Table of Contents
Preface ix
Part I You Can't Always Get What You Want
Wild West Tassajara 2
Easy Is Right 9
Tasting the True Spirit of the Grain 12
Rotten Pickles 18
You Might As Well Dance 22
True Calm Is Not What You Thought 29
The Benefits of Meditation 37
A Misbehaving Egg 40
Rujing, the Great Road, and the Bandits of Dharma 44
Two Demons at the Door 48
Offer What You Have to Offer 54
Part II See What You Can Find Out
The Light in the Darkness 62
Even a Thousand Sages Can't Say 66
The Gift of Attention 72
Finding What You Really Want 80
Accepting Yourself Completely 83
Just Go Ahead 87
The Backward Step 92
Everything Is Coming from Beyond 97
Physical Challenges 100
Informed by a Daffodil 106
Part III Cooking Your Life
Giving and Receiving 110
Virtue and a Cook's Temperament 115
In Search of the Perfect Biscuit 122
Coffee Medication 126
A Cook's Inspiration 130
A Place at the Table 133
Trusting Your Own Experience 136
Honoring Leftovers 141
Dreaming of Pizza: A Talk for Children 146
Thanksgiving and Gratitude 149
Don't Put Another Head Above Your Own 154
Part IV The Uncalled For
The Ten Thousand Idiots 160
Subtle Feeling Reveals Illumination 166
Sitting with Tragedy 171
Rohatsu 176
Zen Practice and Meeting Early Childhood Trauma 179
Confronting War and Uncertainty 182
The Secret to Life 188
Enjoyment, Excitement, Greed, and Lust 194
When Is Adversity Useful? 198
Bugs in a Bowl 201
Part V Bites
Is My Practice Working? 208
Beginner's Mind 210
What Was Said to the Rose 212
Bewildered? 213
No Masterpieces, Just Cooking 215
Soft Mind 217
Misfits 219
Wherever I Go, I Meet Myself 222
Small Acts with Great Kindness 224
Each Moment a New Life 226
Afterword 229
Acknowledgments 230
Sources of Teachings 233
Permissions 239
About the Author and the Editor 241