Setting the right motivation for eating

The concept of  “right mind” is probably one of the most important ideas that has helped me in my own path to wellness. Whenever I flounder (and that is quite often), I turn to this wise advice:

“The correct motivation for every action is essential. For instance, we should not eat merely to satisfy our hunger. Rather, by remembering that this action is also a method of helping other beings, we should feel that we are eating in order to maintain strength, prolong our life, and thereby be able to fulfill our aspirations of benefiting others. In this way eating becomes a part of spiritual practice. In fact, all daily activities can be worthwhile if we use them with a similar motivation.”

From Geshe Rabten’s Commentary on The Seven Point Thought Transformation by Geshe Chekawa (from the book Advice from a Spiritual Friend, by Geshe Rabten and Geshe Dargyey, translated and edited by B. Beresford).