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30 EASTERN HORIZON | FEATURES

What It Means to

Harmonize Your Diet

By Ven Chang Xiang Fashi

Ven. Chang Xiang Fashi was born in the city of Gaoxiong, Taiwan.
He entered the Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha University in
2004, and in 2006 received his full ordination. During this time,
he attended over 20 intensive Chan retreats, as well as received
training and gained extensive experience and familiarity with
leading the Dharma Drum lineage style of Chan practice. During
this period, he also served as the Sangha University Student
Services Health Services Manager, Planning Department Leader, as
well as student counselor. He is fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese, and
speaks English.

To harmonize your diet is to know how to eat properly. 3. Hygienic
4. Reasonably Priced
I come from Taiwan, and I think many people know that
in Taiwan, there are lots of delicious foods. So Taiwanese Those are the four principles we have to follow when
people love to eat, and they know how to make good we serve food. You can notice there’s no ‘Delicious’
food. I like delicious food too, but when I came here as a principle there. Making the food delicious is not our
monk, I was put in charge of the kitchen; so it’s my duty first priority. That’s not even in the four principles, even
to serve people healthy food, and to harmonize their though most people like delicious food, and most of the
diet, because the food we serve here at the monastery time that’s the first reason why they eat a particular
is what the practitioners have to eat – they don’t have meal. When you go out to eat, the first concern is: “Does
much choice. this restaurant’s food taste good?” For the majority of
people, taste is what matters most. But people come
There are certain principles we have to follow in the here to the monastery to practice – we don’t want them
kitchen. We couldn’t serve hamburgers and French fries to expect too much from the food; although, our chefs
every meal – that would make practitioners sick. So are very good at cooking food, so most of the time our
we have to serve a healthy diet, and we have to make food is delicious. But that’s not what is most important.
the nutrition balanced, because that’s very important
during a retreat: if you can’t eat good food, or enough The Connection Between Diet & Buddhist Practice
food, that would generate many problems.
Why do we have these four principles about our food? If
The four principles we have to follow in the kitchen are you ever attended one of our retreats, you would know
clear – the food must be: that before we eat, we will recite a short liturgy. There’s
1. Nutritious a part of the liturgy called The Five Contemplations,
2. Healthy which I’ll read now: