[One Thousand Characters a Day] Until the Last Day of Life＜4＞

Editor's NoteWe should be grateful that we can eat. However, nowadays, most people eat too quickly to fully enjoy the infinite flavors of ingredients. Many often shove food into their mouths hastily without even properly breathing. Hong Shin-ja, the author of Until the Last Day of Life, says that mealtime is one of the most valuable experiences a person can enjoy. She emphasizes that it is directly connected to a healthy life and should not be neglected. She then introduces the concept of mindful eating meditation, where one slowly eats while clearing the mind and focusing solely on chewing, breathing, and tasting. Word count: 987.

Life and peace are on the same track, heading toward the same destination. In other words, what we ultimately seek is a meditative and peaceful attitude toward life. The first way I chose to care for my body was meditation. Meditation is about emptying. Only by first clearing the mind can one truly become free. When the mind becomes that clear, the body also becomes healthy. If the head is filled with useless notions like trash, one inevitably drifts away from health, overwhelmed by suffering.

I wanted to apply meditation everywhere. For example, the idea that meditation only happens when sitting cross-legged, and that eating cannot be meditation, is a misconception. I believe that all daily activities are a form of meditation. Dance was the fastest path for me to enter the world of meditation, and eating was also one of the most necessary and important meditations.

When you think about it, living is simple. You live if you eat, and you die if you don't. So, eating is like breathing. Many around me did not realize that eating is the second most important thing after breathing.

(Omitted)

I tend to eat slower than others. While others finished their meals, I often felt uncomfortable and uneasy continuing alone. Because of this, I tried to avoid social appointments and mostly ate alone. I took enough time, breathed, and ate slowly at my own pace, meditating. Clearing my mind completely while eating. I set aside all the noise and distracting thoughts that arose during that time. Only the act of eating and breathing occupied the mealtime.

Eating and meditation should become a lifestyle. You might find it difficult to accept the combination of the two. It's simple. Just clear your mind and slowly eat clean, well-prepared food. Surprisingly, this might feel difficult for some. If so, let me put it even more simply.

"If you want to live healthily, you must eat healthily. If you want a healthy body, you must eat healthy food."

- Hong Shin-ja, Until the Last Day of Life, Dasan Books, 17,500 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.