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Return to equanimity: A day of experiencing vegetarian food at Truc Lam Sung Phuc Zen Monastery.
Writer and editor: Linh Lee & Linh Trinh
Have you ever wondered about the food and recipes to make vegetarian dishes at the temple? Vegetarian food at The Sung Phuc Meditation Monastery will take you by surprise.
Have you ever wondered about the food and recipes to make vegetarian dishes at the temple? Vegetarian food at The Sung Phuc Meditation Monastery will take you by surprise.
Vietnam is not the only country in the world where vegetarianism is rising in popularity. The way that people view vegetarianism has been evolving throughout time. Because the majority of vegetarians have a calm, serene mentality and have a positive attitude on life, many people still admire and are in some ways humbled by them.
What is Vegetarian?
A vegetarian is someone who abstains from eating any meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish, or byproducts of animal slaughter, according to the Vegetarian Society.
Different amounts of fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, nuts, and seeds are included in vegetarian diets.
Depending on the kind of diet you follow, you may or may not include dairy, honey, or eggs.
Vegetarians who are most prevalent include:
Lacto-ovo vegetarians: vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs but refrain from eating any animal products
Lacto vegetarians: vegetarians who consume dairy products but don't eat meat or eggs
Ovo vegetarians: vegetarians who consume just eggs and refrain from all animal products
Vegans: vegetarians who abstain from all items originating from animals
Buddhism was brought to Vietnam and immediately assimilated and thrived. Since that time, Buddhism-related practices and beliefs have always been a part of Vietnamese culture.
The Vietnamese believe that vegetarianism is a method to lessen sin, abstain from killing, nurture morality and compassion, and demonstrate love and equality for all living things. Vietnamese people, who do not practice any religion, yet favor vegetarian food as a method to nurture and enhance their health.
Experiencing the vegetarian dishes in the temple is the best way to give readers a realistic perspective on these kinds of food.
The primary destination is Truc Lam Sung Phuc Zen Monastery - a Zen monastery of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen lineage located in Cu Khoi ward, Long Bien district, Hanoi.
Entrance to the monastery
Photo by The Newsflix
Going to the temple, the space is pure and dignified, making everyone calm and light, letting go of all worries and sorrows.
The temple bell rings at 3 am, the monk wakes up to perform the ceremony and meditate and the Buddhists prepare breakfast. The meals needed to be made extra because there was a group of visitors that day who were listening to the preaching at the temple. Breakfast has vegetarian pho with mushrooms as the main dish and vegetarian dumplings with fruit for dessert.
Mushroom vegetarian pho ingredients include:
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200g white radish or sugar cane
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30g chives
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200g onion
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50g ginger
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200g straw mushrooms
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Fresh noodle soup
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Bean sprouts, basil, cilantro
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Cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, star anise
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Spices: salt, seasoning, rock sugar, pepper, ...
The secret of delicious vegetarian pho is in the pot of broth, the secret recipe is to simmer white radish or sugarcane with cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, star anise to create a sweet, rich and aromatic broth. yummy.
In addition, the Buddhists also prepared 2 vegetarian dishes, namely vermicelli with Sichuan vegetarian tofu and coconut sesame sticky rice for the delegation visiting Sapa. The taste of Sichuan vegetarian vermicelli arouses the taste of people by the nose-splitting aroma of pepper, the greasy taste of tofu and the flesh of mushrooms and vegetables. All create a delicious, pure and extremely nutritious dish.
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Vegetarian Sichuan Tofu is packed by Buddhists
Buddhists line up to get food
Ingredients for Vegetarian Sichuan Tofu for 3 people:
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White tofu 4 pieces
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Chicken thigh mushroom mini 20g
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Shiitake mushrooms 3 pieces
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1/2 bell pepper
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Green onion 3 branches
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Cashew color oil 1/2 tbsp
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Satay 1/2 teaspoon
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Soy sauce 2 teaspoons
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Sugar cane 1/4 teaspoon
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Seasoning seeds from vegetables 1 teaspoon
People take their own trays and queue to get the right amount of food for themselves like eating buffet. The dishes include: stir-fried vegetables, stir-fried straw mushrooms, vegetarian spring rolls, pickles, vegetable soup and the highlight is the dessert lotus seed soup.
After the abbot finished chanting and praying, the monk and the buddhas began to eat slowly and quietly. Regarding the meaning of the worshiping ceremony before starting to eat, the monk replied that: "For a monastic, the offering of rice is to be grateful to the Buddha, to worship the Buddha and to deepen the thought that he is a human being. practice, to be more attentive in the path of liberation.”
Vegetarian food is always boring and bland by default, because there are only foods made from vegetables, tubers and fruits. But through the hands of Buddhists, skillful nuns have made many vegetarian dishes from simple but delicious ingredients. Monk Nhan Cuong said: "Food is offered by Buddhists, whatever spirit is offered, the monks will eat it, unless it is lacking, they will buy it. The food is strictly vegan and has no impurities or anything. "
A special thing is that when having meals, monks and Buddhists will not talk but eat slowly and quietly. The quiet space only hears the food pick up during the meal so that everyone can focus on feeling the taste from the senses and from the heart.
In addition to eating vegetarian dishes, participating in the penitential ceremony and meditating with other monks and Buddhists helps to relax the body, reduce fatigue and anxiety, thus bringing many benefits to the nervous system.
Vegetarianism or salty food is not regulated in the Buddhist precepts, because of the fact that from ancient times until now, Theravada Buddhist monks still eat salty foods, because the monks of this sect have to keep the tradition since the beginning of time. Buddha is still alive. At that time, due to the difficult living conditions of the society, the monks performed alms-giving, the devotees offered vegetarian or salty foods, and the monks had to accept them without having the right to choose. Later, when Buddhism developed in the context of society with many conditions to meet eating and drinking, vegetarianism was practiced in Northern Buddhism, but in some regions due to living conditions and circumstances, monks who follow Northern Buddhism still eat salty foods without breaking the precepts up to now.
