On Eating

On Eating

by Solala Towler

The Master was traveling with some of her students. At one of their stops they were served the meat of a pig. The students were horrified to see the Master calmly eating this forbidden food. “Master,” they cried, “is not the flesh of an animal forbidden by our order?”

The Master went on chewing slowly, clearly savoring the taste of the pig. When she had finished she said, “Can you not see that this was a great and honored gift from these poor people to be given this delicacy? No doubt it was given at great cost to them and with an attitude of humbleness and generosity. Who am I to spurn their gift?

“Besides,” she said, taking another bite, “it is not what goes into your mouth that defiles you, but what comes out.”

Excerpt from Tales from the Tao: Inspirational Teaching from the Great Taoist Masters by Solala Towler

Solala Towler – has been involved with Daoist practices such as Taiji, Qigong and meditation over 20 years. He has published The Empty Vessel: the Journal of Daoist Thought and Practice for 18 years. Mr. Towler has written a number of books on Daoist thought and practice, including Cha Dao: the Way of Tea and the Inner Chapters of Chuang Tzu, and has been leading tours to China to study Qigong and other Daoist practices in the sacred mountains of China since 1997. In addition, he has recorded four CDs of meditation, relaxation, and movement music, using Tibetan singing bowls, both Chinese and Native flute with harmonic overtone singing.