Grace Before meals
... Or as some call it, a blessing over the food. This is the easiest way to introduce prayer into the routine of your family. Today I offer part of a Buddhist approach to offering thanks for the food we eat. I like it because each verse stresses a different aspect of thankfulness, and yet resembles Haiku poetry in its simplicity. You can find the complete verses – and blessings from other cultures in the book One Hundred Graces: Mealtime Blessings, edited by Marcia and Jack Kelly.
To say when serving the food...
In this food
I see clearly
the presence of the entire universe.
To say when looking at the plate filled with food...
All living things are struggling for life.
May they all have
Enough to eat today.
To say just before eating...
The plate is filled with food.
I am aware that each morsel is
the fruit of much hard work
by those who produced it.
To say when finishing the meal...
The plate is empty.
My hunger is satisfied.
I vow to live
for the benefit of all beings.
Thich Nhat Hanh


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