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Instructions to the Cook ~ A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life that Matters

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I liked this book because it combined Zen and activism, a rare combination in our culture (unfortunately). Almost as soon as he hit the streets of New York to set up his Zen Center, Glassman was intent on helping the homeless in a meaningful way. What I enjoyed the most is when he focused on Zen principles in doing his activism. When a dilemma arose, he recommended that people meditate to find a possible solution. In the bakery he set up to employ the unemployed and homeless, he erected a meditation center so that people could meditate, if so inclined. I think his merging of spiritual practice, hard work, and activism is probably a good reason why his projects were successful. He realized that business without "more" is not fulfilling, and that spirituality needs to help the community we all live in, as its purpose is not simply to help our individual souls. A most worthwhile book. The only criticism: although he discussed himself, I would have liked to have learned even more about his background, how he came to the place of combining Zen and activism.

Filled with inspiration and common sense wisdom, Glassman shows that caring can become compassion, and in turn can significantly alter our communities for the better. This is a message of hope for those who see government subsidies and the welfare system as our only way to deal with the unemployed or underemployed.

Business owners and community leaders could learn more from this book than from sitting through dozens of meetings filled with people who like to complain, rather than take action. I highly recommend this book both for the joy of seeing that there is light in the world, and as an example of how compassion can reap profits in so much more than dollars and cents.

On Becoming a Zen Cook How do you go further from the top of a hundred-foot pole? The answer to this Zen koan, given on the opening page of Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master1s Lessons in Living a Life that Matters (Bell Tower Harmony Books) is simply, 3Live life more fully.2 The Zen 3cook2 writing this book is Bernard Glassman, abbot of the Zen Community of New York and the Zen Center of Los Angeles, with assistance from Rick Fields, editor of Yoga Journal and co-author of the Zen book, Chop Wood, Carry Water. When Dr. Glassman (with a Ph.D. in mathematics from U.C.L.A.) was an aeronautical engineer working on manned missions to Mars at McDonnell-Douglas in the 1970s, he felt a hunger for 3something more.2 He began his practice of Zen and soon became a teacher himself. Glassman vowed to serve the 3supreme meal2 to the world1s hungry. The supreme meal for a Zen cook is life lived to the fullest. By the time he wrote his cookbook, he had created a Zen community in New York, complete with uniquely profitable means of livelihood for its members, as well as several not-for-profit social action enterprises. How did he come to serve up such a full meal? He began by gathering the ingredients at hand at started cooking. Along the way, he didn1t worry so much about doing the 3right thing2 as simply doing the 3next thing,2 which usually proved to be correct. His cookbook, which is also an autobiography of his work, shows that a meal concocted from spirituality, livelihood and service is quite fulfilling. His story, and the teaching he makes from it, has provided me with some of the most inspiring reading I1ve encountered in a long time. I want to pass along some of his recipes here for each of five courses which make up the complete meal. The first course is spiritual practice, such as meditation (or use other methods at hand), to develop the awareness of the oneness of all things. Spirituality also helps us to realize the stillness in the center of all our activities. We need to clear our minds just as a cook cleans the kitchen prior to cooking. We don1t meditate to become enlightened, however, but because we are enlightened, we meditate to keep our stillness in the endless cycle of cooking, serving, cleaning. The second course is study or learning. We need our education to develop intelligence and skills. Rabbi Glassman--of course I should call him Roshi, not Rabbi, but he was born Jewish and his practical, down to earth approach has a Jewish flavor--teaches that we learn by doing. No need to wait until you know everything before you do anything, but you learn like a baby learns to walk, by getting up over and over again until you get going. Then you become more polished with practice. He teaches you to cook with all available ingredients, including your own faults and problems, which are always in plentiful supply. When a series of burglaries into the housing complex for the homeless, for example, began to anger the residents, he used the situation to teach them how much they cared about and wanted to protect their dwelling place. He used this problem to get them more involved in its management, and they learned valuable skills in the process. The third course is livelihood, which requires practical skills put to good use. Although we don1t live to eat, we have to eat to live. No matter how spiritual we may be, finding a way to sustain ourselves in the world is a common necessity. He calls it the meat and potatoes of the meal. Denying donations, Glassman created a self-sustaining businessÐa bakeryÐbecause good food would nourish others and because it could be quite profitable. His tales of creating that business (becoming the official supplier of baked goods to the Rain Forest brand of cookies and for Ben and Jerry1s ice cream sandwiches) is an instructional manual itself in practical spirituality. He saw to it that the employees not only earned a living, but also found spiritual nourishment in their work. He had a double bottom line that he sees as really one: profit and service to all concerned. He didn1t aim merely for profit that served, but also profit that transformed, because the forth course is social action. Creating economically self-sustaining structures that nourished the community and transformed its social landscape, he hired and trained the homeless so they could earn money to own their own shelter. Have a big vision, he counsels, but pay attention to the details. He developed, for example, an 800 number voice mail network for the homeless to communicate with each other and with potential employers. The final course is relationship and community. He and his students lived among the homeless and learned from them in designing their programs. He also engaged local business and government to participate as be began a program of refurbishing abandoned buildings. Glassman has had his critics, people who miss the traditional zendo. They ask, 3But is it Zen?2 He treats the question as a koan, and replies, 3Three pounds of fudge!2

I enjoyed the book. It has helped me contemplate life and meaningful work. In a capitalist socoiety it is refreshing.

Enjoyed the taped version of INSTRUCTIONS TO THE COOK, written by Bernard Glassman and Rick Fields . . . subtitled A ZEN MASTER'S LESSONS IN LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS, it is actually
an autobiography that tells how Glassman took his beliefs
and used them to set up a Zen Center (with a successful
bakery) . . . I had previously thought that Buddhism and
entrepreneurism were terms that didn't even belong in the same
sentence; however, this book proved me wrong.

In addition, it confirmed for me the fact that PR-type folks sometimes
don't know what they're talking about . . . when coming up with
a name for the bakery, many advised against any mention
of the Zen tie-in . . . Glassman disagreed, though, because
he felt that to hide the fact would be not consistent with his
value system . . . he fortunately won out.

My only criticism: I would have liked to have seen a few
more actual lessons; i.e., suggestions that I could apply
to my daily life along the lines of the following one that
I did recall:

As with time, there's almost always enough money to
start the process [of starting a business or virtually
anything else].

Instructions to the Cook is one of the most inspirational and wisdom-filled books I have ever read. The title of this book deceived my perception of this book so I want to stress to all readers; do not be mistaken, this book is neither instruction to a cook nor for just those with Buddhist beliefs.
Written with Rick Fields, Glassman compiles his deep insight and life experiences into a book that provides guidance for spiritual, mental, and physical well-being for all those who indulge. Regardless of your economic status, religious affiliations, or political beliefs, this book can be beneficial and applicable to all readers.
Glassman metaphorically uses the kitchen and the cook as a clever way to explain his inspirational teachings and wisdom. With Glassman as the chef, he teaches the world how to "cook" the supreme meal, which is living life to the fullest. The book explains how this supreme meal consists of cooking the five courses; spiritual practice, study, livelihood, social action, and relationships and community.
This book is so compelling and motivating because his life story is primary evidence that his recipe is worth cooking for those who hunger and aspire a more fulfilling life. Glassman explains how this fulfillment is found through spirituality, livelihood, and service. I could elaborate on each of his teachings; however, I will leave that for you to read for I am certain my summarizations will not do the justice of Glassman's un-comparable wisdom and insight. I found his instructions so stimulating because I always believed spirituality and service as an essential part of my well-being, but it seems our world has lost sight of the importance of spirituality and service in our selfish world. This book is a relief to all those who questioned whether there was any great wisdom, insight, or leadership skills to be evident in an era tainted with such immoral, un-ethical, selfish, and pleasure-driven activities. This book is reassurance and guidance for the world that you can and will achieve long-lasting success and fulfillment in life through spirituality and service.
This book leaves a lasting impression that one person can truly make a difference in this world. As Gandhi always said "we must be the change with which we wish to see" and Glassman's story was a powerful example of how he turned his vision into reality. The infinite numbers of lessons, guidance, and wisdom that can be taken from this book allow it to be read again and again, gaining further insight each time. This book is a must-read, for there is no telling of the impact this book may have on somebody. Read this book and you will soon learn the recipe that is used to "cook" the supreme meal and turn your visions into realities!

This book is very insightful about what it takes to reach enlightenment, or at least some of the steps that it takes to begin the steps for people who are beginners in the practice of Buddhism. It is about Bernard Glassman, a teacher of Zen, and he begins by discussing his life as a teacher. By discussing cooking the supreme meal, he is using a metaphor as living life to the fullest. By using all of the ingredients around you, you can begin to cook the ultimate meal. He gathered all the ingredients needed in order to make up the supreme meal. The first course that he teaches about is the spiritual course, or meditation. It helps to realize that we need to erase everything currently in our minds and begin cooking from scratch. The second course he discusses is learning. He teaches that in order to learn and become smarter, we need to practice what we are doing and become better at it. The third course he presents in the book is livelihood. He discusses how we must be able to live off of our surroundings and during this chapter he opens up a bakery that will provide food to live life. The fourth course of the book is social action. In this chapter, he created businesses that were able to provide money for the poverty stricken area around him and helped even homeless people get jobs in order for them to have a place to live. The final course of the meal is relationships. Glassman, along with his students, lived with the poverty stricken people in order to learn their ways in order to design programs that would work for them. He put all of these courses together in creating the perfect meal which in turn turned out to be the ultimate life. This book is entertaining for someone who practices Zen and it could be a very good introduction to someone who wants to learn some of the basics of Zen before they begin practicing it. I recommend this book to people who are interested in the practicing of Zen.

Instructions to the cook is a easy and short read. Glassman's language translates Zen thoughts and ideas well for Westerners. This is a meditative book- not an actual recipe book. The five courses are metaphors for the zen idea of offering a "supreme meal" for life. The first course, for example, is spirituality, where we must cleanse the mind and prepare to make a meal. Referring the mind as your kitchen, Glassman offers meditative techniques to "de-clutter your kitchen."

In Glassman's book "Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That Matters" he describes his life and his teachings. Glassman is Zen Buddhist and a successful businessman. The book is about putting together the supreme meal, which is a metaphor for things in our life and reaching our goals. The book is divided into five sections which are the five courses that are needed to have the supreme meal. The five courses are spirit, learning, livelihood, social change, and community. The supreme meal will not work unless everything is put in and if something is left out it will not turn out right. Glassman starts the Greyston Mandala, a network that includes a commercial bakery, apartments for the homeless and other not-for-profit community development projects. He gives back to those who are less fortunate and provides work and places to live in return for working in the community and at his establishments. This shows how he combines the business man aspect of his life along with the Zen. Glassman shows how giving back to others is important and if you don't not help the less fortunate you are not acting in the way you should be. This book was very interesting and I would recommend it for everyone to read.

Bernard Glassman composed a fun and meaningful story about his life as a Zen monk, a business executive, a social activist, a husband, and a father in his book, "Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That Matters". The book is creatively organized into five courses of the supreme meal, which represents fulfilling life and attaining nirvana. The five courses include recipes for spirit, for learning, for livelihood, for social change, and for community. All of the recipes are necessary in living a life that matters. Other ideas that are addressed in this book include how Zen Buddhism can be incorporated into a person's everyday life as well as in business, and how Zen can be compared to cooking the supreme meal of life. A Zen cook focuses on cooking the meal in the present and uses whatever ingredients are at hand to make the best meal that he can. This idea can be applied to many situations in life that are detailed throughout the story. One of my favorite lessons from the book is how Glassman started the Greyston Bakery, and employed people from the community to work there. By providing the community a job with the bakery, he also provided them with a home and food. The lesson that comes from this is to realize that your business is only profitable because of the community, and therefore you should do all that you can to give back to the community. This not only benefits the community but also promotes the success of the business. Because Glassman describes stories from his life throughout each of the five courses, it creates a perspective of how a real Zen Buddhist lives and works in the world and it makes it easier for someone who is not Buddhist to connect with the idea of Zen Buddhism. Also, Glassman's language of writing makes Zen Buddhism easy to understand and simple to figure out how it can affect living your daily life. The only criticism I have of this book is that Glassman often is repetitive with his ideas, which makes sense because it helps you understand the point and overall idea of the book. However, the repetitiveness sometimes bored me and caused my mind to wander. Otherwise, it was a very educational, easy to read book that gave me a new perspective on life and Zen Buddhism.