← 10% Happier with Dan Harris

Chef Eric Ripert

Sep 7, 2016 50m 29s 25 insights
Chef Eric Ripert, of the famed Le Bernardin in New York City, is one of the world's best chefs, an Emmy-winning cooking show host and a cookbook author. But while Ripert was building a name for himself in the heat and the stress of a fine-dining restaurant kitchen, he also became a practicing Buddhist. The chef sat down with Dan Harris to talk about his daily meditation rituals, how he found Buddhism after being raised Catholic, and how he got to where he is today.
Actionable Insights

1. Cultivate Detachment via Emptiness

Study and understand the concept of emptiness (that nothing has intrinsic reality) to cultivate detachment from desires and attachments. This practice reduces suffering and allows for love without the pain of attachment.

2. Embrace Challenges for Growth

View challenges not as obstacles but as necessary tests in life. Passing these tests provides opportunities for personal progress and becoming a better person.

3. Practice Universal Compassion (Bodhicitta)

Acknowledge the equality of all beings and extend love and compassion to everyone you encounter, recognizing their potential to have been a loving figure in your past lives. This transforms your interactions and worldview.

4. Tonglen: Take Pain, Give Love

Engage in Tonglen meditation by visualizing taking in the pain of loved ones, neutral people, and even disliked individuals. Then, send them love, which cultivates deep compassion and inner transformation.

5. Visualize Overcoming Negative Emotions

Use guided meditation to visualize negative emotions (e.g., anger as a dark cloud) and mentally destroy them with a beam of light. This practice builds internal capacity to fight these challenges in real life.

6. Apply Emptiness & Visualization Real-Time

When emotional triggers arise, apply the understanding of emptiness (that the situation isn’t as solid as it seems) and use practiced visualization to mentally destroy negative emotions like anger. This allows you to choose a peaceful response.

7. Prioritize Contentment Over Empire

Define your personal level of contentment and prioritize it over relentless expansion or empire-building. This is especially important if such pursuits do not bring happiness or allow for family time and self-care.

8. Reject Aggressive Leadership Styles

Actively speak out against and refuse to engage in abusive, screaming, or humiliating leadership behaviors. These actions are a sign of weakness and send the wrong message to a team.

9. Apologize for Improper Behavior

If you exhibit frustration, sarcasm, or irritation towards your team, make sure to apologize publicly afterwards. This demonstrates strength, fosters a better environment, and sets a positive example.

10. Focus on Present Tasks

To mitigate stress about external validation or reputation, concentrate daily on immediate tasks, team collaboration, creativity, and improving the experience for others. This prevents dwelling on potential negative outcomes.

11. Establish Daily Spiritual Rituals

Create a consistent morning routine involving mantras, lighting incense and candles, prayers, and offerings (like water bowls) in a dedicated space. This practice sets a spiritual tone for the day.

12. Seek One-on-One Spiritual Guidance

Actively pursue and engage with a qualified spiritual teacher for one-on-one sessions. This personalized instruction can significantly deepen your understanding and practice.

13. Daily Self-Assessment for Behavior

Begin each day by committing to be your best self, especially when facing challenges. Conclude the day with a self-assessment in the mirror to reflect on your behavior and encourage continuous improvement.

14. Manage Professional Mistakes Systematically

When addressing mistakes within a team, communicate directly with the highest-ranking person responsible. This ensures efficient message distribution and resolution without needing to repeat information multiple times.

15. Choose Inspiring Reading Material

When faced with a choice of reading, opt for material that inspires personal growth and spiritual development, even if other options are tempting. This can be a foundational step in a life-changing journey.

16. Apply Principles Secularly to Inspire

Integrate your personal values or spiritual principles into your leadership and interactions in a secular way. This inspires others to ‘do the right thing’ without attempting to convert them.

17. Confess Misdeeds, Rejoice in Good

Incorporate daily confession of your ‘bad deeds’ and rejoicing in your ‘good deeds’ into your spiritual practice. This fosters self-reflection, humility, and gratitude.

18. Pray for Long Life, Health

Include prayers for a long and healthy life in your daily spiritual routine. The purpose of this longevity and well-being is specifically to enable continued practice and spiritual growth.

19. Offer Good Karma to All

Conclude your spiritual practice by offering any accumulated good karma from your current and past lives to a revered figure (e.g., Buddha) for distribution to all sentient beings in need.

20. Visualize Offerings in Rituals

Enhance your spiritual rituals by mentally visualizing elaborate offerings such as food, fruits, clothes, medicines, or incense to a revered figure. Imagine them as if they were physically present in the room.

21. Meditate with Posture, Energy Focus

When meditating, choose a comfortable posture (lotus or chair) that supports energy circulation. Focus your attention on visualizing energy moving up the spine on the inhale and down on the exhale.

22. Handle Meditation Distractions Gently

If you find yourself with many distracting thoughts during meditation, take a brief pause. For fewer thoughts, simply acknowledge them without judgment and gently return your focus to your chosen anchor.

23. Use Meditation for Goal Achievement

If you have ambitious worldly goals, utilize meditation, such as Transcendental Meditation with a mantra and visualization. Mentally rehearse and focus on your desired outcomes until they manifest.

24. Dress Appropriately for Fine Dining

When visiting a fine dining establishment, wear a jacket in the main dining room. This shows respect for the restaurant’s aesthetic and other patrons who are celebrating special occasions.

25. Create Unique Dining Experiences

In the realm of fine dining, focus on crafting a unique and memorable experience for guests, not just providing excellent food. Being well-dressed contributes to this overall aesthetic and experience.