Gnostic Teachings of Miryai Mt.
In the Living Gods, Let the hallowed Light of Transcendent Truth be praised. Let the Sweet Mystery of Miryai awaken in the heart of hearts.
The
ideal of Miryai Mt is the growing and gathering of cultivated and wild
plants as a support for the body while the mind seeks enlightenment. This
ideal is also found in certain buddhist mountain temples located in Korea,
Japan and China. To their favor, these traditions have eaten locally, seasonally
and vegan for over a thousand years and those who have partaken of these
diets are known to be healthier and more long lived than those in the area
who do not. The traditions in both Japan and Korea seem to have come from
China originally. The version of this ideal still existent in Japan mountain
temples is known as Fuchu Ryori and Shogun Ryori. Roy means "cooking" and
"shojin" means discipline or devotional. This type of vegan cooking was
introduced into Japan, together with Buddhism, in the 6th century. In the
13th century, with the advent of the Zen sect of Buddhism, the custom of
eating shojin ryori spread. Foods made from soybeans and sesame, walnut,
and rapeseed oil were popularized in Japan as a result of their use
in shojin ryori."
Shogun Roy was predated by Fuchu Roy which is still practiced by the Obaku zen sect of Japan. Both Shogun and Fuchu stress seasonal eating, as well as the gathering of wild edible foods from the mountainsides around their temple-monasteries. Unlike the ancient Manichaeans and Miryai Mt, Shoji Roy does not use alliums like onions, leeks, chives, and garlic or the nobiru fern. These pungent vegetables are known as "gokun" and are considered too stimulating. This traditions seems to have crept into Japanese thought from India. Manichaeans were known by allium eschewing monks of China as the 'filthy onion eaters". There seems to be no serious impediment to enlightenment caused by the allium family and the reasons given for avoiding them do not make much sense.
The guidelines for the preparation of fucha, which have become the basis of all washoku (Japanese cuisine), were canonized by early monks and are easily grouped into five sets of five rules:
* Goshiki (five colors): aka — red; kiiro — yellow/orange;
ao — blue/green; kuro — black/purple/brown; shiro — white.
* Goho (five methods): niru (simmer); musu (steam); yaku
(grill); ageru (fry); tsukuru (raw/pickled).
* Gomi (five flavors): shiokarai (salty); suppai (sour);
amai (sweet); Nigai (bitter); karai (spicy).
* Gokan (five senses): miru (sight); kiku (hearing);
kaku (smell); ajiwau (taste); fureru (touch).
* Gokan no mon (five viewpoints) —
- - Feel sincere gratitude towards the people or person
who prepared the meal.
- Perform deeds and have thoughts worthy of receiving such nourishment.
- Eat with no ire (anger).
- Realize that eating this food is feeding the soul as well as the body.
- Be seriously engaged on the road to enlightenment.
- The following Five Phrases from the book Good Food from
a Japanese Temple by Soei Yoneda, former Abbess of the Sanko-in Temple,
are uttered in Zen temples before the partaking of food:
- I reflect on the work that brings this food before me;
let me see whence this food comes.
- I reflect on my imperfections, on whether I am deserving
of this offering of food.
- Let me hold my mind free from preferences and greed.
- I take this food as an effective medicine to keep my
body in good health.
- I accept this food so that I will fulfill my task of
enlightenment.