by Chang Yuan Fashi
When I was assigned to work at DDRC for three months, everything was new to me. There were many tasks in which I replaced monks who have left here. There were many interesting jobs, such as driving the lawnmower, fixing electric lights and repairing hoses. In my head, sometimes I thought I could be a handyman! I always enjoyed and was happy to complete my jobs. I tried to learn and studied until I became much better at my tasks. In my mind I fulfilled Dharma-joy because of Chan in all the activities.
I kept practicing the method of Chan through “the mind should be where the body is!” to observe my mind. Sometimes, I helped to cook breakfast due to a shortage of kitchen staff. I loved cooking but I didn’t have enough experience, so I followed some recipes to do it. Over a period of time, I became more and more familiar with cooking. One day, a volunteer (Rikki Asher) shared her vegan cookbook with me. We cooked together and made bread and chocolate pudding. I found that learning to cook is like learning Chan, both require a gradual process.
Sharing joy is also a form of Chan, I am happy to share with you a recipe from Rikki for a vegan pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving Day. I hope you enjoy it! You can learn more about Rikki’s cookbook here.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
2 ½ cups of pumpkin purée
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of maple syrup
3/4 cup of almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground clove
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons corn starch (I prefer arrowroot)
Procedure
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F.
- In a food processor, combine all of the pie ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth. Should only take a minute.
- Pour pie filling into your crust spread out until it’s smooth.
- Bake for 55-60 minutes. The top should be firm and the crust should be lightly browned around the edges.
- Once done, take out of the oven and let cool on the counter. Put in the fridge and let cool completely. Yum! Enjoy!