Fasting is like going on a retreat or a much-needed vacation. It is a time to breathe deep and honor the temporary body we have. For a Zen Buddhist, fasting is a practice of self-control to be performed periodically as a means to lessen one’s over-attachment to food.
Before enlightenment, the Buddha was a wandering ascetic and fasted to near starvation. At another point he was a glutton and over-indulged in all sensual pleasures. Upon enlightenment, he realized that attachment to both fasting and mass-consumption were equally delusional.
A brief period of fasting is a reminder that a middle-path – neither gluttony or asceticism – is best. When it comes to eating, the mindful preparation of food and slow, mindful eating, are wonderful ways to appreciate the physical and mental benefits of consciously consumed food.
A slow, deep, in-breath
An equally long out-breath
Nourishes the soul.
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