In Buddhist culture, monks are regarded as a symbol of the highest level of spiritual practice, and they chant and meditate daily with devotion, and eat vegetarian diets to purify their hearts. However, when you walk into the temple and see the fat-headed and big-eared monks, you may feel a little confused. Why do they inevitably appear plump even though they are vegetarians? Today, we are going to uncover the strange theories in this temple and see why.
First, let's go back to the time when Buddhism was first introduced to China. Buddhism at the time did not explicitly stipulate that monks had to be vegetarians, but they could still enjoy the so-called "three pure meats" as long as certain conditions were met, such as animal meat that had not been witnessed by witnessing the killing process, had not heard the screams of slaughter, and had not been slaughtered for themselves. This rule continued until the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasty, until he issued an important order requiring all monks to completely abstain from meat and eat vegetarian dishes. This order not only morally deepened the monks' yearning for a pure life, but also played a role in stabilizing the order in society.
However, why do vegetarian monks inevitably gain weight? There are many reasons behind this, such as diet and lifestyle. In temples, monks mainly rely on a large number of staple foods, such as rice, pasta, etc., to maintain energy. Although these carbohydrates are non-meaty, they are easily converted into fat, especially if you don't exercise enough, making it easier to accumulate fat. In addition, the daily life of monks is mainly based on meditation and chanting, and the lack of physical labor leads to insufficient energy consumption and easy to lead to body shape.
However, we also can't simply attribute the problem to the diet and lifestyle, because in modern society, the diet of the monks in the temple has been constantly changing, introducing more nutritious foods such as soy products, fruits, etc. But even so, if you don't get enough exercise, over-reliance on staple foods can still be a hidden danger that leads to obesity.
Therefore, the key to keeping a monk slim is to maintain a balanced diet and increase the amount of exercise. Monks in modern society have begun to realize this and have begun to maintain their figure by increasing physical exercise, and this is exactly what we should learn from. Only by maintaining a reasonable diet and proper exercise can we have a healthy body and a clean mind.
Therefore, when we see the fat-headed and big-eared monks in the temple again, perhaps we should not be overly surprised, because behind their figures, there is a deeper philosophy and wisdom of life. They pursue inner peace with a pure heart, and this is perhaps the most important thing.