Desireless, serene, immortal, self-existent, contented with the essence, lacking nothing, is He. One has no fear of death who has known Him, the Atman - serene, ageless, youthful.
Bliss, knowledge and wisdom are Sun himself. I bow to Mitra, Bhanu, to the shining one, the cause of the universe and let Him protect me from death.
We should not fret for what is past, nor should we be anxious about the future; men of discernment deal only with the present moment.
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.
