Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Hello Folks,
In my last post I talked a little bit about the definition of fasting and what the benefits of fasting might be, but now I want to get into where fasting came from.
You can check out my first article called Fasting And All Of The Facets Part 1: Day 205 by CLICKING HERE.
Here are my reflections on fasting:
- It may not have been a choice for our ancestors, no food means fasting must happen
- Because of forced fasting due to lack of food, it became a ritual during certain seasons; perhaps when food sources were low due to weather changes during the season
- Our ancestors noticed that when they were sick they lost their appetite and healed from the ailment much faster
- Our ancestors noticed some spiritual experiences resulting from long periods of fasting and decided it had spiritual value
- Our ancestors saw that if they fasted to make a statement about some injustice people responded with honoring their requests
The Top Five Reasons For Fasting Historically:
Spiritual Practice:
"Fasting will bring spiritual rebirth to those of you who cleanse and purify your bodies. The light of the world will illuminate within you when you fast and purify yourself. What the eyes are for the outer world, fasts are for the inner." ~Mahatma Gandhi, 1869 - 1948
Healing purposes:
"Historical records tell us that fasting has been used for health recovery for thousands of years. Hippocrates, Socrates, and Plato all recommended fasting for health recovery." ~by Dr. Ben Kim (CLICK HERE for more)
Chinese medicine recommends fasting for better health
Political:
Hunger strikes are a common way for non-violent protesters to get what they want or make a statement
Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi both adopted this practice with success.
Weight loss:
Fasting for weight loss is extremely common, but there is a fine line between starving yourself and cleansing yourself. Some of those who take it to extremes find themselves anorexic.
Religious practice:
Any religion you look at whether it is Christianity, Buddhism, Judism, Hinduism, Jainism, Muslim...etc. ..have fasting as part of some religious practice
"When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to others to be fasting, but to your Father, who is in the secret place; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly."--Jesus Christ, c. 8-4 B.C.-29? A.D.
"She or he who does good of her or his own accord shall be rewarded, but to fast is better for you, if you but knew it."--Mohammed, 570?-632 A.D.
"The biggest problem facing the world today is not people dying in the streets of Calcutta, and not inflation, but spiritual deprivation. . .this feeling of emptiness associated with feeling separate from God, and from all our sisters and brothers on planet Earth."--Mother Teresa, 1979 Nobel Peace laureate
"The Buddha's spiritual awakening is directly related to fasting, but from the reverse. That is to say, only after the Buddha stopped fasting did he realize his mahabodhi, or great awakening." found in Urban Darmha...CLICK HERE
I am personally a big advocate for fasting. I used to fast seasonally, whereby I would do a 3-7 day fast in the fall and the spring. I would either do the lemonade fast or a water only fast or carrot juice only or juice only fast.
My favorite fast so far was the carrot juice only fast.
As some of you may know I have been trying Brad Pilons intermittant fasting that he explains in his 90 page book called Eat Stop Eat. He suggests fasting once or twice a week for 24 hours drinking only water.
Check out this clip with Gandhi...
Until next time…
Think, Believe, Act, Adjust, Never Give up
Dakota
Today’s Mantra:
Fasting is important, more important perhaps, than many of us have supposed,... when exercised with a pure heart and a right motive, fasting may provide us with a key to unlock doors where other keys have failed; a window opening up new horizons in the unseen world; a spiritual weapon of God's provision, mighty, to the pulling down of strongholds.
- Arthur Wallis
