In 2015, renowned chef Eric Ripert hosted a unique lunch at Le Bernardin in Midtown Manhattan that departed from the restaurant’s signature seafood fare. The meal was prepared entirely by Jeong Kwan, a Buddhist nun known for her contemplative, vegetarian cooking rooted in Korean temple traditions. The encounter marked the beginning of a long-standing collaboration and exploration of the intersection between Buddhism and culinary practice for Ripert.

Jeong Kwan’s dishes, including lotus-blossom tea, salted bamboo shoots, bellflower roots, and fermented soy sauce, attracted significant media attention after a profile and a Netflix episode, placing her among the most famous Buddhist nuns globally. However, Ripert expressed disappointment with the coverage, saying it emphasized the food’s visual appeal without addressing the deeper philosophy behind the cooking.

Now 61 and a longtime practitioner of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, Ripert aims to convey the spiritual principles that inform temple cooking through his new cookbook, “Mindful Cooking: Simple Recipes for Nurturing Body and Soul,” published last week. Rather than focusing explicitly on religious practice, the book highlights key attitudes like mindfulness, gratitude, and joy as guiding principles for the kitchen, proposing that these can enrich the cooking experience for anyone. The collection includes approximately 90 vegetarian recipes, reflecting the meatless tradition of Buddhist temple cuisine.

Ripert’s own journey with Buddhism began in 1989, when a chance purchase of a Tibetan-themed book during a Paris layover sparked his interest. Though the author was later revealed to be a fraud, the books inspired his commitment to exploring Tibetan Buddhist teachings. His engagement deepened through reading the Dalai Lama’s works and attending his talks in New York. Ripert now studies weekly with a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and maintains a rigorous personal meditation practice, while balancing family life in his New York home.

His introduction to Jeong Kwan at Baekyangsa temple in South Korea in 2014, during the filming of his food-travel show “Avec Eric,” deepened his appreciation of the intimate connection between spirituality and cooking. She shared insights about planting and harvesting rituals infused with gratitude and compassion, a perspective that Ripert believes resonates with Western cooks caught up in fast-paced modern life.

Ripert has since made several trips to South Korea, engaging with temple cooks and monks, who appreciate his genuine curiosity and respectful inquiry. He recounts the experience of learning a key recipe—a wilted lettuce pancake—from Gyeho Sunim, chief abbess of Jinkwansa Temple in Seoul. The abbess gave Ripert her kitchen apron upon retiring, a symbolic gesture underlining her trust in him to carry the philosophy of temple cooking beyond Korea’s borders.

While only a few recipes in “Mindful Cooking” derive directly from monastic kitchens—and many have been adapted to include ingredients not typically allowed in temple cuisine—the book’s core message is inclusive. Ripert emphasizes that the principles of temple cooking—mindful attention, gratitude toward ingredients, and compassion—can be embraced by cooks of any faith or background. He reflects on his grandmother’s intuitive approach to cooking as embodying many of these values long before he formally articulated them.

With this cookbook, Mr. Ripert steps into a new role as a mediator between Buddhist philosophy and Western culinary culture, offering a thoughtful alternative to the high-pressure environment of professional kitchens and inviting home cooks to find meaning and calm through their work.