Comparison of the experience of food restriction between fasting Buddhist monks/nuns and American lay Buddhists

Abstract

The presented study was intended to investigate the subjective experience of hunger and mechanisms for coping with hunger in Tibetan Buddhist monks/nuns and in Americans who practice Tibetan Buddhism as lay people. The experience of hunger between male and female participants was also compared. This was exploratory research on a topic that had not been studied previously. One hundred monks and nuns, and 26 lay practitioners were administered a self-report questionnaire comprising three parts focused on: 1) the subjects' opinions about the Buddhist fasting practice of Nyungne; 2) the capacity to stand hunger; 3) mechanisms for coping with hunger. Subjects' general experience with hunger was similar to instances described in the literature, and they valued most those mechanisms for coping with hunger which were related to Buddhist spirituality and philosophy. The differences detected between the groups may reflect cultural differences and varying degrees of religious devotion. No significant differences were detected between male and female participants.