How Intermittent Fasting Is A Buddhist Diet
When I went on a Buddhist retreat the hardest thing was eating. When you’re practicing mindfulness it’s not just meditation, you’re supposed to always be mindful — when walking, eating, even going to the bathroom. I could attempt everything, but eating always eluded me.
Ever since I was a child I’ve eaten like a hyena, like at any moment someone could take it away. My dad also. My wife finds it unattractive and I try to slow down, but it’s hard.
When I was at the retreat I had to pay attention to this. The desire to eat faster, to eat more. The cycle of satisfaction and dissatisfaction that is eating. It was enlightening I guess. I found it very difficult.
On a Buddhist retreat, you also only get two meals a day, both vegetarian. According to monastic tradition, monastics don’t eat after noon. To be honest, I never found the hunger part that hard, but I did miss an evening meal just to break up the boredom. A meditation retreat is a long encounter with boredom, with no relief from phones or even conversation.
I hadn’t thought about it that much until I heard about it and started intermittent fasting. Then I remembered. This is just a monastic diet.
