A theory class on nutrition: how the cook's state of mind affects food and food affects the mind, and how to cook and eat so that food becomes prasáda.
Today we have a theory class on nutrition. And this short talk is very important, perhaps even the most important one. I want to talk about food and the mind.
We have already said that food carries certain characteristics. Different kinds of food have different energies, and food accordingly may turn out to be beneficial for both body and mind, or it may be static, "lazy," putting the mind into a stupor, or it may give dynamism, activity, restlessness. The state of mind of the people who cooked the food also affects the quality of energy of the final dish. Also, if the food was bought with the money of a dishonest person, it too will to some degree carry that unfavorable vibration, and the people who eat it may feel that vibration.
For sannyásins, monks, there is a rule prescribing that they avoid eating "impure" food by every means. But in the modern world keeping this rule is very difficult, because we often buy food in shops and markets without knowing who grew these vegetables and fruits, what chemical treatment they underwent, who made the dairy products or baked the bread, in what mood and state of mind, and so on. In our reality, natural farms are extremely rare. But we can do what is within our power. And I want to share some ideas, because I consider this important.
So how do you prepare food whose vibrations will uplift the mind and support spiritual progress and physical health? For a long time I cooked for myself, and I developed such sensitivity that if I eat food cooked by an outsider, I will in fact be ill in one way or another. Perhaps this illness will show itself on the physical level as heartburn, as malaise, as fatigue, as drowsiness and so on. Or it will show itself on the mental level, or on both levels.
On the mental level I will feel some discomfort and lose the calm of my mental flow. After meditation the flow becomes even, but after eating food that was cooked by someone in a negative state of mind, the flow changes…. Food influences the mind quite strongly. That is why Sadáshiva said: "The sixth secret of success is pramitáhára." Áhára means "food," and pramita means "balanced." That is why a yogi tries to cook for themselves, or for family members who do spiritual practices. Of course, there are sometimes situations when you are traveling and it is simpler to go and eat in a café or restaurant. In those cases too you can change the vibration of the food by taking up the proper ideation. At the end of the talk I will explain how this can be done.
So, you have come into the kitchen and are going to cook. The kitchen should always be clean, so after every meal tidy up and wash the dishes thoroughly. The food should be fresh. Wash it well. We have already agreed that we exclude from our diet meat, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, mushrooms, alcohol and tobacco.
Before you start cooking, your attitude is very important. If you cook with a feeling of greed — "Oh, I'm going to cook this and then eat sooo much, so tasty!" — you are driven by the energy of the mańipura cakra. That is crude energy, and such food will not uplift the mind. It is better to cook with a feeling from the anáhata cakra, and better still with the feeling of the vishuddha cakra.
To cook at the level of the anáhata cakra means to cook with love, so that people will like it. You are counting on people eating, liking everything and saying: well done! But it is better to cook at the level of the vishuddha cakra, with a selfless feeling of love, not expecting praise: I am cooking, and my only happiness is that everyone will be happy with what I make.
Before you start cooking, close your eyes and take up the idea: the one for whom you are cooking is the supreme Consciousness; the one who is cooking, that is, you, is the supreme Consciousness; that from which you are cooking is the supreme Consciousness. And the action itself is the action of the supreme Consciousness. Then you will find yourself in the flow of the supreme Consciousness. Intuition will tell you how much spice to add, how much salt, and even if you don't know how to cook, the food will turn out tasty. It is good if Singing a name of the Supreme together, often with a simple dance; in Ananda Marga the words are Bábá Nám Kevalam. is playing while you cook: the food will be filled with the vibrations of the mantra. But it is even better if, while cooking, you repeat your iśt́a mantra, absorbing its idea as fully as you can. If you have no personal initiation, you can repeat the A sound or set of sounds that, repeated with its meaning in mind, carries the mind toward the Infinite. Bábá Nám Kevalam.
Arguments, quarrels and rough talk in the kitchen while cooking are undesirable.
Naturally, when I run a cooking class, words cannot be avoided, but it is necessary to keep a positive wave. My guests sometimes say: "I was going home, but it was as if my feet weren't touching the ground." Anyone can cook food this way; there are no special secrets here. You simply need to focus and form the intention that while I am cooking, I will think of the Supreme the whole time. Your food is guaranteed to become medicine. Even if the food is heavy by its physical properties, it will be medicine for other people; it will uplift consciousness. Such food is called prasáda (translated from Sanskrit, "God's grace"); people begin to feel the Divine through food. And even people far from spirituality and spiritual practices begin to be touched by these ideas.
I also advise always eating from your own plate. Because another person's state of mind and vibrations are also absorbed into the dishes and have a certain influence. Besides, it is very hygienic. The food you have cooked should be laid out beautifully. It is good to sing the mantra Bábá Nám Kevalam for 3–5 minutes before eating. Then the negative energy present in the food will be replaced by positive energy. The food will become benevolent, beneficial for the mind, and will support all-round progress.
When you are in a café or restaurant, meditate for a few minutes before eating and take up very deeply the idea that divine Consciousness is everywhere. Divine Consciousness has come to me in the form of this food; it is the love of the Supreme that will nourish me. And only after that begin to eat. The food will take on benevolent characteristics, and the negative energy will be neutralized. The food will become prasáda.
So it is best to cook for yourself, or to entrust it to those who do spiritual practice. There is no sense of superiority in this; it is simply common sense. Everyone's energy is different, and you need to stay on your own wave.
One could talk about cooking endlessly, but we have covered the basics. I wish you tasty and blessed meals!
