If you are a monk. Do you eat anything after noon?

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
User avatar
Mahabrahma
Posts: 2232
Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2020 6:02 am
Location: Krishnaloka :).
Contact:

Re: If you are a monk. Do you eat anything after noon?

Post by Mahabrahma »

If one only eats fruit they can never overeat.
That sage who has perfect insight,
at the summit of spiritual perfection:
that’s who I call a brahmin.

-Dhammapada.
Cause_and_Effect
Posts: 1067
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:39 am

Re: If you are a monk. Do you eat anything after noon?

Post by Cause_and_Effect »

Chanh Dao wrote: Mon Sep 21, 2020 11:22 am
JC938 wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 2:06 pm Hi,

As the title. Do you eat anything after noon if you are a monk?

Thanks
It's extremely common throughout SE Asia for monastics to eat after noon.

Temples where it would be prohibited are certainly abnormal from my experience.

It's one of the rules the modern Sangha by majority does not follow particularly closely.

Some monastics will consider the evening meal to be a "Medicine Meal"
It's not 'extremely common' in Theravada schools at least in Asia. Of course people ordain for different reasons but of one is genuine monk one will follow the Vinaya.

I keep the 8 precept only on Uposatha days and honestly its not that difficult with a bit of discipline to eat breakfast and lunch only and no evening meal. Is freeing also as we notice how much time is spent preoccupied with food.
Most normal days I do eat a light evening meal though, usually just nuts and dried fruit. So it's not a stretch for me to give up the evening meal when needed.

Of course for monks it's harder as they dont know what or how much they will receive.
"Therein monks, that Dimension should be known wherein the eye ceases and the perception of forms fades away...the ear... the nose...the tongue... the body ceases and the perception of touch fades away...

That Dimension should be known wherein mentality ceases and the perception of mind-objects fades away.
That Dimension should be known; that Dimension should be known."


(S. IV. 98) - The Dimension beyond the All
Post Reply