God has no marks, colour, caste, and no ancestors, no form, complexion, outline, costume and is indescribable. He is fearless, luminous and measureless in might. He is the king of kings, the Lord of the prophets. He is the sovereign of the universe, gods, men and demons. The woods and dales sing the indescribable. O Lord, none can tell Thy names. The wise count your blessings to coin your names.
When the creative impulse sweeps over you, grab it! You grab it and honour it and use it, because momentum is a rare gift.
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.
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
