According to the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* and the teachings of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, eating is illusory and unreal in the ultimate truth (Tathatā), but in the conventional truth (phenomenal world), it has a temporary function and karmic retribution. The following points, based on the *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* and Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's explanation, are explained in sections:
1. The Essence and Reality (Tathatā): The physical body and food are both illusory.
The Four Elements as a False Composition: Master Hsuan Hua taught that practitioners do not need to take food and clothing too seriously; as long as they can maintain the body, which is a "false composition of the four elements" (earth, water, fire, and wind), they are content. The human body is essentially a temporary combination of earth, water, fire, and wind, and the food and nutrients used to maintain this body are naturally also illusory, arising and ceasing due to causes and conditions.
Mistaking the false for the true: In the Surangama Sutra, the Buddha revealed that all forms and appearances in the world, as well as the experiences (such as the taste of food), are illusions within the true nature. If one clings to the belief that there is a real, unchanging "self" eating "real" things, this is mistaking the false for the true, and being swayed by the illusory realms of the six senses.
2. Phenomenon and Cause and Effect: Food and Desire are Intertwined, a Cycle of Birth and Death
The Illusory Karma of Food and Sex: Venerable Master Hsuan Hua repeatedly pointed out that "sex" and "food" are inseparable. When people develop an appetite and crave delicious food and nutrition, their bodies become obese, which in turn breeds lust and leads to countless delusions and karmic consequences such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
The Web of Cause and Effect in the Mutual Devouring of All Beings: The *Śūraṅgama Sūtra* explicitly states that all beings in the ten directions are born and die in a cycle of mutual devouring. Humans eat sheep, sheep die and become humans, and humans die and become sheep. This phenomenon of mutual cannibalism is a web of evil karma arising from greed and the desire to steal. Although the actions and sensations of eating are very realistic in the moment, this drama of mutual killing and repaying blood debts is essentially a great dream of birth and death after losing one's true nature.
3. Attitude towards Spiritual Practice: Using the False to Cultivate the True, Without Greed or Defilement
Master Hsuan Hua emphasized that one should follow the "Middle Way" when it comes to food, simply maintaining life without excessively craving nutrition or deliciousness. Understand that food and physical body are illusions, and that they are meant to be used to cultivate the Tao, listen to the Dharma, and transform from ordinary to saintly, rather than to nourish greed and deepen negative karma.
Further Reading: To understand Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's vow and upholding of the authenticity of the Surangama Sutra, please refer to "A Simple Explanation of the Surangama Sutra."
For a deeper understanding of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's teachings on dietary desires and self-discipline in spiritual practice, please see Venerable Master Hsuan Hua's teachings on moderation in eating and reducing desires.
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