The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and are repeated at the end of this article
The monks enforce the precepts very strictly, they don't even touch the meat, and they eat all light vegetarian dishes.
But some of them are pot-bellied and chubby, and they look like they are eating well, so I don't understand, could it be that they have a secret recipe for making people fat in their vegetarian diet?
How can you be so blessed just by eating some vegetables? What's the mystery here?
01
Buddhism has a long history, and with the changes of the times, it has branched out, and food has also become an important embodiment of the life of monks, which can be described as diverse.
One is the commonly known "vegetarian monks", a diet encouraged by many sects, commonly known as "fasting", in which they strictly followed the precepts and did not eat any meat at all.
Buddhism says that "compassion is cherished", and by avoiding eating things that bring "life", we hope to cultivate compassion.
In addition to meat, monks also avoid eating spicy foods such as onions and garlic, as they may disturb their inner peace and affect their spiritual practice.
There are also "semi-vegetarian monks", who do not completely abstain from meat, and sometimes on special occasions or conditions, they will consume individual meats, depending on the religious teachings to which they belong.
Finally, there are the "non-vegetarian monks", some sects have no specific precepts and allow monks to eat meat, but before eating it, they usually perform simple rituals as a sign of respect for life.
It is said that during the Ming Emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the emperor dreamed of a shining golden Buddha image one day, and after waking up, he asked the civil and military officials for the meaning of this dream.
Emperor Ming suddenly lifted his spirits, and ordered Cai Su to lead the disciples to the Western Regions to seek the true meaning of Buddhism.
Luoyang city resounded with good news, Emperor Ming was ecstatic, built the first Buddhist temple in the Middle Earth - "White Horse Temple", at the beginning of the temple monks have not yet been shaved, only focus on the study of Buddhism, vegetarian life is not very strict.
In fact, Buddhism did not have many precepts on food and drink at first, the Buddha only asked not to kill, and when the monks at that time went out to make a fortune, they would eat whatever the good believers offered, including meat.
In the records, there are rich families who even entertain the monks with big fish and meat.
It seems that no one has stipulated that monks can't eat meat, so how did this vegetarian diet come about?
02
All this has a lot to do with an emperor.
As a royal nobleman, Emperor Wu of Liang was not obsessed with money and beauty, but immersed himself in reciting Buddhist scriptures all day long, and even became a monk four times, insisting on practicing Buddhism.
One day, when Emperor Wu of Liang recited the sentence "The Bodhisattva is merciful and cannot bear to eat the flesh of all living beings" in the "Great Nirvana Sutra", his heart was strongly shocked.
As a Buddhist, how could he kill so recklessly with such compassion? So he immediately ordered the list of vegetarian dishes in the palace to be greatly expanded, and he switched to vegetarian food from then on.
In order to truly embody the spirit of Buddhism, he issued an order to monks all over the country: from now on, monks must abide by the precept of not killing, and they are forbidden to eat any meat, but only vegetarian food.
With the authority of the emperor, this order was soon implemented in the national sangha, and from then on, the monks no longer saw the slightest meat on the table.
In order to show his pious faith, Emperor Wu of Liang even took off his luxurious dragon robe and wore only a cloth robe, which was no different from an ordinary monk.
In the face of such a resolute performance, the monks naturally did not dare to complain, and they all followed the Buddhist path of purification and hunger strike, a tradition that has been carried on to this day and has become an indispensable part of the Buddhist precepts.
There is also a more recognized theory that at that time, not only the nobles became monks, but even the common people enthusiastically joined the Sangha, and regarded becoming a monk as a shortcut to wealth and food and clothing.
When people abandon their jobs, the whole society is plunged into turmoil, and as the number of monks swells dramatically, the country's productivity plummets, the food supply is tight, and the people are struggling to make a living.
Soon, Liang fell into an unprecedented decline in national strength and the withering of people's livelihood, and was no longer able to support the normal operation of the country's society.
That's why Emperor Wu of Liang ordered this matter above, and this measure had an immediate effect, and everyone originally wanted to join the monk just to escape hardships and seek comfort.
Who wants to stay in the monastery if they can't even eat their food rations? As a result, the enthusiasm quickly subsided, and they all returned to the vulgar.
Since then, it has become a custom for Buddhist monks to eat vegetarianism, which has continued to this day, eating only light vegetables and soy products every day, and no meat is seen at all.
But in fact, we can often see many middle-aged and elderly monks in the temple, but the body is very round, and they can even be described as "fat head and big ears".
What is the reason for this phenomenon?
03
In the past, many people had a misconception about vegetarianism: a vegetarian diet was nutriently deficient and could lead to malnutrition, so it was common to see Buddhist monks who were thin and underweight.
In fact, a vegetarian diet is not as tasteless as many people think.
Vegetarian food is mainly composed of vegetables, fruits and other plant ingredients, rich in vitamins, minerals and other rich nutrients, has a good effect on physical health, and is easy to digest and absorb.
Of course, although the food eaten by the monks in the monastery looks ordinary, it is carefully cooked, and it is not boring at all.
In addition to rice, which is the staple food, they also consume soy products, nuts, etc., which are rich in protein and fat, every day.
With the improvement of living standards, people's pursuit of food is getting higher and higher, in order to meet the taste buds of monks, monasteries often buy some "vegetarian meat", fine workmanship, the flavor is close to real meat.
And although there is a rule of "no food in the afternoon", monks tend to eat a lot of carbohydrates and fats during lunch.
Of course, the monks usually have a small amount of activity, and their daily activities are mainly based on meditation and chanting, and the amount of exercise is insufficient, and the metabolism slows down as they get older, and the calories they consume cannot be consumed in time, and they are gradually converted into body fat, and they will naturally be blessed.
Therefore, the reason for the obesity of monks is not the vegetarian diet itself, but the result of factors such as lifestyle, exercise, age and so on. If you want to stay healthy, it's important to keep exercising if you want to control your calorie intake.
Eating a vegetarian diet does not mean that you can lose weight naturally, the key is to have good lifestyle habits.
In the past, people had a unique aesthetic pursuit of Buddha statues and monk images.
In the earliest times, Buddha carvings showed a kind of middle-of-the-road beauty, neither too thin nor fat.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, the image of the Buddha statue changed greatly, becoming a rich appearance, with a big belly, smiling, and happy pleats all over the face, which looked like a wealthy style, which shows people's aesthetic preference for the body of fat at that time.
However, this rich and fat aesthetic concept is just a flash in the pan, and in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, people's aesthetics have changed, but unfortunately the Buddha sculpture in the Buddhist world has not kept up with the trend, but the more carved fat.
From the Buddha statue to the monk form, this change actually reflects the understanding of beauty in different eras, although there may be some differences in later generations, but in general, this gradual change itself inherits a cultural gene.
Reference Sources:
Sichuan Zhengdao Culture - January 11, 2024 Monks are vegetarian every day, why are they still fat and big-eared? Just look at their "food" to understand
Qilu One Point - February 27, 2019 Cold History: Which Emperor Was a Vegetarian for Life?