In spacious stillness,

With thoughts not followed,
conditioning loses its hold.

With hardship and humiliation embraced,
fear and separation dissolve.

Letting go of my agenda,
anger and frustration have nowhere to breed.

Letting go of my opinions,
ignorance has nowhere to hide.

Admitting to the treasure within,
desires lose their grip.

Admitting to human frailty,
grace is everywhere apparent.

As we open our eating bowls,
May we and all existence be relieved from self-clinging.

We honor our true nature,
The teachings, and the community.
We are thankful for this meal,
The work of many hands,
And the sharing of other forms of life.

May we exist like a lotus, at home in the muddy water.
Thus, we bow to life as it is.