Fasting in the monastic community is considered an ascetic practice, a “dhutanga” practice. Dhutanga means “to shake up” or “invigoration”. The Buddha, as is well known, emphasized moderation, the Middle Way that avoids extremes, in all things. Fasting is an additional method that one can take up, with supervision, for a time.
First lose yourself, then only you find Him. The Beloved is not separate from you; just turn your face within.
One is absolutely sickened, not by crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted; and a community is infinitely more brutalised by the habitual employment of punishment than it is by the occasional occurrence of crime.
The devotee engages to the best of his or her ability into the play of life, fulfilling his or her role on this earth as student, employee, husband, wife…But at the heart of the devotee is a burning desire for the Lord.
Affirm divine calmness and peace, and send out only thoughts of love and goodwill if you want to live in peace and harmony.
