Make the best of what you have

Today I was re-reading Master Dogen's Instructions for the Cook and came across this which brought me back to what The Way teaches us from moment to moment. For those who are unfamiliar with this text, it was written by Master Dogen in the 13th century while he was a monk at the Kannon Dori Kosho Zen Monastery in Japan. Instructions is a detailed admonition to those who were assigned the role of tenso, or cook for the monastery. The tenso was considered one the most vital roles in the monastery. Dogen wanted to provide a set of instructions for the cook that would assist the cook in not just meal preparation, but would also assist the cook in finding his practice, his zen, in his work. This passage that I am sharing here is what Master Dogen says to the cook when confronted with either too few ingredients, or ingredients that may be inferior.  I like to think of the risings and fallings of our days as ingredients. And when I do, then I try to keep what Masteer Dogen instructs the cook to do in mind: "without worrying about their quality, simply make the best of what you have".