This is sadDNS wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 3:13 pm About half of Thailand's monks are overweight.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... overweight
I wonder if they read the suttas. Lord Buddha talks exhaustively about moderation in food, even more than many other things that some commentators unnecessarily emphasize.
Just by eating moderately you are preventing one of the 5 hindrances, sloth and torpor; and therefore, not allowing other hindrances to invade the mind, at least from the foothold of drowsiness.
Some people think Lord Buddha talked about moderation in food and eating before noon only for being convenient to the laity, but this is not true. Quoting Kitagiri Sutta:
This sutta is very important for showing that feelings are not the point, but the skillfulness carried by them. It is clear we should select pleasant feelings that make our skillful qualities grow, not decrease."And haven't you understood me to teach the Dhamma in this way: 'For someone feeling a pleasant feeling of this sort, unskillful qualities grow and skillful qualities decrease. But there is the case where, for someone feeling a pleasant feeling of that sort, unskillful qualities decrease and skillful qualities grow. For someone feeling a painful feeling of this sort, unskillful qualities grow and skillful qualities decrease. But there is the case where, for someone feeling a painful feeling of that sort, unskillful qualities decrease and skillful qualities grow. For someone feeling a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling of this sort, unskillful qualities grow and skillful qualities decrease. But there is the case where, for someone feeling a neither-pleasant-nor-painful feeling of that sort, unskillful qualities decrease and skillful qualities grow.'"
This sutta is also a response to the Jains, who think inflicting pain in themselves will do some good... errr