Are You Ingesting Deadly Toxins Or Eating Fruitful Foods?

“The Buddha said, ‘When something has come to be, we have to acknowledge its presence and look deeply into its nature. When we look deeply, we will discover the kinds of nutriments that have helped it come to be and that continue to feed it.’” (36) The Buddha states that the four kinds of nutriments that can lead to our happiness or our suffering are edible food, sense impressions, intention, and consciousness.

            It is hunger that stands behind the entire process of nutrition, waving its whip relentlessly. From birth to death, the body ceaselessly craves material food and the mind starves eagerly for its own way of nourishment.  Ceaselessly craving for new sense impressions and for an ever-expanding world of ideas.

            For the first nutriment, edible food, the Buddha offered this example. “A young couple and their two-year-old child were trying to cross the desert, and they ran out of food. After deep reflection, the parents realized that in order to survive they had to kill their son and eat his flesh.” (37). The majority of our suffering comes from not eating mindfully. For example, if you smoke, drink, or consume toxins, you are eating your own lungs, liver, and heart. In my own life I have faced the dangers of this nutriment, desire. In 8^th grade I developed life-threatening food allergies to nuts and shellfish. On a daily basis I was tempted with dangerous desires of eating foods that may contain these toxins. I desired to eat cookies, but I read the food label and it said, “may contain tree nuts”. I need to be mindful of these tempting desires because they are life threatening

            The second nutriment is sense impressions, where our six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) are in constant contact with sense objects. The Buddha offered the example that wherever a skinned cow stands, it will be constantly attacked by the insects and creatures living in the area. Just like the skinned cow, we are helplessly exposed to the constant excitation and irritation of the sense-impressions, crowding us through all six senses. If we are mindful, we will be able to distinguish between ingesting the toxins of hatred, fear, and violence and eating foods that encourage compassion and determination to help others. I have found myself facing the dangers of this nutriment by engaging in unnecessary gossip thus leading to unnecessary drama.

            For the third nutriment, intention, the Buddha presented another drastic image: “two strong men are dragging a third man along in order to throw him into a fire pit. He cannot resist, and finally throw him into the glowing embers.” (38) These strong men are our own volition; we don’t want to suffer, but it is our life-affirming actions that drag us into the fire of suffering. I have often found my volitions masked by materials that make me instantly happy, but do not last forever. For example, I had become obsessed with getting an A in a class that I had lost sleep and memories. Sure, it felt nice when I received the A, but that happiness eventually faded and all that was left was regrets of not spending more time with my friends and family.

            The fourth nutriment is our consciousness, which is composed of all the seeds sown by our past actions and the past actions of our family and society. The Buddha offered another dramatic image to illustrate this by the punishment of a dangerous murderer who thrice daily was stabbed with three hundred sharp knives (38). Each time we ingest toxins into our consciousness, it is as if we are stabbing ourselves with three hundred sharp knives. As a result, we suffer, and our suffering affects those around us. When I am in a negative state of mind, I have found that only negative things happen and I bring down those who surround me. I have also found that when I surround myself with people who are negative, I too become more negative. But when I surround myself with people who are positive and with positive energy, I find not only do I become more positive, but I also become more productive.

            By understanding and applying the Buddhist principles to my life, I can enhance the nutriments that are good and lead to less suffering and more happiness in my life. Practicing being mindful of what we desire, what we are approaching, our intentions and our consciousness will help us recognize if we are ingesting the harmful toxins that cause suffering or eating the fruitful foods that cause eternal happiness for ourselves and those around us.

References

Nhá̂t, Hạnh. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy & Liberation : The Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and Other Basic Buddhist Teachings. New York: Broadway, 1999. Print.