With the help of Sutta Central may I translate: Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146 Kammanirodhasutta (The Cessation of Action) "Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.”

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Ultimately it’s more of a continuous lifestyle than a pick-up and put-down skillset. The ubiquity of this paragraph in the texts speaks to the necessity of continuity for progress. The seclusion mentioned is simply the small training wheel that helps right the bicycle for the trainee. The Noble Truths and 8-Fold Path are properly inflated tires which are balanced by appropriate sense restraint. Jhana is a fluid mental state that done rightly is anti-fragile. Just as once learned to ride a bicycle is hard to unlearn, unless you lose your sense of balance, so too jhana is hard to unlearn: unless you lose your sense restraint. See: suttacentral.net/an3.63/en/bodhi (Sujato’s translation is problematic. Where Bhikkhu Bodhi utilizes his footnotes Sujato just outright alters the text.) One must be careful trusting ANY translation as authoritative. 🙏🏼

There is a story of how Buddha was approached by a wealthy man who enjoyed all the pleasures of life, including eating whatever he wants, however much he wants and whenever he wants. But the man approached buddha because of the illness and ailments that plagued him- he was obese, had joint pain and constantly ill. Buddha recommended in regards to his health that he eat in moderation, and that when he consistently do this he will become healthy again. The wealthy man did this and returned to Buddha a healthy man, no longer obese no longer in pain and no longer ill. Eating in moderation is basically dieting, selective control of nutritional intake over scheduled periods. Science proves that a semi-vegetarian diet that also contains white meats such as chicken and fish with no red meat such as pork and beef (your Sri Lankan diet) administered in small portions but at multiple times per day (like a diabetic) will provide a consistent source of proper nutrition that allows your body to start curing itself as it now has the proper fuel to run on. Furthermore a daily intake of multi vitamins, probiotics and supplements coupled with daily cardio exercise + calisthenics will boost immunity, cardiovascular and respiratory health, burn excess weight, relieve stress and eliminate other ailments. A healthy diet is important, but is harder to accomplish in the west. This is not due to one’s self but to the system itself. The standard American diet is full of sodium, sugar, and processed foods derived from genetically modified plants and animals. The Meat is on steroids and plants have been modified for over 50 years of engineering to have an insane amount of fiber, resulting in EVERYTHING having potent amounts of Gluten. Our body doesn’t produce enough enzymes to counter the Gluten spike that comes from the genetically modified food we eat, the consequence of excess gluten leads to gastrointestinal issues such as leaky gut syndrome which is now being considered the main cause of gastric issues that is associated with fatigue, weakness, and more

@Grant Kirks it is for people that is taking the 8 precept, in addition, as you quote yourself, (paraphrase) you have a choice of eating whenever you want, or use the opportunity for sense restraint

@Grant Kirks "As long as one is not eating because of sensual pleasure, I believe one can eat whenever one wants." One way of testing if one eat because of sensual pleasure or not, is to eat the exact same food, same dishes, same way of cooking at all time. Then we might have a clearer understanding of are we going for the taste or just the nutrition to maintain this body. :)

I know this may come a bit late seeing that your comment is five months old. But look at what you just wrote: "As long as one is not eating because of sensual pleasures, I believe one can eat whenever one wants.". Now here's the problem with your reasoning. When you don't pursue the sense-restraint of eating only during certain times, then eating may happen as a consequence of wanting/craving for food. Unless you are an arahant, falling prey to craving may happen throughout the day at any point. Unless you have put your existence within a certain pre-determined framework, you won't have a system in place that can warn you whenever you may fall into the trap of craving. Only then will your mind always decide to eat within the larger picture of you having sworn only to eat at certain times. If you then happen to experience craving for food on account of you wanting to escape the boredom of a neutral feeling, that will be so much more directly obvious within this framework than without it.