Hello everyone,
I’m wondering if vegeterianism could be a boost in meditation, maybe at the level of the energies …
Do you have any experience to share ?
I cannot really compare much.
2009 is my first retreat, but I was already influenced to go flexitarian around then.
End of 2013 I turned vegetarian, but also started to upgrade to 4 retreats per year.
Fuzzy period of turning into vegan, sometime around 2019- 2020, got into robes at Oct 2020. So really it could be independent of each other. As I develop meditation by going to more retreats when I was lay.
I am vegan for environment, then compassion, then health, so health is low on the agenda already, no need to mention energy levels for meditation.
Certainly, I find it easy to eat once a day and not use the tonics.
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I mainly focus on Mantra Meditation.
Coincidentally, my greatest achievements Meditationally came when I was eating meat nearly every day. But that had nothing to do with my diet, I just started to strive more on the Buddhist Path around that time. Eating meat also really opened my eyes to the Truth of Suffering. But eating meat for me was due to circumstance, not even necessarily full choice. I’d rather be vegan, but I live in some conditions from time to time where I can’t always pick my own food. And sometimes I choose nutrition over lack of it. This has been the case for the past six years.
However I feel that I had a drive pushing me to succeed Spiritually because I was vegetarian/vegan for 13 years before that. My ideal diet is a vegetarian one. I personally am a proponent of a vegetarian diet. However I am not the best example of it these days. Though, I am still practicing Buddhism every day. My belief is that people shouldn’t eat meat, even though I personally do. This is due to circumstance. I am sorry.
I do want to say however, that those times when I am able to be vegetarian, I generally chant more, am more clearer, stay up longer, and communicate the Dhamma better. One of my goals is to become vegetarian/vegan again. 
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May I ask you which one ?..
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I do not have citations to medical research.
If you do vegetarianism correctly, it can make you healthier, which will improve your meditation somewhat.
In terms of health issues and animal cruelty, “milk is liquid meat”. If you want to improve your health, it is better to minimize dairy products and eggs.
The most important factor in improving meditation is consistency.
Forget impressive amounts of time sitting, strive to not miss a day. You will get easily noticeable results.
I chant many Vedic Mantras, but I practice Buddhism as my primary Tradition. Here are some Tibetan Buddhist ones, and one Japanese:
Om Mani Padme Hum (Jewel of the Lotus Mantra, Tibetan),
Hanu Bha Sha Bhara He Ye Svaha (Instant Liberation Mantra, Tibetan),
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (Devotion to the Lotus Sutra, Japanese),
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Mama Ayur Jhana Punye Putim Kuru Soha (White Tara Mantra, Tibetan),
Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha (Green Tara Mantra, Tibetan),
Om Muni Muni Mahamuni Soha (Shakyamuni Buddha, Tibetan),
Teyata Om Bekanze Bekanze Mahabekanze Bekanze Radza Samutgate Soha (Medicine Buddha, Tibetan),
Om Bhaisajye Bhaisajye Mahabhaisajya Samutgate Svaha (Medicine Buddha, Tibetan),
Many others as well…
Most of those Mantras are Tibetan, though I chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo the most, which is Japanese.
Spiritually, I have never been ashamed by anyone’s Spiritual choices, so I hope I can share this on an EBT forum and that no one will be ashamed of me. I promote EBT’s and I think anyone of any Spiritual Tradition(s) should be able to incorporate EBT’s into their life. I personally do, and I believe the world will benefit if we allow all sorts of Seekers to participate. I believe in all of Theravada as well and incorporate it into my practice. 
When I was vegetarian I was mostly practicing Sanatana Dharma, even vegetarianism was like a religion for me, albeit a healthy one. These days I take on the ideal of the Bodhisattva. I plan on becoming like Buddha one day. He set the bar. So I try to take in as many Spiritual Teachings as I can, I accept all the Buddhist Vehicles: Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Theravada. I also accept all of the Buddhist Schools. And, I believe all religions come from God whom I do believe in (I think believing in God fully is one of the most difficult things for someone to do. But Buddha taught us about many real Devas, so it’s an easy concept to accept, I respect everyone’s beliefs here however).
Lots of monks and nuns who meditate well eat meat. The Buddha ate meat.
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Thank you very much for your sharing !
Do you find them useful to concentrate the mind ? Mine is pretty short compared to these ones, it’s “Buddho”. But if my mind doesn’t stick, I take “Buddho Dhammo Sangho”.
Waw, buddhahood is a very high goal ! I hope you’ll develop much of the jhānas and the brahmavihāras in this lifetime so that this long travel will be more pleasant and less painful.
Thank you so much. Following the Way of Theravada one can also attain a High Plane and come to Buddhahood without suffering for eons. Suffering can be a choice, too. We don’t have to suffer to attain. This is my hope.
There’s more that contributes to nutrition than whether it’s meat that is eaten. Balancing protein, fat, and carbs is the primary influence on bodily energy as well as micronutrients like vitamins. Most people don’t know how to balance this. You can look up calculators, but you also need to actually track it. Some assume that the specific food matters rather than the its makeup and amount, but it is all reduced into the same thing. Without meat, you should readdress where you are getting protein from and possibly fat, B12, Omega-3, and some minerals from. It’s easily substituted with dairy and nuts. The same goes for when donating food.
It’s also very important to not eat any more than you need or any less for virtue, and people tend to eat more than they actually need.
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After eat hamburger and meditate, I have heavy gut and fall asleep.
After eat asparagus and meditate, I have light gut and wieldy mind.
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I would suggest that it may or may not, on the grounds that sila is the basis of a happy mind.
If you are vegetarian to ‘get’ good mediations… probably not.
If you are vegetarian because it is a foundational ethical pricipal for you, then you should be able to derive gladness from this. This is just the same as the gladness we might get from other ethical choices (sila). The gladness of a blameless/happy mind is a strong foundation for meditation.
By saying this I am not taking a position either way on vegetarianism for other people. I know it makes me happy though.
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This may have to do with caloric intake. Otherwise you are comparing apples to oranges. I doubt if the caloric intake and the protein/fat was matched there would be as dramatic of a difference.
I don’t see how this discussion can be anything other than talk of personal practice which is not really permitted on the forum. It certainly won’t have anything to do with EBTs
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One less chunk of another living being for this one’s continuation of practice. May all find this source of gladness. Saddhu
To that, I say: Sādhu sādhu !
How have you been able to do that ? What tonics are there at your monastery ? Is cheese as a tonic allowable at your monastery ? In Thailand, it is.
I have been to 30 plus retreats and trained in 8 precepts for a while when I was lay, at some point even just deciding to skip dinner or have 2 meals per day instead of 3.
At SBS, I upgraded to one meal per day, as the earliest we can eat is around 8:40am and it’s not much time to split into 2 meals anyway. But I do split if I take too much food.
In Na Uyana, I skipped breakfast to save time for Pāḷi studies.
I just set up the 7 days tonics thing in Brahmavihara. We have sugar, honey, mainly those. As a vegan basically I can only get sugar as oil really is dangerous to simply drink. I do use tonics in Na Uyana more often. Or else I normally am more disciplined. And sugar is bad for keto diet, it makes the stomach switch to fat burning later, can cause more hunger. So try not to drink sugar drinks after noon time.
Nope, cheese is not in the 5 tonics.
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I think that being vegetarian is good for health if it provides enough nutrients.
However, in my personal opinion, practicing meditation is not related to being vegetarian or eating meat. Clinging to vegetarianism is not as good as continuing to eat meat without attachment 
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