The Practitioner and Blood Sugar: Hunger Is Happiness, But Why?

We often think that eating vegetarian is wholesome, yet there is a disease quietly stalking those who practice and maintain a lifelong vegetarian diet: diabetes. Why is that? In the dharma talk "The Practitioner and Blood Sugar," Master Thích Chân Quang explains this illness thoroughly, while also revealing a profound lesson: hunger is happiness.

Diabetes – A Danger That Spares No One

The Master begins with a troubling truth: monastics and lay practitioners who eat a lifelong vegetarian diet are by no means immune to diabetes.

"From laypeople in the world to those who practice within the path, diabetes spares no one."

Diabetes does not kill quickly like AIDS or bird flu, but it is silent and persistent. The Master tells of a monk who "had a very fine, handsome appearance," until one day he "could no longer squeeze the lock." At the clinic, his blood sugar was far too high, and a cascade of complications followed: kidney failure, blindness, foot ulcers requiring amputation, and even sudden coma while driving.

The Mechanism of Absorption: Why Sugar Cannot Enter the Cells

To understand why diabetes is so dangerous, the Master explains how food passes through the various "gates" of digestion: the mouth, the stomach, the intestines, the liver, and so on. But the most important gate is the final one: delivering glucose into the cells. Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, is the "door opener" for the cells. Without insulin, sugar circulating in the blood is "like a car driving on the road that can never reach home." Glucose becomes stuck, causing three harms: it attacks red blood cells so oxygen cannot reach the brain, causing coma; it deforms white blood cells so the body loses its immunity; and it clings to platelets, blocking blood vessels.

Two Types of Diabetes: Type One and Type Two

The Master draws a clear distinction. In Type One, the pancreas does not produce insulin, so patients must inject insulin from outside. In Type Two, the pancreas does produce insulin, but too little, or the insulin is deformed in its molecular structure and cannot open the door of the cells. Type Two is easier to treat and is more common in older people with irregular eating habits.

Why the Pancreas Weakens

According to the Master, there are many causes of pancreatic damage: heredity, age, stimulants, stress, and lack of exercise. But the most common and noteworthy cause is the habit of eating before one is truly hungry. The Master emphasizes:

"Eating when not truly hungry is suicide."

In the temples, many people claim their vegetarian diet lacks nutrition, so they eat five extra meals a day, never giving the pancreas a chance to rest. The result is an exhausted pancreas and diabetes. The Master warns that the wealthy are no different: "No matter how rich you are, you can never eat more than what you have earned through your labor." Meanwhile, poor farmers who eat little and labor much rarely suffer from diabetes.

A Profound Lesson: Hunger Is Happiness

From this cause, the Master draws a profound lesson:

"Happiness is when each day we have hunger pains that come on time, regularly."

Hunger is not suffering (dukkha); it is a signal telling us the body needs rest. Knowing how to listen to hunger, eating at the right time and eating just enough, is precisely how we nourish the pancreas and maintain our health.

The Master also points out the limits of Western medicine: injecting external insulin or taking blood-sugar-lowering drugs like glyburide is merely "whipping a horse that has already exhausted its strength," forcing the pancreas to work harder without addressing the root cause.

Advice for Practitioners and Vegetarians

To prevent this disease, we need to change our habits: eat only when truly hungry, avoid snacking, and never skip or add meals carelessly. At the same time, we should practice qigong and meditative concentration to strengthen the energy of the spine, keep the mind and heart joyful, and avoid stress. As the Master says:

"Now we finally know that hunger is happiness. Happiness is not about having food. Happiness is when each day we have hunger pains that come on time, regularly."

High blood sugar is a reminder about moderation and humility. Let us listen to our own bodies, and never let the pancreas become overloaded by cravings that are not real hunger. May each of us find peace in every meal, in every breath, and understand that hunger is a gift we need to cherish.