HOW TO COOK YOUR LIFE
Bear River Meditation Group Intensive Practice Period
12-19 January 2026
The Intensive Practice Period this year focuses on Dogen’s Instructions to the Chief Cook. Below are comments and suggested resources provided by Reverend Master Vivian Gruenenfelder who will lead the week long period. The week includes twice daily meditation and ceremonies, Dharma talks and an in person/online retreat.
NOTE: The other morning, I was sitting quietly drinking my coffee and watching the morning light gradually arrive into this world, while also reading How to Cook Your Life (see below). I began to panic as I realized how much I needed to read before January in order to lead our 2026 Intensive Practice Period well. But then I thought, “Actually, the Tenzo Kyokun (Dogen’s Instructions to the Chief Cook) is enough. That, along with How to Cook Your Life is more than enough.” I decided that I would only study those two things for the Intensive. Nothing more was needed. Then, instead of panicking, I could remain in the beautiful stillness of that morning.
Even so, I am listing other resources below which you can explore. They are a small sampling of what is out there on this fascicle of Dogen’s which has been written and spoken about much. You are also free to explore the internet for other finds. Try Googling “Tenzo Kyokun,” or “Instructions to the Chief Cook,” or “how to cook your life,” or whatever else might occur to you. And then enjoy!
You are not required to read anything in order to attend the Intensive Practice Period. If you read one thing, please read a translation of Tenzo Kyokun (Instructions to the Chief Cook). This will be our primary resource during our time together.
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Rev. Master Jiyu Kennett, the founder of the OBC, translated this work in her early publication, Zen Is Eternal Life, which is available on the Shasta Abbey website at this link: https://shastaabbey.org/publications/. There you can download a pdf of the book; Tenzo Kyokun begins on p. 165.
Kosho Uchiyama, Roshi wrote an excellent book on the Tenzo Kyokun called How to Cook Your Life: From the Zen Kitchen to Enlightenment. (We studied his book, Opening the Hand of Thought, at one of our Intensives several years ago. You may remember that he is Shohaku Okumura’s teacher.) Tom Wright offers a translation of the text, and then Uchiyama’s commentary, which is straightforward and yet profound.
Another fine book, Nothing Is Hidden: Essays on Zen Master Dogen’s “Instructions for the Cook,” edited by Jisho Warner, Shohaku Okumura, John McRae, and Taigen Dan Leighton (Weatherhill, 2001). To get this book at a reasonable price you will probably have to buy a used copy (it is available on Amazon). It contains the translation by Foulk mentioned below.
Bernie Glassman wrote a book called Instructions to the Cook, which is his commentary on the Tenzo Kyokun, presumably with a translation, and it is probably a looser commentary than Uchiyama’s. I read this book many years ago and don’t remember my impressions of it, but I imagine it is also good, and would appeal to some (or all) of us.
Upaya is focusing on Dogen’s “Tenzo Kyokun” for their Winter Practice Period which runs from 8 – 30 January, 2026. You might want to register for this. That will give you access to their Dharma talks, which will augment our own. You can register for free and offer a donation if you wish. The link to register is: https://www.upaya.org/program/winter-practice-period-online-2026/?ct=t(newsletter_COPY_01)&mc_cid=a74d4486f0&mc_eid=c0f7128486
There is a YouTube video called How to Cook Your Life – No Recipe! Edward Espe Brown Talks with Jon Joseph. Brown was the tenzo (cook) at San Francisco Zen Center (especially Tassajara) for many years. This is the link: ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWvdjvJnVzc
There is also a documentary in which Brown is interviewed by Doris Dorrie which costs money to watch. You can Google it.
Rev. Allard Kieres of Shasta Abbey gave a talk on the Tenzo Kyokun which is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye-x84mv4kg
Rev. Daishin Yalon has spoken of it numerous times and gave a retreat on it in 2003. You can find his talks on the Shasta Abbey website.
I would encourage you all to investigate at least two translations of the Tenzo Kyokun. Aside from those mentioned above, there is one by Griffith Foulk here: https://terebess.hu/zen/dogen/Tenzo1.html
One by Kazuaki Tanahashi (a fine translator whose renderings are sometimes more modern and comprehensible) in Moon in a Dewdrop: Writings of Zen Master Dogen available online as a pdf (p. 53 of the text; p. 68 of the pdf) here: https://zendogen.es/textos-zen-pdf/Moon-in-a-dewdrop.pdf
And one by Anzan Hoshin Roshi and Yasuda Joshu Dainen Roshi here: https://terebess.hu/zen/dogen/Tenzo2.html