is a set of nested bowls and other eating utensils for the personal use of Buddhist monks. Ōryōki also refers to a meditative form of eating using these utensils that originated in Japan and emphasizes mindfulness awareness practice by abiding by a strict order of precise movements.
Most languages directly borrow the Sanskrit word meaning simply 'bowl'. The Indo-European root carries the meaning of drinking and drinking vessels and is found in numerous related words in modern languages. Chinese and Japanese do have the transliterations from Sanskrit ( or simply , and ).
However, the term used in the of Zen Buddhism is (, from Simplified , a novel coinage meaning 'vessel that contains just enough'.
In the and , the utensils are called , which is written as (Chinese: 'grasping bowl') according to the Rinzai school and (Chinese: 'personal bowl') according to the Ōbaku school. is also used to refer to the bowls alone.
The bowls are usually made of lacquered wood, with the utensils bundled in a cloth. The largest bowl, sometimes called the Buddha Bowl or , symbolizes the Buddha's head and his wisdom. The other bowls are progressively smaller. In describing the form of used at one Western U.S. monastery, a visitor describes the utensils:
This is the formal style of serving and eating meals practiced in Zen temples.
Buddhist tradition states that after Huineng received the monk's robe and bowl as evidence of his receiving Dharma transmission, the bowl itself was considered a symbol of transmission from teacher to student.
have evolved in in East Asia over many years and are part of the Buddhist tradition that has now been transmitted to the West. Both monks and laypeople use to eat formal meals in Zen monasteries and places of practice. A lineage was also transmitted from Kōbun Chino Otogawa to the Tibetan Buddhist sangha of Chögyam Trungpa and is now practiced at all Shambhala International retreat centers.
Zen teachers say that taking meals with cultivates gratitude, mindfulness, and a better understanding of self. (In this regard, it is not unlike .) The intricacies of the form may require the practitioner to pay great attention to detail.
Meaning of Japanese word
According to Shohaku Okumura:
In Japanese, three Sino-Japanese characters comprise the word :
, the receiver's response to the offering of food (originally Chinese 'suitable') , a measure, or an amount, to be received , the bowl.
References
External links Photos of Oryoki Translation of Dogen Zenji's commentary on head cook Translation of Dogen Zenji's commentary on eating White Wind Zen Community meal chant translation Shambhala lineage use of Oryoki explained Patrick Reynolds briefly explains and demonstrates Soto oryoki Robin briefly explains and demonstrates oryoki as practiced in the Shambhala community