mulberryshoots

. . . a symbol of longevity*

This morning, I read about a nun in South Korea who cooks food that is temple food, vegan and devoid of garlic and onion. Apparently, she has been discovered by the gastronomic world and visited by chefs from all over who gather to learn her secrets. She cooks for herself and two other nuns. Sometimes for monks and visitors.

The sophistication of her cooking and its Zen simplicity is described in a lengthy article in the New York Times today. To me, the wisdom imparted by her phrase, “let nature take care of it,” in commenting about whether wild animals mess up her garden or whether things grow in orderly fashion represents the philosophical core of her way of life.

Even when we want to step back and let things work out on their own, we find ourselves fiddling around to control outcomes or to influence people to do what we want. It’s not only the American way, it’s the human way. It’s hard for us to “let nature take care of it.” But, it seems to me to make the most sense, as hard as it is to let that happen.

We don’t have to try so hard to figure out what the right thing is to do or not do. We don’t have to ease others if they don’t want to be eased. And we don’t have to try to change the outcome of our lives when we reach a certain age because we would like it to be different. It is what it is. And today at least and maybe a bit longer, I’ll let ‘nature take care of the rest.’

Here’s a link to this interesting article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/16/t-magazine/jeong-kwan-the-philosopher-chef.html?ref=dining