"Chanting the Buddha purifies the heart, and walks the flower path with light steps." In our traditional impression, monks are always poor and have a clean breeze on their sleeves, not only to abide by the rules and precepts, but also to eat three vegetarian meals.
But why do the monks we see on weekdays obviously not touch meat, but most of them look like fat heads and big ears? In fact, you can see why if you look at their food.
Monks went from eating meat to being vegetarian
"Wine and meat pass through the intestines, and the Buddha stays in his heart." In addition to some sutra Zen sayings, this saying is also widely prevalent in temples. Before the Southern Dynasty, that is, before the period of Emperor Wu of Liang, monks were indeed allowed to eat meat.
They believe that as long as they don't kill, don't see blood, and only eat meat handled by others, it is not considered to break the vows, and this kind of meat is also known as "three pure meat", but this kind of meat life was completely broken when Emperor Wu of Liang did.
During the Southern Dynasties, because of the favor of the rulers, the social status of monks rose sharply, and by the time of Emperor Wu of Liang, Buddhism directly became the state religion. "There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, and how many buildings are in the smoke and rain." The construction of temples has led to an increase in the number of monks.
At the same time, Emperor Wu of Liang also gave many preferential treatment to monks, not only rewarding them with a large amount of land and property to the monasteries, but also allowing monks to participate in political affairs, and even exempting them from forced labor in order to allow them to concentrate on their cultivation.
To a certain extent, this may have had a negative impact on agriculture and commerce, such as the reduction of labor force and the occupation of land resources, which has caused certain disturbances to agricultural production; At the same time, a large amount of wealth is used for unproductive activities, which may also affect the development of commerce to a certain extent.
In order to consolidate the rule of the country, Emperor Wu of Liang found a theoretical basis from the "Great Nirvana Sutra", ordered the monks to eat meat with imperial power, and set an example by practicing vegetarianism, and also widely spread the concept of vegetarianism in the Buddhist community and society, so as to make those who pretend to be monks retreat through moderation, the implementation of this ban has been used to this day, and has become a major tradition of Chinese Buddhism.
Why a vegetarian diet can also make people fat
In 2023, a relevant study showed that the proportion of Chinese monks who are overweight is 26.2%, and the proportion of obese monks is 10.3%, and the two add up to 36.5%. But after Emperor Wu of Liang, the monks no longer eat meat and only eat vegetarian food, why haven't they lost weight?
In fact, it is not uncommon for monks to gain weight if they eat a vegetarian diet, and although a vegetarian diet is generally considered a healthier and lighter diet, it does not necessarily guarantee a beautiful and slim body.
Because vegetarian food contains a wide variety of vegetables, it is not only our traditional image of green vegetables, but also contains a variety of soy products, fruits, nuts, and even sweets. And in some large monasteries, there will be special kitchens and cooks to take care of the monks' diet.
They will match their meals according to the balance of their diet, and even grow their own vegetables in the temple so that the monks can eat fresh green ingredients as a way to increase their appetite, although they no longer consume meat, they may consume too much staple food, fat or sugar such as rice, pasta, pastries, etc., and excessive intake of carbohydrates is also a major factor in making them fat.
In addition, with the development and progress of society, there is also a great difference between ancient monks and modern monks in terms of diet, compared with the days of the ancient temple in the green lantern ancient Buddha, the monk life of the modern temple is more diversified, with the development of modern tourism economy, the temple has gradually become a kind of scenic spot culture.
This also led to the formation of the culture of Zhai, and the arrival of tourists made the Zhaihan gradually develop towards a variety of types and various cooking methods. The combination of various dishes is exquisite, which looks pleasing to the eye, which also makes the monk's daily diet grade follow. The rapid development of society and the rich and colorful diet have made monks disappear on the road to obesity.
The mystery of the monk becoming fat
In addition to diet, the reduction of daily exercise is also one of the important reasons why monks have become monks. Although the life of the monks may seem peaceful, in reality their daily activities do not necessarily guarantee enough exercise. Some traditional practices may focus more on inner practices such as chanting and meditation and neglect the movement of the body.
In the high-speed modern society, the pace of life of monks is relatively slow, and the leisurely and leisurely life leads them to inadvertently reduce the amount of activity. Over time, fat gradually builds up in the body, causing them to change their body shape.
In addition, the living environment of the temple may also have an impact on the amount of exercise of the monks. As a place for people to worship incense and observe tourism, the temple may not have so many suitable sports venues and facilities inside, which also limits the opportunities for monks to exercise to a certain extent.
There is also a saying that "when a monk hits the clock for a day", this sentence vividly depicts the monks' heart-stopping and carefree mentality. Mood is also a major factor in making the body fat, and in this Buddhist state of mind, they maintain their inner peace and calmness, and are not disturbed by worldly things.
This good attitude enables them to face the challenges and pressures of life calmly, reducing anxiety and nervousness. Monks with a good attitude are more able to enjoy every moment of life, whether it is chanting sutras or daily work, they can treat it with a peaceful mind.
This positive mindset may also affect their body responses, making it easier for the body to store energy, which can lead to weight gain. Moreover, monks with a good attitude are often full of gratitude for life, they cherish everything they have, and do not get overly entangled in external image and material pursuits.
This contentment mentality also makes them more relaxed in their diet, and they will not overly restrain themselves because they are worried about their weight.
epilogue
In mainland China, although the monks are mainly vegetarians, the phenomenon of gaining weight still exists. This also shows that dietary habits are only part of the factors that affect weight, and lifestyle, exercise and individual differences cannot be ignored.
No matter what the outside world says, from the perspective of the monk himself, he should also pay attention to his physical health, and maintain moderate exercise and good living habits while practicing in the camp.
And we can also learn from this that the pursuit of health should not only be limited to diet, but also should be adjusted from various aspects of life. May everyone continue to move forward on the road of health and find their own balance and harmony.