Why are most monks fat and Taoists thin? Is there any pattern?

Taoism and Buddhism are all over the country, and many people are very familiar with the images of Taoists and monks. The man in cloth is a Taoist, and the one holding beads is a monk, who is kind-hearted. Most monks are fat, while Taoists are thin. The reason is actually very simple.

When Buddhism was first introduced to China, Guanyin and Tathagata were not plump. Later, Buddhism gradually flourished, and in addition, obesity was the beauty in the Tang Dynasty, which also laid the groundwork for the later obesity of Buddhists. Buddhism pays attention to self-cultivation and meditation in monasteries, and lacks exercise, so the body of monks will become more and more plump. Even the Buddha statues enshrined in temples are fatter.

Taoism, on the other hand, pays attention to self-cultivation, which is different from Buddhism. Taoism worships the old gentleman, so many Taoists like to dress up as saints. Taoists generally practice martial arts to keep fit. They are very casual about life and diet, so they are thinner.

Although Taoist priests meditate, chant Buddhist scriptures and fast, they also practice martial arts, such as standing stakes and boxing, the most representative of which is Tai Ji Chuan. Compared with monks, Taoists obviously pay more attention to health preservation and pursue longevity, which is the most fundamental difference between Buddhism and Taoism. Buddhism pays attention to the causal cycle, so it pays attention to the future afterlife, while Taoism advocates life and pursues this life, so it pays more attention to longevity.

In fact, no matter the children of Taoism or Buddhism, everyone has their own characteristics, and the laws we sum up are not necessarily eternal. In the face of every yogi, what we look at is not their figure, but whether they devote themselves to practice.