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日中一食就是早餐也不吃東西，晚間也不吃東西，只在中午十一點到十二點這個期間吃飯，這叫日中一食。所以一般
不明白佛教的人，以為日中一食就是持午，其實不是！這叫日中一食。持午的，就是早餐吃，晚間不吃，中午吃，這叫持午。你等那個晚間也吃，中午也吃，早晨也
吃，這叫能吃（吃飯能吃）。受戒的時候問你：「能持否？」有的答就說：「能吃」，他不說「能持」，他說「能吃」，專門會吃東西。這個日中一食，是依照佛的
制度，佛的規則（制度，就是規則，就是規矩。）來修行的。佛只中午來應供。早晨是天人應供，天人吃飯的時候；中午呢？是佛吃飯的時候；等過午未的時候，這
是畜生吃東西的時候；晚間，就是鬼吃東西的時候。出家人為什麼晚間不吃東西呢？就因為你晚間一吃東西，這筷子、碗一響，那鬼他就想來同你搶東西吃，那麼人
吃的東西到鬼的口裡就變成火，一變成火，他就生瞋恨心，就跟你搗蛋，令你生病。所以修行的人，晚間不吃東西，是這個原因。這叫日中一食。
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This means that you do not eat in
the morning or in the evening, but only between the hours of eleven and
twelve o'clock in the morning. Some who don't understand the
Buddhadharma confuse "eating only once a day in the middle of the day"
with not eating after noon. Actually, "not eating after noon" means one
eats in the morning and at noon, but not in the evening. If you eat in
the morning, at noon, and in the evening, then you certainly are one
who can eat! In China, when one receives the precepts, they ask, "Neng
chi fou?" which means "Can you keep them?" The preceptee answers, "Neng
chi!" which means "I can keep them." However, some of them answer "Neng
chi!" which sounds the same but means "I can eat." When one eats one
meal a day at midday, one is cultivating according to the Buddha's
rules. The Buddha only accepted offerings of food at noon. Gods eat in
the morning, Buddhas eat at noon, animals eat in the afternoon, and
ghosts eat at night. Those who have left home do not eat at night
because when ghosts hear the clatter of chopsticks and dishes at night,
they come to steal the food. The food the people are eating turns into
fire in the ghosts' mouths and they get angry and take revenge by
making people sick. That's the reason cultivators of the Way do not eat
at night.
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