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.
Many people ‘react’ and then ‘regret’. Learn therefore to ‘reflect’ and then ‘respond’.
The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.
Life is our teacher. Life communicates with us all the time and it is a lesson to see how life continuously has led me to the people I need to meet, to the situations I need to experience, and to the places I need to be.
