Taoist priests and monks in ancient times, why were the former very thin and the latter very fat?

China has a long history and a profound culture, including religious culture. China's 5,000-year history eventually established three major religions – Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism – and the three major religions went hand in hand and competed to shine and exert great influence on the thinking of the Chinese people. For Buddhism, people tend to think of monks and nuns, and for Taoism, people tend to think of Taoist priests and Taoist aunts, but people who have watched the TV series of monks and Taoist priests often have a strange feeling - why are ancient Taoist priests all thin people, but monks are all fat people?

First of all, let's look at the Taoist priests, Taoist people generally pursue the way of immortality, so they will pay attention to health preservation. How to maintain health? Taoism developed its own set of theories in the process of development.

As far as diet is concerned, Taoist priests will pay attention to the amount of food, and they often deliberately diet to ensure that they do not overeat and affect the body's digestive system. An important way for Taoist priests to pursue immortality is alchemy, and some pills have the effect of making people anorexic. In this way, it is naturally difficult for Taoist priests to become a big fat man.

At the same time, in addition to alchemy, Taoist priests often pay great attention to exercise, in order to have a healthy body, which is naturally related to the pursuit of immortality. In addition, Taoist priests like to travel around the mountains in their spare time, practice everywhere, long journeys, coupled with the unknown living environment, Taoist priests will naturally not become fat.

Let's take a look at the monks, monks generally need to practice meditation in the temple, except for going down the mountain to make a fate, it is difficult to see them in the market. As a result, they exercise significantly less. However, monks do not do nothing for a day, and their favorite thing to do is to meditate and meditate.

The monks hope that they can abandon all worldly ideas and wander in a world without interference, to explore the truth of the world and feel the logic of everything.

However, in this way, monks tend to be in a calm state of mind, and it is difficult to be disturbed by the world, which is very helpful for their growth. But such people are easy to have a big appetite when they are in a good mood, and at the same time, because the monks do not eat meat for a long time, their fat intake is not enough, which naturally requires too much rice to satisfy their hunger, so they eat one by one and become big fat people.

At the same time, long-term meditation and meditation are also destined to make it difficult for them to have the time and opportunity to exercise, although they usually do some work such as cleaning and carrying water in the temple, but these tasks only have a certain exercise effect and have little effect. Long-term sedentary and overeating, the monk's fat stool is also understandable.

Therefore, if you want to be able to **, then you can learn the Taoist regimen, focus on a balanced diet, and exercise regularly.

Because the Taoist priest pays attention to the fairy wind and bones. So be skinny. And the monk is compassionate. So you have to look a little kinder, so you have to be fat.

I think the main reason is that in ancient times, Taoist priests had to go out to fasting by themselves if they wanted to eat enough, and monks were a very good profession in ancient times, they didn't have to go out to fasting by themselves, they just had to wait for people to worship them, and so on.

The Taoist priest is a reference to the prototype of the immortal family Taishang Laojun, while the monk is a reference to the prototype of the Buddha. Therefore, Taoist priests pay attention to the fairy style of Taoist bones, and most of the monks have peaceful faces.

Why are the monks fat and the Taoist priests thin?

This is because monks eat more and exercise less, and Taoist priests eat less and exercise more. Except, of course, for Monk Wu. Although the monks don't eat meat, they eat steamed buns and rice, which are very high-calorie things, and if you eat more, you will get fat.

Moreover, the monk's daily work is to chant sutras and meditate. I just sat like this every day, and I couldn't move, and the flesh on my body naturally piled up more and more.

As for the Taoist priests, although people eat meat, they eat less. Taoism itself pursues becoming immortals, and immortals don't need to eat, so sometimes Taoist priests will come to Bigu in order to cultivate themselves. In addition, Taoist priests often have to practice and practice various techniques, and when they exercise big, they will naturally lose weight.

There is also a very important reason, that is, most of the temples have good economic conditions, monks can eat vegetarian food, and most of the Taoist priests are relatively poor, sleeping in the open air, there is no meal, although you can eat meat, but eating steamed bread every day compared with eating a meal of meat for three days, it is natural that people who eat steamed bread every day are fatter.

The last reason is the cultural difference between the two sides, Buddhism flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and everyone knows the aesthetics at that time, fat is beautiful. This also had an impact on Buddhism, so many of the Buddhas were chubby, gracious figures. In addition, Buddhism's pursuit of self-cultivation has led to a wide heart and a fat body.

Taoism, the pursuit of becoming immortals. It requires them to cultivate hard to free their bodies from all kinds of restraints, such as the restraints on food. Taoist cultivation is a kind of cultivation of the limits of the body. Therefore, many of the Taoist priests are thin.

Over time, everyone has formed a fixed impression of monks and Taoist priests. Therefore, when we generally describe a Taoist priest, we often use words such as fairy wind dao bones, idle clouds and wild cranes. And to describe a monk will say compassion.

The image that comes to mind with these words is one thin and one fat.

Why are monks generally fat, but Taoist priests are very thin? After reading it, I have gained knowledge.

Because most of the monks eat fasting and chanting scriptures in the temple and sit cross-legged, they are easy to gain weight, while Taoist priests travel around the world, promoting their immortal wind and Taoist bones, and seeking medicine and alchemy in various places, so they are relatively thin.

Their diet is different, although it is said that monks do not eat meat, but they usually eat these foods, which contain a lot of starch. Taoist priests generally pay attention to going with the flow, they can drink alcohol and eat meat, and the diet is relatively balanced.

Monks mostly practice meditation and chanting in temples every day, while Taoist priests practice pills, and the highest cultivation realm they pursue is immortality and feathering into immortals, so they are more likely to go out and travel in all directions, often walking rather than staying in Taoist temples all day.

Because most of the monks' daily homework is mainly zazen, that is, sitting still and thinking! In addition to meditation and alchemy, the cultivation of Taoist priests is also a part of their cultivation, so Taoist priests have to spend a certain amount of time practicing martial arts every day compared to monks!

The monk is kind and chubby, the Taoist priest exorcises demons and ghosts, the gods chatter, and he is so thin that he has an evil spirit.

The heart is wide and the body is fat, and the monk's cultivation is high, and he can see more clearly, so he doesn't have so many worries.

Eating habits, monks are vegetarians, and many staple foods contain a lot of starch, and the composition of starch is almost all sugar, and it is easy to gain weight if you eat too much.

Mentality, the monk's practice and the Taoist priest is different, the monk pays attention to the cultivation of the mind, the pursuit is not to be happy with things, not to be sad, the mentality is good, it is naturally easier to get fat, as the saying goes, the heart is good, the body is fat.

In fact, the main reason is related to the cultivation methods and living habits of these two families. Buddhists meditate and chant sutras every day, asking for no distractions in their minds. Aside from cooking, fetching water, and cleaning the yard, there is little exercise.

Although they don't eat meat, rice is also high in starch and calories. Over time, body fat accumulates, and the body becomes more likely to gain weight.

Taoists, on the other hand, generally have to practice martial arts and exercise their bodies. Monks sit there for hours a day chanting sutras, and Taoist priests spend hours a day practicing martial arts, and there is a big difference in the amount of physical energy consumed. Moreover, many Taoist priests also like to travel far and wide every day.

Therefore, Taoist priests exercise a lot every day, and their way of practicing is not easy to gain weight.

The main thing is the cultural difference between the two factions.

The monks in our mouth generally belong to Zen Buddhism, except for Shaolin monks, most of the monks spend most of their time in zazen meditation every day, like the monks in the temple before they also need to chop wood and carry water, but with the development of science and technology, not only for us ordinary people, but also for the lives of these monks is also very important, convenient life, monks have more time to chant and sit in meditation. This has become one of the reasons why monks are generally fat.

First of all, this is not a big data statistic, it needs to be verified, in TV, monks are mostly blessed, and Taoist priests are fairy wind bones. There are some differences in the image design.

1. Monk.

Monks are generally divided into two types, one is meditation and the other is martial practice.

1. Meditation: Most of the time what we see is meditation, so fat monks generally refer to meditation. The main task of meditation is to meditate and attain enlightenment. After long-term meditation, the belly will naturally get bigger and bigger.

2. Wu Xiu: Wu Xiu is to protect the temple, and the people who practice Wu Xiu should not be fat, and the warrior monks who perform on the tour of Shaolin Temple are not fat.

2. Taoist priests. Although Taoist priests also meditate, they practice kung fu more to improve their strength, agility and reaction ability, and consume a lot of energy, so there are very few fat ones.

Taoism and Buddhism spread all over the country, and many people are very familiar with the image of Taoist priests and monks. The immortal wind Taoist bone is a Taoist priest wearing cloth clothes, and the monk holding the Buddha beads is a good eyebrow. Most monks are fat, while Taoist priests are thinner, and the reason is actually very simple.

When Buddhism was first introduced to China, Guanyin, the Buddha of Rulai, was not a full-bodied person. Later, Buddhism gradually flourished, coupled with the Tang Dynasty's fatness as beauty, which also laid the foundation for the obesity of later Buddhism. Buddhism emphasizes self-cultivation, usually chanting and meditating in monasteries, and lacks exercise, so the monks' posture will become fuller and fuller.

Even the Buddha statues enshrined in the temple are relatively fat.

Taoism is different, it pays attention to self-cultivation, and it is different from the pursuit of Buddhism. Taoism worships Taishang Laojun, so many Taoist priests like to dress themselves up as a fairy wind and Taoist bones, plus Taoists usually practice martial arts to enhance their physique. They are very casual about living and eating, so they are also relatively thin.

Although Taoist priests also sit and meditate, chant sutras and eat fasting, they also have to practice, such as standing on piles and boxing, the most representative is Tai Chi. Compared with monks, Taoist priests obviously pay more attention to health preservation and pursue a long life, which is the most fundamental difference between Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhism pays attention to the cycle of cause and effect, so it focuses on the future afterlife, while Taoism advocates life and pursues this life, so it pays more attention to longevity.

In fact, whether it is a Taoist or a Buddhist student, everyone has their own characteristics, and the laws we summarize are not necessarily eternal. When we look at every practitioner, what we look at is not what their figure is, but whether they are dedicated to their cultivation.

Monks need to go to meditation every day, and they just sit there motionless for hours, and sitting still for a long time is indeed blessed. Taoists usually practice martial arts to enhance their physique, and they have control over their residence, diet, etc.

Taoists are not vegetarians, not picky eaters, and have balanced nutrition, so they have a normal body shape, heavy health, frequent activities, and fairy wind bones. Chinese Buddhism holds the precept that animal protein and fat are insufficient, and carbohydrates are mainly in food, which are easy to absorb and easily converted into body fat in large quantities. The only place where sugar converts fat is the liver, and most monks have fatty liver.

The same is true in the animal kingdom, where carnivores are generally lean and lean.

Because the image of the Buddha is plump, and the monks are meditating and chanting in the temple, so the body is becoming more and more plump, and the Taoist priest is paying attention to an attitude of helping the world and serving the people.

That's because monks need to go to meditation every day, which is to meditate, and they just sit there motionless for hours, and sitting still for a long time is indeed blessed. Taoist priests pay more attention to helping others everywhere, so they naturally stay in the Taoist temple and move around every day.

In fact, most of the monks at that time were not fat, because Buddhism was prevalent in the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty at that time was also fat for beauty, so this situation occurred.

Monks mostly meditate and chant scriptures in the temple, and a meditation is a long time, but Taoist priests often travel in all directions, eating and sleeping in the open, and over time, the image is naturally different.

Because Buddhism gradually flourished, coupled with the Tang Dynasty's fatness as beauty, this also laid the foundation for the obesity of later Buddhists. The Taoist priests are all images of fairy wind and dao bones.

Taoism pursues "a wide heart and a fat body". In "Tianle Collection", there is "a health practitioner is expensive, the heart is wide, the body is fat, the peace is overflowing, and the life is eternal." ”

Because monks often sit and meditate and chant scriptures, their stomachs will become fat when they sit for a long time, while Taoist priests will often move around, so they will not be too fat.

Taoist priests can only appear immortal in order to appear thin; The Buddha statue is realized with the hearts of all living beings, and the so-called idealism is the image given to him by the world.

In our history, Buddhism was first introduced from the Han Dynasty. At that time, Buddhism was not as widespread as it was. Until the Tang Dynasty, they were fat for beauty.

In order to unify the country and attack the Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian promoted Buddhism to suppress Taoism. Li Tang admired Lao Tzu Li Er and considered himself his descendant. Therefore, he vigorously advocated Taoism as the basis for governing the country.

Wu Zetian did the opposite. She valued Buddhism, and since then, temples have been everywhere. That is, since then, there has been a saying that monks are fat and Taoists are thin.

Secondly, Buddhism focuses on vegetarianism, chanting and meditation, and the amount of exercise is very limited. When Buddhism was introduced to China, both the ancestors of the Buddha and the Bodhisattva Guanyin showed off their plump bodies. Especially in the Tang Dynasty, Tang Dynasty women regarded obesity as their beauty.

In addition, Buddhism emphasizes that everything is empty. Buddhists have to cultivate their morality, cultivate their nature, and not be distracted, which will make the body more and more full. As a result, the monks we usually see in temples are comparatively fat.

They are vegetarians, recite Buddhism, read the Four Books and Five Classics, and do not need to read them with others. For them, it is normal to knock on the wood fish to meditate for a day without exercising, and as a result, they are getting fatter and fatter.

Taoism is different in that they focus on practice, and the highest state of Taoism is the cultivation of immortals, and their ultimate goal is to pursue supernatural immortal qualities. They practice martial arts every day with the aim of traveling around. They also stipulate not to eat any food for a few days in their daily life and gradually lose interest in food.

It's natural for them to be thin. Of course, there are exceptions to everything, and we can't think that all monks are fat and all Taoist priests are thin. For example, some temples also have monks who practice martial arts.