Vegetarianism in Tibetan Buddhism. Message from Chatral Rinpoche

Diet of Tibetan monks

Residents of Tibetan monasteries adhere to a certain philosophy of life. They have developed the following eating habits:

The diet is based on lacto-vegetarianism, dairy products and foods of plant origin are allowed.
The daily diet consists of fresh foods, which allows you to maintain your figure and health.
The entire set of dishes is divided into several small portions, chewed thoroughly and slowly.
Between the main techniques you can only drink water, you cannot eat anything.
The diet is combined with breathing exercises or exercise in the fresh air to keep the body in good shape.

Diet features

A low-calorie diet ensures the health of residents of Tibetan monasteries. Nutrition Features:

monks do not eat meat because they are supporters of Buddhism;
in the diet of monastery residents there is no sugar, salt and other food additives that clog the body;
Tibetan monks eat barley cakes, use butter from yak milk to prepare dishes and drink Tibetan tea;
During the harvest, carrots, potatoes, and turnips are added to the menu;
Sometimes Tibetan monks eat rice to cleanse the body.

Principles and rules of diet

The diet is in many ways similar to regular healthy eating. The key principles of the diet are as follows:

food should be consumed in a certain sequence, for better absorption by the body - first they eat food of plant origin, then dairy and fermented milk, and lastly fish, poultry, meat;
you cannot engage in extraneous activities while eating - conversations or work distract from the main thing;
Tibetan monks believe that high-quality absorption of microelements by the body is possible only with full concentration on foods;
residents of monasteries are encouraged to drink up to 2.5 liters of cool water per day to remove toxins from the body and improve digestion;
It is more correct to consume everything raw, but some heat treatment of products is allowed - baking, stewing, boiling, steaming;
You can eat no more than 3-4 foods at one time, for example, bread with cheese – 2 foods, chicken breast with carrots and cabbage – 3.

The key feature of Tibetan nutrition is the complete rejection of food of animal origin and the transition to plant products. To achieve results you need to know the main rules:

It is forbidden to eat eggs and meat during the diet; you need to increase the amount of vegetables and fruits; sometimes you are allowed to eat fish in small quantities;
You need to eat food in small portions to avoid stretching the stomach and unnecessary stress on it;
Tibetan medicine is against quick snacks, so you need to chew food thoroughly;
in the intervals between meals, you can drink still water (mineral, spring), but you cannot eat;
the diet should consist of fresh produce;
the Tibetan diet completely excludes fried foods;
combine proper nutrition with exercise or meditation in the fresh air;
you can consume fermented milk products (kefir, yogurt, yogurt), and you can add young cheese, cheeses and homemade cottage cheese to salads - these products will help the beneficial substances be absorbed faster;
liquid can be drunk no earlier than 2 hours after a meal or 30 minutes before it;
the last meal should be no later than 1.5–2 hours before bedtime;
the diet includes 3 main meals, and portions should be moderate.

Diet without menu

Writer, scientist and Zen Buddhist Dan Zsigmond has managed to combine a number of principles from the teachings of the Buddha with the latest advances in nutrition science. the Buddha Diet, popular among Silicon Valley geniuses .

To try this food system, you don’t have to become a Buddhist, nor do you have to give up eating your favorite foods. People following the Buddha Diet can eat whatever they want within reason. The only limitation is the time interval for eating.

The concept is simple: Instead of worrying about what you eat, focus on when you eat. Dan Zsigmond, for example, limited his eating time to a narrow interval from 09:00 to 17:30. And Buddhist monks in general, as a rule, eat only between dawn and noon and still feel great.

To make your task easier, you can eat within 12 hours for the first few days (for example, from 08:00 to 20:00), the next 4-5 days - 11 hours, and after another 3-4 days - 10 hours. This will allow you to painlessly arrive at an interval of 9 hours.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Tibetan diet has many more advantages than other diets for weight loss. Key benefits:

the absence of meat products reduces the calorie and fat content of the diet, reduces the body’s contamination with metabolic waste;
the technique shows good results - losing 4-5 kg in 7 days of eating plant foods and avoiding unhealthy foods;
the body is completely cleansed of toxins, free radicals, salts, and excess fluid;
metabolic processes in the body are improved due to easily digestible products;
productivity increases, brain function, spiritual and physical condition improves;
During the Tibetan diet, the body is mineralized and vitaminized;
the functioning of internal organs improves due to products of plant origin;
body cells are restored due to healthy food;
you can get rid of diseases of the nervous, cardiovascular and excretory systems;
The diet is combined with physical activity, which guarantees skin tightening during weight loss.

A huge list of positive qualities inspires confidence. There are only three disadvantages:

Meat lovers may experience weakness as a result of completely avoiding animal protein.
A low-calorie diet provokes a slight feeling of hunger.
You cannot lose many kilograms at once on this diet; you will have to repeat it or change your usual diet.

Why don't monks eat meat?

The answer to this question can be found in the rite of monastic tonsure. At the very beginning, the abbot asks the tonsured person: “Why have you come?”, to which he replies: “Desiring a fasting life...” That is, before taking monastic vows, a person declares his desire, his intention to live in fasting. Of course, fasting here is understood much more broadly than a simple refusal of meat food, but this refusal is an important (although not sufficient) part of monastic life, a spiritual exercise, a means for achieving a certain state of body and mind.

The holy fathers see the first indication of the spiritual meaning of giving up meat-eating in the description of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The Lord sent manna from heaven—fast food—to feed the Jewish people. Those who refused such food, neglected it (as St. Basil the Great says), died in the desert, never seeing the promised land.

The refusal of meat food directly in monasteries has ancient roots. This arrangement was adopted back in the monastery of St. Anthony, the founder of monasticism. However, in history there have been numerous examples of some cenobitic monasteries deviating from this practice. Most often this was observed in monasteries located in cities. Today, some Orthodox monasteries, for example, in Georgia and Cyprus, do not prohibit monastics from eating meat. However, on Mount Athos and in Egypt the approach to this issue is quite strict and unambiguous.

Is eating meat a sin?

As you know, while living in paradise, Adam and Eve did not eat meat. And the order of life in monasteries tends to approach this heavenly world order. However, eating meat in itself is not a sin. God blessed meat-eating after the global flood due to human weakness.

If eating meat is not a sin, then why do monastics refuse to eat meat? You don't have to go far to answer this question. Even non-religious people will agree that meat, like no other product, can awaken certain physical disturbances in a person - carnal passions. As they would say in the world, it provides the greatest amount of physical energy with which a person needs to do something. Thus, giving up meat food is not the goal of monasticism, but a means of curbing the flesh, and a very effective means.

The Holy Fathers also speak about the enormous importance of sleep in fasting life. Even if a monk does not eat meat, but sleeps a lot, carnal temptations will overcome him with great force. That is why these two exercises are equally important for monastic practice - fasting and wakefulness.

Saint Ignatius warns about another extreme in relation to meat. Often, monastics who have given up eating meat in the name of spiritual goals begin to consider any, even accidental, consumption of a piece of meat a great sin. Of course, such an understanding is fundamentally inconsistent with the spirit of Christianity.

I'm not a monk - why should I give up meat?

In the Orthodox tradition, it is not only monks who refuse meat food. The laity, if they comply with church regulations, also spend a significant part of the year without meat products. Firstly, these are four long fasts: Great, Petrov, Uspensky and Rozhdestvensky. Secondly, these are some one-day fasts, for example, on the eve of the Baptism of the Lord or on the day of the Beheading of John the Baptist. And thirdly, this is every Wednesday and Friday.

Such a restriction in food serves as a spiritual exercise for every Christian, whether he lives in the world or labors in a monastery. However, each specific situation (health, occupation, certain living conditions) should be approached with reasoning, remembering the practical role of food restrictions, their secondary importance in comparison with spiritual fasting.

24.12.2019

Diet of Tibetan monks for weight loss

You can use the basic principles of a diet not only to lose weight, but also to keep your body in good shape. Important recommendations will help you correctly plan your diet even outside of the diet:

milk, sour cream, cream should be replaced with low-fat homemade yogurt, yogurt, fermented baked milk, whey, kefir or milk mushroom drink;
eat more cottage cheese, unsalted cheese, feta, Adyghe and goat soft cheese;
sweet berries and fruits are considered an independent meal; they should not be combined with other foods;
you can eat lean liquid soups, vegetables in the form of stews, sautés, salads;
Avoid fried, fatty, smoked, spicy, salty foods, spices and sauces.

Eliminate meat and offal from your diet; the Tibetan diet is lean. Sweets, flour and processed foods are also prohibited foods. From drinks, exclude alcohol, sweet carbonated water, packaged juices and caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, energy drinks). It is worth reducing the consumption of forbidden foods even if the Tibetan system does not involve a complete change in diet. Junk food will interfere with cleansing the body and reduce the effectiveness of weight loss.

For 7 days

The weekly system consists of a special diet with a limited amount of food, a stable drinking regime, exercise, and walks in the fresh air. The classic Tibetan diet helps you lose 4–5 kg. Products of plant origin and fresh juices enrich the body with vitamins and beneficial microelements. The diet helps cleanse you of toxins, waste, and other harmful substances, but to do this, be sure to drink about 2 liters of water a day. Diet for the week:

Monday:
For lunch you need to eat 1 orange or medium-sized apple, 150 g of boiled beans and a salad of basil, green onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Season the dish with lemon juice, do not use food additives.
For dinner, take 2 fruits, shredded cabbage salad with carrots and lemon juice. Drink all 250 ml of mineral water.
Tuesday:
For lunch, prepare 1 citrus fruit, 200 g of banana, pear, plum, apricot, and cottage cheese salad. You can afford 2 small pieces of boiled lean sea fish.
For dinner, eat 250 g of stewed zucchini, prepare freshly squeezed juice from 2 tomatoes without salt.

Wednesday:
For lunch, prepare a side dish of boiled green beans and a classic Greek salad dressed with lemon juice or olive oil.
For dinner, make 150 g of salad from boiled beets, carrots, and garlic. Also eat 1 orange, 2 small apples, a piece of bread and freshly squeezed tomato juice without additives.
Thursday:
For lunch, prepare a Greek salad and a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice. You can eat 250 g of fish with cauliflower (steamed).
For dinner, take toast, a salad of fresh green beans, herbs, celery stalks, and carrots. Wash down your meal with a glass of green tea.
Friday:
For lunch, prepare a glass of homemade low-fat yogurt without food additives, 1 apple, carrot salad with red cabbage and lemon juice.
For dinner, prepare 200 g of stewed eggplant with garlic, carrots, and herbs. For vegetables, take a piece of rye bread with a glass of mineral water.
Saturday:
For lunch, prepare a Greek salad, boiled carrots and beets with prunes, season everything with olive oil. You need to drink a glass of water.
For dinner, eat strawberries, strawberries or raspberries with a couple of toasts with Adyghe cheese. Drink 400 ml of low-fat yoghurt without additives.
Sunday:
For lunch, prepare a salad of fresh carrots and cabbage, season with lemon juice. Boil 200 g of lean sea fish. Drink 1 glass of mineral water.
For dinner, prepare boiled green beans, a couple of pieces of cheese and 2 citrus fruits or apples. Wash down your food with freshly squeezed fruit juice.

Rice

The diet is little known, but is a variation of the Tibetan diet. The diet helps cleanse the body of harmful components. To prepare the main food of the Tibetan system, you need one product - unpolished brown rice. The technique is good if you cannot change your diet. Continue the diet until you run out of rice:

Take as many spoons of the product as you are old.
Place the washed rice in a jar and fill it with boiled water.
Place the product in the refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, take out the jar and strain the water.
Remove 1 tbsp. l. rice, boil without food additives for 4-5 minutes.
A portion should be eaten early in the morning, about 6–7 hours, before the main meal.
Fill the rest of the product with water again and put it in the refrigerator. Eat your usual foods throughout the day.

Tibetan food system based on porridge for 10 days

The diet helps cleanse the body of waste and toxins. The principle is that for 10 days you need to eat only starchy cereals. Tibetan monks use rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, wheat, millet in their diet, and you can choose other products. You need to cook food in water, without food additives. You can drink only water all days of the diet to remove toxins from the body. Combine eating according to the Tibetan diet with walks in the fresh air.

On herbs for 30 days

A monthly Tibetan diet helps to lose weight, cleanse the body, and improve the general condition of internal organs. Herbs have a particularly beneficial effect on vision, skin, hair and nails. The essence of the technique is a special herbal tea, which you need to drink 2 times a day (after lunch and evening meals) for 1 month. The diet itself does not need to be changed. Herbal tincture recipe:

Take 100 g of chamomile, St. John's wort, birch buds, immortelle and mix.
Pour 1 tbsp into a cup. l. composition, pour 100 ml of boiling water.
Leave for 20-30 minutes.
Strain carefully.
Add 1 tsp. natural honey.

Modern realities

Since the time of Buddha, a lot has changed in our lives. The living conditions of animals kept in cages for further slaughter are very cruel. In Buddhist practice, it is customary to show benevolence to all living beings, without selfishly becoming attached to them.

Particularly compassionate Buddhists simply refuse to eat meat, showing mercy to innocent animals. Some even become vegans, that is, they exclude from the diet:

meat,
fish,
eggs,
dairy products,
seafood,
honey.

True Buddhists refuse to purchase certain products or things, the production of which involves the suffering of animals or human grief, due to the severe exploitation of human labor.

However, the modern Buddhist leader, the 14th Dalai Lama is not a vegetarian. He consumes meat products once every seven days on the advice of his doctor to maintain health.

Dalai Lama XIV

He gives the following advice to other followers of the faith: you need to try very hard not to eat meat, but when for some reason this does not work out, you just need to eat a little of it.

Even at the age of sixteen, at an official reception dedicated to his appointment to this post, where many meat delicacies were served, the Dalai Lama firmly decided to remove them from the list of treats at official events.

This rule is also observed during Buddhist educational events. The Dalai Lama asks the owners of nearby catering establishments not to include meat dishes on the menu at this time in order to avoid the mass killing of animals and profit from their deaths.

Another Buddhist way to reduce the negative consequences of eating meat is to say the compassionate mantra “OM MANI PEME HUNG” or “OM MANI PADME HUM SRI” before eating, blow on the dish and wish the creature a better rebirth in the next life.

If seven weeks have not elapsed between slaughter and the meal, then the connection between consciousness and flesh has not yet been lost, and this can help.

Side effects and possible complications

At first, the Tibetan recipe for weight loss can cause disruptions in the body’s functioning due to an unusual diet and low-calorie foods. You may encounter the following inconveniences:

Possible problems with the digestive system: upset stomach, nausea, colic.
Insomnia, apathy, and headaches may appear.
Refusal of meat leads to the fact that the body will no longer receive the necessary protein of animal origin. As a result, muscle tissue is depleted and the effectiveness of sports training decreases.
If the drinking regime is violated, intoxication of the body occurs.
Plant fiber can cause diarrhea.

To properly exit the Tibetan diet, continue to follow the diet, but introduce new foods. Add milk porridge to breakfast, food with animal protein to lunch, omelettes and seafood to dinner. Return porridges, soups and processed meats to your diet gradually, day after day. With a sudden transition to the usual food, the body will be overloaded and will begin to malfunction.