I would like to have 2 volunteers - who would enjoy to have a special task for this meditation? Hands up …
The first volunteer: could you please count the people mentioned as a cause for one special food item, and let us know the number in the end?
The second volunteer: could you please count the items and animals mentioned as a cause for one special food item, and tell us the number later?
Thank you.

Now sit down in an upright and comfortable position and close your eyes, please. -
Can you direct your attention to the breath, starting with some deep breaths --- and then allow the breath to flow naturally, feeling how the air is flowing into your body and out again. ---

What did you have for breakfast today? - Can you let all the items you were eating and drinking this morning come up in front of your inner eye? ---

So what were the causes for all this food to appear in front of you this morning? ---
Somebody must have had the idea to put out breakfast, and some people must have picked up that idea and prepared the breakfast, right?

Let’s take an example and look into it in a deeper way: You might have had some MILK today for drinking or on your corn-flakes. So let MILK be our example.
The two volunteers - now comes your special task: please try to count all the people and items involved with making the milk appear on the table.

And now for all - please contemplate:
Did somebody pour the milk into your cup /on your cereals? - So one person involved.
Then somebody else must have put it out on the servery. - Where did they get it from?
From the fridge? - Ok, somebody must have put it into the fridge. Where did they get it from?
It was delivered. - By whom? - Driver involved, food company, store, some more people there…
How did the milk get to the store? - From a factory, ok, dairy factory. People involved there with filtering milk, heating it, filling it into cartons, bottles. Again some people working for your milk.
Now, where did the dairy factory get the milk from? - From a farm?
What are people on a farm doing to get milk? - Ok, they must have these things with four legs and an udder, some people looking after them. milking them, looking after the machines …
So, now the cows, where do they get the milk from?(They bought it in the store? - Sorry.) They make it. Magic - they eat grass, digest : out comes milk, very nice.
Now we come down to the grass-roots: Where does the grass come from? - Earth. Grass needs earth, sun and rain to grow.
And earth, where does earth come from?

- It’s there? Yes, thank you. That’s obvious. But how does earth come into existence? - Things deteriorating, like?

- Remember leaves in autumn? So: leaves, wood, shit (sorry), dead bodies, everything. Earth made by living things falling apart. Does that include humans?

- Think of grave yards, ashes … Yes, human beings as well, I’m afraid so.
So where do human corpses come from? - Human beings, like you and me, born as babies, then growing up, getting old ...
So, human beings, what keeps them alive? - Parents, friends looking after them, food, milk … - HA!
See? - Milk comes from milk, the cycle is closing.

(The volunteers, please keep the number you have got by now in mind, your counting task is finished. - I will ask you later for the result.)

Now for all again: you can look at it the other way round. - You are drinking milk, you are living, at some point, your body will die, deteriorate, become soil, then grass, then cow, milk, and appear in front of somebody else in the future. Nice, isn’t it? ---

Bell.

Please open your eyes now. ---

I would like to ask the volunteers:
How many people have you counted approximately, who were involved with bringing the milk on your plate? - ”…”
And how many animals and items were involved? - “ … “
Thank you.

So far for milk: a whole chain of causes just for milk to appear on the table: about … people and … items, including animals and plants. May be including even a great-great-grandfather of yours?
Can we greet them all with a warm smile and ‘thank you’ for helping us stay alive and healthy? ---

So, the next time when you see food appearing in front of you, you may want to pick another item and let the whole chain of causes and effects - people, animals and things - come up in your imagination, and you may have this funny feeling of wonder:
How you are connected to everything and everybody, to the whole universe!

(End)

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