Before chanting :
1) Must rinse mouth. Just rinse with water will do ? Must brush
teeth ?
2) Can eat meat or garlic ?
3) If weather hot , can dont wear shirt and chant ? ( i think
it's a 'no' but want to confirm ) :)
4) Any other examples or internet links ?
After chanting :
1) Can eat meat ?
2) What is considered as ' 1 day ' in buddhism ? 12am 25th July
to 12am 26th July ?
3) Any other examples or links ?
Before
chanting:
Point 1) I think you had answered it yourself, just rinse to
make sure no food particle etc.
Point 2) If I took meat or garlic and if the smell is strong, I
will chew some mint sweets first. And about eating garlic that will
pissed devas off and attract spirits, this one is what the older
generation passed down, true or not I don't know. But personal
experience is, once you started chanting, be it buddha/pusa-name,
mantra or sutra, spirits will come.
Point 3) Usually my own morning puja, I just do it in singlet
and shorts after I wash-up. I think not wrong to take off shirt to
chant but I will feel weird if I am going to do it. On special day
when I do special chanting I even put on haiqing, even if the
weather is very hot. You're chanting at home what, after chanting
can go for shower, so no big issue.
Point 4) Examples of what?
After
chanting:
Point 1) Why not? Unless you're doing the observation of the 8
precepts or that you have certain practice of avoidance of taking
meat on certain days, commonly 1st and 15th of the lunar month.
Point 2) 1 day, for conventional convenience would be what you
had mentioned, midnight to midnight. Strictly speaking, it should
be following the time that was observed during Buddha's time, which
I suppose no one would have any idea how was it measured. If you
follow the Chinese Mahayana tradition, you can consider following
the Chinese lunar calender way. I followed that, and to me, 1 day
is 11pm to 11pm (of the next day), 子时至子时.
Point 3) Example of what again?