Welcome.
Today's talk or discussion will be about the four types of nutriments the Buddha taught.
Briefly,
There was a teaching many years ago by the Buddha.
He taught there are four types of ways that we can nourish ourselves.
These four ways are edible food,
Sensory impressions,
Volition,
And consciousness.
These teachings are very old,
Ancient.
They go back many,
Many years.
However,
They are quite relevant to our contemporary lives and the modern challenges we face.
Let's take a look at all of these nutriments and see how they relate to our lives and perhaps how we may be able to make some different choices about how we consume things.
Let's begin.
The first nutriment is edible food.
Take a moment and think about the types of foods you eat.
Are they healthy?
Where do they come from?
The more we think about how we eat,
We start to think about,
Is the food organic?
Is it genetically modified?
Sustainably produced?
Think about the farmers,
The growers,
The truck drivers that bring the food to the store.
The jobs that we have that pay us money so we can buy the food,
Where do we buy our food?
From local merchants or bigger stores?
When we start to think about the way we eat and what we eat,
There's a direct correlation between our health,
Mental health,
Emotional health,
Physical health.
For example,
A stimulant like caffeine.
If we take in too much of this,
Most of us realize this makes us feel a certain way.
The same thing with alcohol,
Nicotine,
Other types of substances that can be addictive.
This affects us at all levels of our being.
Once we become aware of how our edible food choices can affect us,
Perhaps we can make different choices or alter our diets or nutritional mindsets to make changes that might be more beneficial.
The second type of nutriment is what we take in through the senses.
What we see,
What we hear,
What we feel through the skin.
Take a moment,
Think about where you live and what you see from day to day.
Think about the sounds that you hear.
Think about other sensations you take in through the senses.
Think about your choices,
What you choose to observe,
What you choose to listen to,
Read,
Conversations you take part in.
Imagine for a moment you live in a big city and you see billboards,
Advertising,
Certain products.
You see trash or litter on the streets.
You see graffiti on the walls.
You see neon signs and types of stores that sell things that might be hurtful to people.
Perhaps in this city there are many sirens of ambulances,
Police cars,
Fire trucks,
Maybe there are helicopters above.
Perhaps in this city there is pollution so the air is not clean.
The quality of the air is not healthy to breathe.
Perhaps there is a feeling of danger in this city.
If we find ourselves in situations where we are taking in things through the senses that are not healthy,
This is how we will nourish ourselves.
For just a few moments think about your choices,
The things you read,
Magazines,
Books,
Internet websites you visit,
The things you take in through the eyes.
Are they healthy?
Are they wholesome?
Think about the conversations that we have.
Is there negativity or sarcasm or cynicism or is the speech loving and kind?
Think about the music that we listen to.
Is it pleasant sounding?
Are the words or lyrics positive?
If we watch things that water the seeds within us,
Seeds of anger,
Violence,
Rage,
If we watch the television news and there are stories that make us feel ill or sick,
This is how we nourish ourselves.
If we read newspapers,
If we continue to take in things that make us feel scared,
This is how we will nourish ourselves.
If we listen to the radio stations and the advertisements continue to try to sell us things that were not interested in buying,
This is how we nourish ourselves.
We have choices about how we nourish ourselves.
We can choose what to eat,
How to eat,
We can choose what to look at,
What to listen to,
What to surround ourselves with.
The third type of nutriment is volition.
This could be translated or described as a deep desire,
Our deepest desire.
This is how we will nourish ourselves.
For example,
If a person has a deep driving desire to build an orphanage for children without a home or to bring clean water to a village that doesn't have water,
This volition will be how this person sustains himself or herself.
This will drive them,
This will feed them,
Nourish them,
This will get them up in the morning,
This will keep them moving forward in a positive way.
This type of nutriment makes us question our priorities,
What we are here to do.
This type of nutriment forces us to align our thoughts,
Our speech and our actions with a greater purpose.
For many of us there are days where we feel tired or exhausted or we just can't do one more thing.
But if you knew that one more thing would get you that much closer to building that orphanage or bringing clean water to people who need it,
If that was your volition,
Most of us would be able to continue on our path.
So what is your volition?
What is your deepest driving desire?
Let that nourish you.
And if it's not something positive,
Contemplate this.
If you don't have one,
Meditate on this idea.
What are you here to do?
What would you like to achieve?
The last form of nutriment is consciousness.
There are a few ways to look at this idea.
The first is at the individual or personal level.
What are my thoughts throughout the day?
How am I nourishing myself?
For example,
If I have low self-esteem or low self-worth,
That's how I nourish myself,
With thoughts that I'm not good enough,
That I wish I was more,
That I'm inferior.
What are my thoughts about the world if I think that the world is not in a good state?
If there's nothing I can do to be of service anywhere,
This is how I nourish myself.
How are the ways that you think about yourself,
Nourishing you?
Can you realize within you is the potential to do amazing things,
Incredible things?
Can you realize that all of us are here to be of service,
To love one another,
To grow and learn?
Can you allow these ideas to nourish you so that every encounter is magical,
Everything you see is a miracle,
Every moment is a wonder,
Collective consciousness is another way that we nourish ourselves.
If we spend time with people who are negative,
If we surround ourselves in areas or situations where there is harm or unwholesomeness,
This is how we will nourish ourselves.
Think about your friend groups or spiritual companions,
Communities you associate with.
Do they nourish you in a healthy way or do you feel drained or exhausted when you meet with certain people or groups?
Are they nourishing you or depleting you?
Let's take a deep inhale together and exhale,
Let it go.
Again,
Deep inhale,
Courageous breath,
And exhale,
Release the breath.
One last time,
Deep breath,
And exhale,
Let it go.
Now these are ideas to sit with today to meditate on,
Perhaps write about in a journal,
Maybe even take these ideas as a discussion topic for your next conversation with a friend,
Maybe a therapist,
A spiritual advisor.
These are not things we can change immediately.
Most of this takes some time to think about,
To process,
To live with,
To see what works best for you.
Thank you for listening.
I hope this talk was nourishing.
Have a beautiful day.
