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Fasting

TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existenceSamsara Veteran
edited June 2011 in Buddhism Basics
I was considering taking up a 24 hr. fast. Any suggestions or practices (from a Buddhist point of view) that anyone would care to share? My goal is to fast and meditate on desire/craving.
All the best,
Todd :)

Comments

  • dorjedorje
    There is the practice of nyung-ne in the Tibetan tradition.

    The Nyungne includes two full days of practice and a short concluding session on the morning of the third day. Participants take a set of strict vows on the morning of each day. On the first day, they eat one meal at noon and unlimited liquids throughout the day.

    The second day is a strict and complete fast with no food or liquids, and is conducted in silence except for liturgical recitations. The meditation is centered around the liturgy, mantras, and visualization of 1000-Armed Chenrezig, the embodiment of the compassion of all enlightened beings.

    -Rest For The Fortunate: The Practice Of Nyungne, Bardor Tulku Rinpoche
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    edited June 2011
    Dorje,
    Thank you for your input. Tibetan Buddhism is awash in beauty, tradition and knowledge. It amazes me the number of ways they have found to work with the mind and heart. :)
    All the best,
    Todd
  • dorjedorje
    You're very much welcome :)
  • DaltheJigsawDaltheJigsaw Mountain View Veteran
    Great thread!
    I did a 48 hour fast on water and it was amazing. Hard at first, but it gets easier. I lost a few pounds.
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    Only 24 hours? C'mon, one day? Really? ;)
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    C'mon Cloud cut me a break! :D I thought I would ease into it after all my attachment to food is pretty strong....Bites donut while typing....
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited June 2011
    :D I'll tell you one thing, I can remember a few days where I didn't eat anything at all but still wasn't hungry, somehow the hunger was cut off and the body must've been using stored up energy. I think we can do that if we have fat to burn off, that's what the purpose of storing fat is... to have energy when we can't get food, just like in wild animals. We're still just animals after all, whatever else we choose to think of ourselves.

    Wish I could do that at will (not feeling the hunger). I could lose a few pounds. ;)
  • TalismanTalisman Veteran
    I excersize regularly and have a very high motabolism. If I fast I lose weight very very quickly. I've been working to gain weight for quite some time.
  • TheswingisyellowTheswingisyellow Trying to be open to existence Samsara Veteran
    For me it's not a weight loss desire, though Buddha knows i could shed a little weight. It's more a comtemplative/meditative approach, looking at desire and craving using a very fundamental drive we all have as a tool. I am trying to use food as food for thought :D
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