A share plate of Kirsty Kreme donuts for a meditation class?
Hi, I’m really enjoying this subreddit, thank you to all the contributors, it’s been a great break from normal trivial social media.
I’m going for a one day introductory meditation retreat tomorrow at a local temple to learn some meditation techniques.
They’ve asked meditators to bring a plate of food to share. I’m not much of a cook and have been thinking of what to bring.
I was considering some bananas or fruit but then had the idea to take a large tray of Krispy Kreme.
There is a note saying ‘anything will do’ under the request for a plate of food, but is I’m a little nervous and just looking for a little guidance on whether or not a box of Krispy Kreme is a good idea?
Do I need to cook food? Should it be healthy?
Any advice or guidance would be appreciated.
May all beings be happy and free from suffering
You seeem to make the assumption that offered food is always diverse and bountiful and monastics can just choose the healthier options if they wish.
There are places and occasions where people have to choose between eating unhealthy food or starve.
In the modern area, in society at large, look at the problems we have with heart disease, diabetes, morbid obesity. These are no accidents, they have cause. Promoting good health one healthy dish at a time helps to change the culture of unhealthy humans (as a collective whole).
level 2
Yeah fruit would be better by a long shot, or at least something not as sweet as donuts and have some nutritional value
The article below is from 2019, but still relevant today
Thailand’s Buddhist Monks Urged to Watch their Waistlines amid Obesity Epidemic
In December last year, health and religious officials published the National Health Charter for Monks, aimed at providing guidance for members of the clergy to watch what they eat. Earlier this year, Thailand’s Public Health Department called on members of the public to be less generous with sugar-loaded sweets and snacks, and to offer healthier foods to monks during their daily alms rounds.
While Theravada monks in Thailand normally fast daily between noon and sunrise, with the exception of soft drinks and other liquids, the quantity of snack foods, cakes, puddings, dumplings, and traditional desserts they receive along with more savory offerings, coupled with a lack of physical activity, has resulted in the number of overweight monks now exceeding the national average—with a 48 per cent obesity rate, a 42 per cent rate of high blood pressure, and high levels of heart disease and cholesterol among monastics, according to a 2016 survey of monks by Chulalongkorn University. In a country that already exhibits one of the highest obesity rates in Asia (second only to Malaysia), this is a serious problem.
There is also the sensitive subject of exhibiting aversion by turning down offerings. “According to Lord Buddha’s teaching, whatever [laypeople] offer, we have to accept. We can’t deny, we can’t reject,” said Phra Rajvoramuni, assistant abbot at Sungvej temple in Bangkok, who co-authored the National Health Charter for Monks. (Bangkok Post)
Phra Rajvoramuni hopes that health education can be a catalyst for much-needed change—including regular basic medical check-ups. “The monks also should do something, like exercise . . . like walking meditation, cleaning the temple in the morning, sweeping the grounds,” he added. (Bangkok Post)
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