Meal time gatha

What is a gatha?

Gathas are short verses that call us to the present moment. Reciting gathas is a good way to meditate while engaged in any activity, be it sacred or mundane.

I first became aware of them when I took a Zen 101 study with my now priest back in 2020. She used Thich Nhat Hanh's Making Space to introduce us to Buddhism on page. 39, Thich Nhat Hanh shares:

Essentially this "something precious" is what I am trying to touch more during Ango.

Zachiah Murray over on Lion's Roar explains that: "[Gathas] Join the breath, the mind, and the activity of the body, the practice invites us into a deep, direct experience of our environment and our self. Dwelling in the present moment in this way, deeply aware of the action we are engaged in, we can develop greater understanding and love.

The word gatha is related to the Sanskrit term for “song” or “verse.” Gathas originated around 1300 BCE as metrical forms of Indo-Iranian religious poetry. Written by the Iranian poet and prophet Zoroaster, a text of hymns called Gathas was placed at the center of Zoroastrian scripture and tradition as a form of reflective spiritual practice. Scholars believe that as Buddhism spread eastward from India, it was influenced by Zoroastrian traditions, and gathas developed in various streams of Buddhism." The contemporary recitation of gathas has been popularized by Thich Nhat Hanh. In his tradition, a gatha is a verse recited, usually mentally, not aloud, in rhythm with the breath.

Rich with wordplay and intentional ambiguities, these gathas are intended to awaken the innate inner wisdom of the practitioner, spurring them toward enlightenment.

Step One: Recite the Gatha; we allow the meaning to touch our awareness.

Step Two: Synchronize with the Breath; A gatha is intended to be practised in alignment with the breath. Once we have a feel for the gatha, we can correlate each line with an in-breath or an out-breath. As we breathe in, we take the 1st line. On the out-breath the 2nd line, and so on.

Step Three: Shorten the Gatha; After we have practised with the gatha a number of times and have internalized it, we can shorten it. For example, breathing in, we say or think ( using the example above ) "opportunity". Breathing out, we say or think "enjoy". Breathing in, we say or think "meal". Breathing out, we say or think "precious".

Thich Nhat Hanh’s gatha for greeting someone is “A lotus for you, a Buddha-to-be.”

His gatha for washing our hands is “Water flows over these hands. May I use them skillfully to preserve our precious planet.” - How might these be shortened? Do they need to be? Ango Challenge:

My priest has challenged me to write my own mealtime gathas. This will help me focus my mind and explore the depth of my connections.

My 1st ango meal time gatha:

As the sun rises I take nourishment.

Energy provider.

Life grows, endures the rain and storms.

Energy returns in numerous ways.

Nourishment. Provider. Grows. Returns.