Zen and the art of drinking beer!

It occurred to me while reading a blog article in Ode Magazine called "Zen and the art of drinking beer", that in fact it can be an incredibly (in moderation of course) meditational experience.
It takes me back to many a traveling moment when the cares of the world seemed far away, the location was perfect and only the taste of the local brew was having its hypnotic effect.

As the writer says, "We can meditate on anything we choose. Some people meditate using their breath or on yoga poses. Anything can be used for the practice of meditation, for the practice of mindful living. So next time you lift up a frosty glass of beer, just tell everyone around you that this is part of your spiritual practice". Indeed many Buddhist masters would agree that you can use the experiences in your daily life as part of your meditation.
Lama Yeshe says, "Buddhist meditation doesn't necessarily mean sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed. Simply observing how your mind is responding to the sense world can be a really perfect meditation and bring a perfect result."

It gives great hope to beginner practitioners, like myself, to think that we can incorporate the everyday pleasure of experiences like sipping on a favourite brew into our practice. Of course the key is, Mindfulness, and using it to generate wisdom and compassion on the path to generating loving kindness (Bodhichitta).

The photos are from a few moments on the road, Mumbai (Bombay) in India, Trieste in Italy, Bingan in Bali.