Why one meal a day?

A place to discuss health and fitness, healthy diets. A fit body makes for a fit mind.
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DNS
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Re: 1 meal a day

Post by DNS »

Here are a couple of other threads discussing this:

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... e+meal+day" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... day#p26697" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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acinteyyo
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Re: 1 meal a day

Post by acinteyyo »

Hi,

I undertook the one-sessioners practice for a month. Maybe you are interested:

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 868#p41142

best wishes, acinteyyo
Thag 1.20. Ajita - I do not fear death; nor do I long for life. I’ll lay down this body, aware and mindful.
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suriyopama
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by suriyopama »

Hi.

Next month I will go to a retreat and I'll apply the 1 meal a day precept for the first time. I am very thin and I run out of energy when I don't eat for a long time.

I was thinking to take Berocca in the case that I feel weak (http://www.berocca.co.uk) but a friend says that it can cause to be more hungry. Do you know if this is true? What do you recommend to take in case of emergency?

Thank you
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appicchato
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by appicchato »

Some granola bars, or fruit, or honey...or all three...
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suriyopama
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Re: Why one meal a day?

Post by suriyopama »

Thank you very much Bhante. This looks much more natural than the chemical solution :smile:
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Agent
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Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by Agent »

For those of you who observe the Uposatha, how do you practice the 6th Precept?
Two meals before noon? One meal? Stuff your face nonstop until noon and hope to make it to dawn?
Do you have juice or anything else after noon?

I'm considering attempting one meal on the next Uposatha so I am particularly interested in hearing from people who are practicing this way or have attempted it. How do you find it affects your practice? And if you would be willing to share further, what is your reasoning for practicing in this way?

Metta,
Jason
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā.
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bodom
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by bodom »

I haven't been able to observe Uposatha days since my daughter was born, but when I did I found them to be very beneficial to my meditation practice. I used the articles below as guides to my Uposatha sila practice. Im sure you'll find them as useful as I did.

Uposatha Sila The Eight-Precept Observance compiled and written by Somdet Phra Buddhaghosacariya (Ñanavara Thera)
http://www.accesstoinsight.org:80/lib/a ... ha.html#qa" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Lay Buddhist Practice The Shrine Room, Uposatha Day, Rains Residence by Bhikkhu Khantipalo
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el206.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:anjali:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by DNS »

See also: http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3045" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by Goofaholix »

Agent wrote:For those of you who observe the Uposatha, how do you practice the 6th Precept?
Two meals before noon? One meal? Stuff your face nonstop until noon and hope to make it to dawn?
Do you have juice or anything else after noon?

I'm considering attempting one meal on the next Uposatha so I am particularly interested in hearing from people who are practicing this way or have attempted it. How do you find it affects your practice? And if you would be willing to share further, what is your reasoning for practicing in this way?

Metta,
Jason
Not eating after noon you'll find is very easy, unless you share a living environment with people who are eating after noon.

It doesn't really matter whether you eat one meal or two, stuff your face or not, but if you think you are going to find it hard going or you are living with other people who don't want to join you then go and stay at a monastery and do it.

I find physically it's good for the body to give it a rest for part of the day so it's not constantly processing food, and it's good for the mind so you aren't getting interrupted or distracted by food.
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by jcsuperstar »

most of the time i never eat after noon, its not really a big deal at least for the majority of healthy people, if you're diabetic that's a different story.
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Agent
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by Agent »

Bodom, thank you for the links. The first was very interesting. I learned a lot about Uposatha that was a bit unclear to me before. I'll take a look at the second one as soon as I have a chance.

Just to clarify, I have already been observing Upsotha for a few months, so not eating after noon will not be a problem. I was just interested in how others chose to observe this specific precept. And in that regard, David, the thread you pointed out was very helpful and exactly what I was looking for. After reading it I have decided to go ahead with the one-sessioner's practice. I found it odd that so many people were worried about it being detrimental to health. Technically it is a short intermittent fast, which research indicates has many health benefits. In any event, I'm not taking it up for that reason. More along the line of reasoning pointed out by Chula in the other thread:
Regardless, eating just one complete meal for the day has many benefits when one gets used to it, among them:

* Much less time of the day worrying about food, more time to practice
* Much, much less sloth & torpor since there isn't the drowsiness after the meal (this is mentioned in multiple places in the suttas)
* Great way to practice appropriate attention (yoniso manasikāra) - because even after having multiple meals, improperly attending to food can lead to sensual cravings that can be mistaken for hunger. When having just one meal for the day this is brought right into the middle of the picture - there is no running away from sensual desire - you have to deal with it right then and there. As a result mindfulness & alertness (satisampajaññā) gets a decided boost, and you start seeing the purpose of sense restraint (indriya saṃvara) - which is a cornerstone of the path.

Metta,
Jason
Vayadhammā saṅkhārā appamādena sampādethā.
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BlackBird
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by BlackBird »

I haven't had a meal after noon in quite some time. Mind you, in the Thai Forest Tradition the definition of a '
meal' is somewhat blurry, considering the amount of cheese we're running through at the Monastery...

Craving is craving is craving, it likes to disguise itself amongst an object eg. food, sex, even our perculiar habits like showering at a certain time, or sitting in a certain seat, but it's the same underlying mechanism, this desperate negative that can never be self contained and assumes a permanence - In everything it grasps at.

metta
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by Anicca »

BlackBird wrote:Mind you, in the Thai Forest Tradition the definition of a 'meal' is somewhat blurry, considering the amount of cheese we're running through at the Monastery...
Could you explain? I understand cheese and sunflower seeds and other ?not-foods? are eaten in the afternoon - early evening. You can drink filtered fruit juices, but something like v-8 juice is a food?
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Khalil Bodhi
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by Khalil Bodhi »

Hello Agent,

When I'm feeling fine (not sick and/or my wife or son aren't sick) I keep to the one sessioner's practice on the uposatha. I eat one meal before noon and take only tea with sugar or honey for energy afterwards. On days when I'm feeling ill I will eat a little meal at sunrise and another little meal before noon. I used to eat dark chocolate until Ven Pesala Bhikkhu pointed out tonics are to be used only when one is ill. Metta.
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Re: Uposatha & the 6th Precept

Post by Monkey Mind »

I do not know to what extent my experience applies to your situation... If I do "calorie loading" during the one meal, i.e. eat a lot of food, then I find myself starving later in the evening. If I eat a moderate portioned meal, then I have zero problems with hunger later in the evening.
"As I am, so are others;
as others are, so am I."
Having thus identified self and others,
harm no one nor have them harmed.

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