BOOK REVIEWS: The Zen of Eating
Reviewed by Laura Simpson, RN
Reprinted from Eating Disorders Recovery Today
Summer 2007 Volume 5, Number 3
©2007 Gürze Books
 The Zen of Eating Ancient Answers to Modern Weight Problems |
The Zen of Eating is rooted in the philosophical teachings of the Buddha. Granted, the Buddha is not the expert on problematic eating, but he does possess much experience regarding the unsatisfied longings and desires of the heart. "The Buddha defined suffering as a ravenous appetite to acquire peace and security in places where it cannot be found," writes Kabatznick. Addressed in The Zen of Eating is an offering of peace of mind and heart, a method to quell the voracious appetite through what is known as the Four Noble Truths.
The First Noble Truth indicates that there is suffering. In essence, nothing is forever; nothing is permanent. Weight and food do not provide long-term satiety as they are literally in an unceasing process of metabolism, ingestion, absorption, digestion, and elimination. This process is responsible for the daily variability of one's body weight.
The Second Noble Truth says that the cause of suffering is attachment to desire. We are absurdly mistaken as we attempt to seize pleasure and ignore rejection and feelings of emotional discomfort. We fail to recognize that by struggling with disordered eating, restricting intake, bingeing and/or purging to maintain homeostasis, to "feel full and complete," our emotional hunger is festering, gnawing within us, and growing rampantly. The results are feelings of emptiness and unfulfillment and an overwhelming sense of failure.
The Third Noble Truth relates that suffering ends by letting go of attachments to desire. An attachment to the "ideal" body is a form of self-abuse. This form of self-abuse requires profound discipline and always leads to feeling confused and physically and emotionally weakened. We must develop a sense of clarity and realism. When we allow the self to be free of attachment to desire, then our lives may flow as they are intended to without self-imposed detrimental rules of existence pertaining to the body's size, shape, and function.
The Fourth Noble Truth outlines how to let go of attachments, and so alleviate some of the suffering. Enjoying healthy, positive and nurturing life experiences will lead to an emotionally satiated heart and body. This type of nourishment curtails the painfully enduring search for emotional fulfillment and contentment.
We are all traveling on the path of learning to accept impermanence in life. We continue to grapple with the struggles life presents to us. We suffer and suffering is a genuine component of living. When we can let go of the unnecessary struggle with food, body size, weight, and all of our bodily flaws, only then can we be filled with inner peace. We must also come to trust the utter importance in nourishing our hearts as well as our bodies with the everlasting nutrients of love, caring, kindness, and compassion.
