Fasting - A spiritual Practice .............

[Guest guest]

This is the holy month of Ramadhan where devout muslims

observe 'Fating' for a 30 day period !

 

Gandhiji had this to say on Fasting " What the eyes are for the

outer world, fasts are for the inner " !

 

Yes! now-a-days , teenagers and others undertake 'fasting ' for

cosmetic reasons to get slimmer or lose . But t in my humble

opinion, Fasting should be done only for 'spiritual' reasons ! I

remember when i was a teenager i used to use Fasting as a weapon(

blackmail) to coerce my parents to bend to akll my wishes - for a

new dress etc etc .... ! Looking back , i wonder how immature and

selfish i had been !! SMILE :-)

 

Our babaji wanted me to post some Rumi poems here ! Here is one to

fill the mind while the stomach is empty! ...

 

 

There's hidden sweetness in the stomach's emptiness.

We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox

is stuffed full of anything, no music.

If the brain and belly are burning clean

with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire.

The fog clears, and new energy makes you

run up the steps in front of you.

Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry.

Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen.

When you're full of food and drink, Satan sits

where your spirit should, an ugly metal statue

in place of the Kaaba. When you fast,

good habits gather like friends who want to help.

Fasting is Solomon's ring. Don't give it

to some illusion and lose your power,

but even if you have, if you've lost all will and control,

they come back when you fast, like soldiers appearing

out of the ground, pennants flying above them.

A table descends to your tents,

Jesus' table.

Expect to see it, when you fast, this table

spread with other food, better than the broth of cabbages.

 

-- from The Illuminated Rumi, Translated by Coleman Barks

 

http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/R/RumiJelaludd/Fasting.htm

 

Folks , of all the organs , the tongue is the hardest to control ...

Talking and eating - both when done in excess leads to chaos ! That

is why in the upanishads , it is advised that spiritual aspirants

should observe 'fasting' ( upavasam) and mauna vrata ( vow of

silence) every now and then to rest the 'tongue' ! Gandhiji himself

observed 'mauna ' vrata and 'fasting' every now and then as part of

spiritual discipline !

 

btw , has anyone read munshi premchand's boodi kaki ? wee; the poor

aunty had lost all her senses but her 'tongue' was still craving for

good and tasty food!

 

LOVE AND REGARDS