The Four Types of Nutriments

The 4 types of nutriments are edible food, sense impression, intention, and consciousness. Edible food says that whatever we eat or drink can bring us mental or physical suffering. I’m harming myself by drinking alcohol since the book states that alcohol is a toxin in the body. It harms me because it is damaging my body (organs) such as my liver. Some people have a good feeling when “buzzed” while others may be angry drunks; alcohol is a depressant and in this cause, what you are drinking can cause mental suffering.

Physically you are suffering because you can get ulcers in your stomach, thin the lining in your stomach, cause liver problems, and problems with your esophagus. This can cause suffering for you and your love ones that are around you. If you are a social drinker you can order non-alcoholic drinks but if you have an alcohol dependency you should seek help through programs like AA or therapy so you can ingest good nutrients that make you and your body happy. Sense impressions are the six sense organs; eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Any feelings of fear, despair, or depression can be caused by ingesting too man toxins. I can relate this back to alcohol consumption. Intention can also be called volition or will, which is the desire to obtain whatever it is we want. Volition is the ground of all out actions. Consciousness is the last of the four nutriments, it is our thoughts, actions, and words that flow from the sea of our consciousness and create our mind, body, and world.

-Shawnna M Hall-Enoch