2012.06.12 _ 63

Talking about food, how much of the enjoyment comes from what we know, or what we have learned to like, rather than what we actually taste? I have a friend who insists on Bollinger champagne, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't know the difference between that and a more common cheaper brand if blindfolded :-) I have been really struck lately by my lack of bodily awareness. If I actually focus on my bodily sensations, I can feel very little apart from a sensation from the chair I am sitting on, mild sensations from my feet in shoes, and my hands touching each other. And if I didn't have this mental picture of my body I don't think I would know what the sensations were. Nothing wrong with that I guess. But maybe it's useful to know how much my life is just mental pictures and ideas.

Millions of moments in this day; have not tended to mantras yet; taking a nap.

"Our path is sometimes rough and sometimes smooth; nonetheless, life is a constant journey. Whether we sleep, eat, dress, study, meditate, attend class—whatever we do is regarded as our journey, our path. That path consists of opening oneself to the road, opening oneself to the steps we are about to take."

- The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology, page 15.

Zen... Oh your friend would be able to tell the difference between a Bollinger and, say, a Moët & Chandon very very easily! It would be like Manchester United playing Preston North End - a different league. Whether she would enjoy the Moët is entirely another matter because champagne is in fact quite a mediocre drink unless you venture into the Bollinger league, so maybe it was an unlucky choice to illustrate your point! :)

More cooking: I discovered today the secret (well, all right "A" secret) of a good naan is kalonji, where "good" really means what I was used to in the UK! What's the symbolism in that? Hmm... only that there are things you know spiritually without question when you experience them, and all conceptualizing and discussion suddenly becomes moot. When the sun rises, there is no longer any need to search for it with a candle!