Here is "food for thought" from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, via Snow Lion:
Dalai Lama Quote of the Week
Buddha teaches that one should not practice extremes.... As Nagarjuna's "Precious Garland of Advice" says,
Practice is not done
By mortifying the body,
Since you have not forsaken injuring others
And are not helping others.
When you disregard the basic needs of the body, you harm the many sentient organisms that live within the body. You should also avoid the opposite extreme of living in great luxury. It is possible to make use of good food, clothing, residence, and furnishings without producing afflictive emotions such as attachment, pride, and arrogance. The crucial point is the control of internal factors such as lust and attachment; external factors are not in and of themselves good or bad. It is not suitable if attachment increases toward even mediocre food, clothing, and so forth.
Contentment is the key. If you have contentment with material things, you are truly rich. Without it, even if you are a billionaire, you will not have happiness. You will always feel hungry and want more and more and more, making you not rich but poor. If you seek contentment externally, it will never happen. Your desire will never be fulfilled. Our texts speak of a king who gained control over the world, at which point he began thinking about taking over the lands of the gods. In the end his good qualities were destroyed by pride. Contentment is necessary for happiness, so try to be satisfied with adequate food, clothing, and shelter.
--from How to Expand Love: Widening the Circle of Loving Relationships
by H.H. the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins
Please join in this thread if you have an interest in Buddhism and weight loss.
((Stops fishing around in her purse for a card that says "Buddhist")) Oh good.
Hi! I'm glad I found this post, and want to thank those who've contributed. I've been studying for about a year now, but would not go so far as to say I've established a reliable practice.
I'd like to share an experience I have had that relates to your topic of attachment:
About six years ago I lost a lot of weight, got very healthy and fit, and was able to buy beautiful clothing that I loved. I had a couple of bad years where I put my weight back on and more, and none of my beautiful clothing fit anymore. Thinking I would lose the weight again, I kept the clothes - sometimes in my closet, sometimes packed in boxes. I've moved twice in that time, always taking those clothes with me.
Earlier this year, I realized that I feel weighed down by the amount of stuff I have, including those clothes. About a month ago, I carefully unpacked and sorted all of them, and thought about people in my life who were those sizes now. I gave them all away to people who wanted and needed them, and those beautiful clothes brought my friends joy, and that in turn brought me joy.
Since then I have lost more than 15 pounds. Bear in mind that I've been trying to lose weight on and off without success for the last six years. This time, though, I am trying to stay present, and do the work I needed to do today to make myself healthy. By letting go of those clothes I have gained immeasurable peace and may well have cleared the way to becoming physically healthier again.
Beautiful things can be enjoyed and appreciated, but there may be a time when it is right to let them go.
Thanks for posting.
Hello, Me_Amarie! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. I, too, am holding on to some clothing that no longer fits--but in my case it is too big, and I don't intend to go back, so why am I clinging to it? I think you've inspired me to clean out the closet.
I think one must constantly let go of everything, really--because things are changing, and change never stops in the flow of cause and effect!
I think one must constantly let go of everything, really--because things are changing, and change never stops in the flow of cause and effect!
Exactly! It's pretty tough, though, because we grew up in a culture where one's sense of "me" quickly devolves into "mine" and self-definition based on possessions. So in a sense we have to work against our upbringing.
Yes... thinking that our "personality" is real... and that we can own things, and we can't let go of them because then who will we be?
Who indeed?
With me and food, it's so easy for me to see my desire to repeat the pleasurable experience. Again. And again. And... of course, there is no end to the number of temptations or pleasurable sensations we could have.
I remember a reading I came across a while back (sorry can't remember who or where) that discussed how pleasure was a key source of suffering. That may seem antithetical, but it makes sense to me, and what you just said adds some extra insight - pleasure has the power to create strong memories that generate longing and drag us out of the present moment.
I really like the concept that what we strive for is not pleasure, but contentment. And I wonder how I can incorporate that into my efforts to lose weight. Certainly with portion control - stopping when I'm satisfied and not when I am over-full. I also wonder if maybe I can change the way I think about certain foods that create that kind of intense almost drug-like pleasure. Goodness knows I've used frenchfries as a drug in the past, on purpose even.
I have foods that are like that for me, too. They just make me want more, more, more--and so I try not to be around them. Perhaps some day I'll be able to look at such foods with equanimity.
That's what I think is part of contentment--having equanimity toward things, rather than constantly being tossed by desire, attachment, aversion, and so on.
I was listening to an audio book by Pema Chodron this weekend about Tonglen (sp?) and have decided that I will incorporate tonglen practice into my weightloss journey. Meditating with breath, I will breath in the suffering of people who are unhappy with their bodies and suffer from being overweight. On the out breath I will send them my heart-wish that they know peace and contentment with themselves. I will breath in their jagged, edgy cravings and desire to overeat junk food, and on the out breath I will send them the wish that they feel satiated on healthy nourishing food.
Jay - have you used meditation in your weight loss? Any thoughts?
I haven't used meditation in my weight loss. I'm not sure how that would work. I use meditation to quiet the mind. Sometimes thoughts of food and eating come up, but like all other thoughts, I simply note them and let them pass by.
Tonglen does sound perfect! I like what you intend with it. Pema Chodron is such a good teacher--she explains things so well.
Last night I was sitting in front of the fireplace eating a pomegranate, which is in and of itself a kind of meditation for me. Poms are just about done for the season, and I was getting a little upset about it. Then I realized that I was totally attaching to them and that this, too, could be a lesson in embracing great things when they come into your life, and letting them freely go when it is their time.
I love how this stuff sneaks up on me unexpectedly! Have a great day everyone.
Last edited by Amarie2pt0; 01-31-2008 at 02:48 PM.
About two years ago it occurred to me that I really should take the first precept seriously and become a veg, which I did, and then it occurred to me that No Self meant the fat me no longer existed, or never existed, and I lost 47 pounds...
But I gained 20 back so now I'm trying all over again. I've been vegan for three months too.
hi there, although im not a practicing buddhist, my husband and I both have for a very long time enjoyed and find a lot of meaning in it all...and i enjoyed reading this thread, especially the first post regarding not indulging in extremes...i have printed the post out and will post it on my fridge...it hits home for me...and i believe will provide some ground for my weightloss journey, which ofcourse is an emotional, personal and individual journey in itself...so yeah thanks for starting this thread, i think i will keep an eye on it to help me through this journey...
Buddhists Support #4
as long as it isn't killed just for me of course
and the Buddhist thread!
