The monks remain silent throughout the meal, except on feast days when they are given special permission to talk after grace has been chanted. There is a series of specific sign language that allows the monks to make a number of practical requests, such as passing the butter, without speaking.
So, when monks come together at mealtime, they are still in this state of prayer and deep relaxation. Although they are eating communally, they take their meals in utter silence, which keeps them focused on their food and their satiation, making sure not to overeat.
Silence is a constant theme in the Rule of St Benedict, which states that 'monks should diligently cultivate silence at all times'. This strict regulation of speech – the prohibition on unnecessary verbal communication – was an expression of the ascetic life of monks and nuns.
Restrictive diet
Traditionally, those alms are calorie-rich foods, either processed or homemade – with the Buddhist faithful wanting to offer something of high value and taste. The monks are also forbidden from eating anything after 12 p.m., having only one or two meals a day between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.
The monks only make two meals a day, one in the morning and another before noon. After the second meal, they do not eat solids and spend the rest of the day only with liquids while studying, practising meditation, and other activities related to the temple, community, and self-development.
Conscious eating is followed among all Buddhists. Buddha advised monks to avoid eating 10 kinds of meat for self-respect and protection: humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, boars and hyenas.
"Monks were six times as likely to develop this condition than their secular counterparts." She said the monks' sedentary lifestyle coupled with overeating led to the weight gain. Obesity was unusual in medieval times, a period when many people suffered from poverty, malnutrition and deadly plagues.
From what I gather by looking at schedules of different monasteries and sesshins and the few books I have read on Buddhism, it seems that monk sleep from 5 to 7 hours but very rarely did I see the usually recommended 8 hours. Most monks wake up early and meditate for 1 to 3 hours and do the same at night.
Between praying up to seven times a day and working a medieval monk got little sleep. They averaged approximately five hours sleep between evening prayers and the 2am church service, and then snatched another half an hour before being up at 4am for more prayer.
A number of monks have over the years given a variety of excuses why alcohol is not a problem, likening it to medicine or saying it is permissible if one drinks only 'just a little bit', or 'as long as you don't get drunk'. Many Buddhists would disagree, but the matter is not as clear-cut as we might suspect.
According to the Buddhist monastic code, monks and nuns are not allowed to accept money or even to engage in barter or trade with laypeople. They live entirely in an economy of gifts.
In modern times, tonsure refers to cutting or shaving hair by monks or religious devotees. Ridding of your hair serves as a symbol of renunciation of worldly ego and fashion. In Buddhism, shaving your head (and face) is part of Pabbajja.
Monks, to be sure, must embody these qualities even more than ordinary individuals; and undoubtedly, the ability to overcome anger in everyday life is one of the hallmarks of a Buddhist monk. An angry monk, on the other hand, is inherently in the wrong.
With regard to eggs, they are in the fleshy smell category because they can become chicks, and they also contain animal scent. Therefore, one who has taken a strict vegetarian vow should not consume eggs. Although mass-produced eggs are now sterilized and do not contain life, they are obviously not of plant origin.
Sleeping on the floor is actually the ninth precept of Buddhism. The precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxication. With the ninth precept, Buddhists refrain from lying in a high or luxurious sleeping place.
4.00 am - The monks wake up and meditate for one hour, followed by one hour of chanting. 6.00 am - The monks walk barefoot around the neighbourhood while the local people make merit by offering them food. 8.00 am - Returning to the temple, the monks sit together to eat breakfast, then make a blessing for world peace.
The buddhist monk's daily schedule consists of going on alms round in the village, doing our chores as a mindfulness practice, meditation, and chanting. The monk's life is small paced and we have time to reflect and contemplate.
Services. The daily round of services usually commenced with Matins at midnight, Lauds at daybreak, and Prime at about 6.00am. Terce, Sext, and None were said before dinner and Vespers at 6.00pm. The monks retired to bed at about 8.00pm in winter and 9.00pm in summer.
"What seems to be the key is a diet that alternates between olive oil and non olive oil days, and plenty of plant proteins", Haris Aidonopoulos, a urologist at the University of Thessaloniki, told The Independent in 2007. "It's not only what we call the Mediterranean diet, but also eating the old-fashioned way.
Traditionally, Buddhist monastics follow the prātimokṣa rules outlined in the various Vinayas (texts outlining the monastic discipline) all which specify that one must not eat after the noon meal. Instead, Buddhist texts mention that this is a period which should be used for meditation or sutta chanting.
These preliminary results confirm the existence of a survival advantage for nuns and monks compared to the total population, an advantage that is more evident if the survival is considered on a longer period. This advantage is generally larger for monks compared to nuns.
Do the monks need food items other than the meal? (“allowables”) In the Theravada Tradition, monks are allowed to consume “tonics” or what are also called “allowables” in the afternoon/evening/early morning to stave off weakness or illness. These include things like cheese, butter, dark chocolate, etc..
Buddhist monks and nuns fully abstain from eating meat and seafood, but some do consume dairy products such as milk and yogurt; they don't believe animals suffer during the production of these ingredients. Lay Buddhists adopt "temporary" vegetarianism on preassigned dates as a rite of abstinence or purification.
8.00am – Returning to the temple, the monks sit together to eat breakfast. Before 12.00 noon – The monks eat a light lunch at this time. This is the last solid food they are allowed to consume until sunrise the following morning.