''Ōryōki'' ( ja, 応量器) (, ja, はったら, hattara), is a transliteration of Sanskrit ', also called ''應量器'' ( zh, p=yìng liàng qì), means "vessel that contains just enough" is a set of nested bowls and other eating utensils for the personal use of Buddhist monks. Ōryōki also refers to a meditative form of eating using these utensils that originated in Japan and emphasizes mindfulness awareness practice by abiding to a strict order of precise movements. The term "ōryōki" is mostly used in the sect of Zen Buddhism. In the and sects, the utensils are called ''jihatsu'', which is written as 持鉢 according to rinzai-shū and 自鉢 according to ōbaku-shū. ''Jihatsu'' is also used to refer to the bowls alone The bowls usually made of lacquered

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

, and utensils all bundled in a cloth. The largest bowl, sometimes called the Buddha Bowl or ''zuhatsu'', symbolizes Buddha's head and his wisdom. The other bowls are progressively smaller. In describing the form of ōryōki used at John Daido Loori's

Zen Mountain Monastery Zen Mountain Monastery (or, Doshinji, meaning Temple of the Way of Reality) is a Zen Buddhist monastery and training center on a forested property in the Catskill Mountains in Mount Tremper, New York. It was founded in 1980 by John Daido Loori or ...

, author Jack Maguire wrote This is the formal style of serving and eating meals practiced in

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

temples. Buddhist tradition states that after

Huineng Dajian Huineng (); (February 27, 638 – August 28, 713), also commonly known as the Sixth Patriarch or Sixth Ancestor of Chan (traditional Chinese: 禪宗六祖), is a semi-legendary but central figure in the early history of Chinese Chan Buddhi ...

received the monk's robe and bowl as evidence of his having received Dharma transmission, the bowl itself was considered a symbol of transmission from teacher to student. Ōryōki have evolved in

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

in China and Japan over many years and are part of the Buddhist tradition that has now been transmitted to the West. Both monks and laypeople use ōryōki to eat formal meals in Zen monasteries and places of practice. A lineage was also transmitted from Kobun Chino Roshi to the Tibetan Buddhist sangha of

Chögyam Trungpa Chögyam Trungpa ( Wylie: ''Chos rgyam Drung pa''; March 5, 1939 – April 4, 1987) was a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master and holder of both the Kagyu and Nyingma lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, the 11th of the Trungpa tülkus, a tertön, sup ...

Rinpoche and is now practiced at all

Shambhala In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala ( sa, शम्भल ',''Śambhala'', also ''Sambhala'', is the name of a town between the Rathaprā and Ganges rivers, identified by some with Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. In the Puranas, it is named as ...

retreat centers. Zen teachers say that taking meals with ōryōki cultivates gratitude, mindfulness, and better understanding of self. (In this regard, it is not unlike

zazen ''Zazen'' (literally " seated meditation"; ja, 座禅; , pronounced ) is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. However, the term is a general one not unique to Zen, and thus technicall ...

.) The intricacies of the form may require the practitioner to pay great attention to detail.

Meaning of Japanese word

According to Shohaku Okumura: In Japanese, three Sino-Japanese characters comprise the word ōryōki: *応 ''ō'', the receiver's response to the offering of food *量 ''ryō'', a measure, or an amount, to be received *器 ''ki'', the bowl.

References

External links

Photos of OryokiShambhala lineage use of Oryoki explainedPatrick Reynolds briefly explains and demonstrates Soto oryokiRobin briefly explains and demonstrates oryoki as practiced in the Shambhala community
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oryoki Zen Zen art and culture Buddhist cuisine Buddhist ritual implements