion at a lovely restaurant, which was both a real treat during the coronavirus epidemic and a vacation substitute! (Needless to say, the restaurant was not very busy). The rich dark gravy in one dish had notes of mushrooms, anise, and clove, the latter of which are

I asked around what to make for lunch one day, and Doin gave me this wry look and said, Yakitori? There is a wonderful Yakitori restaurant called Torishige (鳥茂) in Gotanda, Tokyo where we’ve been on many a night out with Hojosan. The owners are members of his temple, and he often goes there to

On our cookbook shelf stands a small cookbook called “America Likes It Hot“. I bought it during the pre-Amazon years for just £1.95 from a local book market somewhere in the ’90s. It has a few short recipes that are quite surprisingly simple. However, because of its pamphlet size, it’s small enough to loose between

Millet is usually too dry for my taste, but this Indian-Style recipe adapted from traditional Upma is delicious. I discovered it thanks to a cookbook that someone gave the Zen River kitchen several years ago. Serve this delightful recipe with Apple Chutney, Cucumber Tzatziki, and fresh coriander. To make a complete meal in and of

This recipe is a Japanese-style heartwarming dish. I asked Shuho-san our resident Japanese monk what he would call this at home? Tanuki, he said. What is that? I asked. It’s a small mythical creature (like a racoon), and when we serve it with Udon, it’s called Kitsune (a mythical fox).The name certainly adds a mysterious

This is a lovely creamy dressing, with a vibrant green hue. Tozen was intrigued and asked if it was either in the book or on the blog? I said it was barely out of my head and into my notebook! So he took a quick snapshot of my handwritten scrawly note just as he left

This is fast becoming a green favourite. But I have to confess, it took a while to make it yummy enough without the chicken and the tomatillos, a small green tomato-like fruit that doesn’t seem to grow in shops around here. When we’ve been served this is Mexican restaurants, there was lots of sauce and

Tenkei first introduced me to this festive cold potato salad not long after I met him. He told me his mum often made it for summer parties. I imagine it was one of those post-war creations made on a budget? All you needed were potatoes plus whatever was at hand to mix through it. Sardines,

Karuna (in Pali and Sanskrit) is usually translated in English as “compassion” and the word has many different connotations. In Mahayana, it is seen as a quality that needs to be cultivated alongside Prajna (enlightening insight). Just like a bird can only fly by using both of its wings, aspiring bodhisattvas can make progress on

Last week, as we were chanting and bowing during a Fusatsu (atonement) ceremony, I was suddenly struck by a strong sense of beauty. Everything seemed to happen at the right time, in the right place, with the right group of people. It was as if the whole room were bowing and chanting with us –

Monastic life is often seen as a withdrawal from the active world. But that may not necessarily be the case. I see it more as a lifestyle that allows for taking on responsibilities that can easily be overlooked yet are undeniably part of our human existence. While staying in Bhutan, somebody told me that in

We usually translate the word bodhisattva as “enlightening being”. Bodhi means to enlighten or to wake up, and sattva means being – and it is important to note that these words are both active verbs. Apparently, the word sattva also implies a wish to do something great or even heroic: bodhisattvas have a grand desire

The Buddhist Mahayana sutras are very precise and detailed narratives of our life, even if at first they may not come across like that at all. The Pali Canon scriptures have a rather practical bent most of us can relate to relatively easily: the Buddha gives advice on a wide range of issues that, in