Photo credit:
The Five Contemplation Hall of
The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
4951 Bodhi Way, Ukiah, CA 95482 U.S.A
www.drbachinese.org/introduction /cttb.htm 

齋堂又名五觀堂。

佛制比丘，食存五觀，散心雜話，
信施難消，凡受食時，當作此觀：

1. 計功多少，量彼來處

2. 忖己德行，全缺應供

3. 防心離過，貪等為宗

4. 正事良藥，為療形枯

5. 為成道業，方受此食

Practicing Gratitude in Taking Meals 

In Mahayana Monastery, people eat at Dinning Hall. However they call
it “Five Contemplation Hall” where we are taught to practice our
Gratitude in taking meals.  

Meals are prepared and managed by the sangha or devotees.
Mahayana sangha do not go alms round therefore the foods and funds
are donated by the buddhist lay people in supporting the monastery.  

Eating is a daily business. The Mahayana monastery community follows
the ancient tradition.   

The sanghas and lay people are taught to be mindful in developing
Gratitude when eating in the dinning hall. As a buddist practitioner,
we shall mindfully practice “the Five Contemplations” when meals are
served.  The Five Contemplations: 

No. 1. Contemplating the volume of my efforts, I suppose so much
volume of enormous efforts, which has been used for producing and
preparing meals in front of me.

No. 2. Contemplating the facts that my moral behavior is completely
lacking, I eat the meals.

No. 3. Avoiding mental anxiety and shunning mistakes, the main causes
are to guard ourselves  from greed, anger, and stupidity.

No. 4. The reason, why I eat meals as good medicine, comes from that
I would like to guard myself from physical weakening.

No. 5. Because of just accomplishing the Buddhist truth, I receive the
meals now.