You Had Better Wash Your Bowl

My inner child can be a messy brat.

She relishes the “doing” of activities, whether it’s eating a meal or craft time, but she has no interest in cleaning up after herself afterward. Like most kids (and many adults), my inner child resents the monotony of chores.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I live amongst clutter and filth—because I also have an inner adult that takes charge when necessary (okay, there’s some clutter). 

While my inner child savors eating, my inner adult washes her bowls.

One of my favorite Zen stories highlights the importance of this simple act: 

A monk said to [the Zen master] Joshu, “I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.”

Joshu asked him, “Have you eaten your rice porridge?

The monk replied, “Yes, I have eaten.”

Joshu said, “Then you had better wash your bowl.”

At that moment the monk was enlightened.

A lot of what I’ve found most helpful when it comes to having an easy-going relationship with food—one where I don’t worry about what I’m going to eat and whether or not I’m eating too much or not enough—is not so much about my focus on the food itself, but how I think and act throughout the rest of my life.

For example, in practicing mindfulness, I’m able to better examine my habits and desires, to see why I’m acting in certain ways, which is the first step to being able to change what’s not working for me.

Through mindfulness, I discovered koans (pronounced koh-ahn), which are short, riddle-like phrases or stories used in Zen Buddhism to provoke enlightenment. The Zen story above can be summarized in a simple phrase: 

“Wash your bowl.”

While koans are not meant to be “figured out,” and they don’t have answers in the way that riddles do, it’s difficult to repeat them again and again in your mind without attempting to some analysis.

In turning this particular saying over in my mind, what “wash your bowl” means most strongly to me is: finish what you’ve started. 

It serves as a reminder that the act of eating is not finished until I’ve cleaned up. In the same way, repotting my plants is not finished until I’ve swept up the dirt on the floor. And a workout isn’t done unless I’ve racked my weights.

To other thinkers, “wash your bowl” has other meanings.

One interpretation I’ve heard is that it serves as a reminder to stay present. Rather than jumping from one activity to the next as you go about your day, stay in the step you’re in. Don’t be in a rush to do something else before you’ve finished what you’re doing now.

A second thinker, Leo Babauta, wrote in his mnmlist blog about finding meaning in the process: 

It’s: don’t get your head caught up in all this thinking about the meaning of life … instead, just do. Just wash your bowl. And in the washing, you’ll find all you need.

To a third writer, “washing your bowl” symbolizes gratitude. Eating is one of those daily rituals that we can easily take for granted, but washing your bowl can become a reminder to pause and cultivate appreciation for the meal you just enjoyed.

There are countless other interpretations of this simple three-word phrase.

As I mentioned earlier, in healing my relationship with food and maintaining an easygoing, balanced style of eating, not all of the work I did was directly related to my nutrition. 

Mindfulness became a major foundation of my healing journey and is one of the primary tools used inside the Food Body Self® coaching program. And there are many ways to practice mindfulness, not just through meditation or koans.

What’s so special about mindfulness? 

Mindfulness is the foundation of change: cognitive (changing your thoughts), emotional, and behavioral.

We tend to get into habits—not just behaviors, but thoughts and feelings, too—that allow us to turn on autopilot mode while we sleepwalk through our days. We get up every morning and have many of the same thoughts and feelings as the day before. We have our routines and habits that save us brain power, but keep us stuck in places that we want to outgrow. 

Our habitual thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are maintained by our unawareness. Therefore, to make any changes we must be aware of when and how we are participating in behavior or thinking that diminishes our opportunities to make choices that align with our real intentions. 

The thoughts we think are so powerful that even if we are unaware of them, they have the ability to impel us into action—or to keep us stuck.  

Mindfulness is the antidote to autopilot mode and the path to aligning ourselves with our intentions.

It’s paying attention to our present-moment experiences nonjudgmentally (not labeling things as good or bad) and with a sense of curiosity.

You can't get to where you want to be without recognizing and accepting where you are at this moment—standing at the sink with a dirty bowl.

Which is why, whether you are looking to attain enlightenment or to gain control over your eating, you had better wash your bowl.

Note: I was introduced to koans in “The Koan Way” series by Henry Shukman inside the Waking Up app. I am not an affiliate, but I do enjoy the app which you can try out here: Waking Up App