NATURAL WAY OF LIVING-- PART V:
CLEANSING TOXINS FROM THE BODY
Namaskar,
Note: One WT has published "tips" how to break fast and those are reviewed
in this below posting.
ALL WANT TO BE HEALTHY
All around the globe there is a growing interest, and even fascination, in
human health & wellness. People are trying innumerable types of tonics,
diets, pills, surgeries, procedures, and remedies to increase their quality
of life. But unfortunately most of the public guidelines are improper and
push innocent people in the wrong direction.
By Baba's divine grace we Ananda Margiis are in a unique position. Because
He has graciously bestowed on us all the inner secrets and special tips for
living a long and prosperous life. Among these many wonderful guidelines,
one very helpful process is Baba's unique system of fasting & breaking
fast-- as it cleanses and purifies the entire body.
In the general society most have never even heard of fasting, or never
tried it. And those who have done it often proceed via improper
instructions, thus causing more harm than good. However in Ananda Marga
Baba has blessed us with the perfect and ultimate system.
BABA'S GOLDEN SYSTEM
As every Ananda Margiis is well aware, Baba's expressed teaching is to fast
from sunrise to sunrise-- thus giving the body's organs ample time for
complete rest and rejuvenation. This is one unique aspect.
And another speciality of the AM system of fasting is the special emphasis
which Baba places on breaking fast properly. On numerous occasions Baba
Himself has told that animals know how to fast but only humans know how to
break fast. The point being that there is a definite and proper way to
break fast-- and this is how the toxins get removed. Thus a wrong technique
such as haphazardly breaking fast or prematurely filling the body with food
will ruin the entire detoxification process.
Hence Baba has put forth the idea that everyone should follow a rational
and systematic approach for breaking fast. And as a review here are a few
of those teachings.
A FEW OF BABA'S GUIDELINES FOR BREAKING FAST
[A] Baba guides us that we should give ourselves plenty of time the morning
of breaking fast to attend to our spiritual practices and as well as for
the actual process of breaking fast. Doing everything in a rushed or
hurried manner and then running off to the office or catching a bus is not
at all advisable. Instead that will just create more problems as the body
is in a very delicate state and needs proper time to be re-hydrated and
energized. Hence as most of us require less sleep the night of fasting we
should rise early the next morning to give ourselves a maximum amount of
time.
[B] Another invaluable guideline which Baba has given us is the great
emphasis He places on drinking water and hydrating the body.
Baba says, "To maintain the internal functions of the body without
hindrance and to maintain the internal liquid balance, everyone should
drink a sufficient quantity of water." (YT, Appendix A)
And Baba continues to explain that on normal day a healthy person should
drink 3-4 liters as a baseline. So on breaking fast morning when the body
is dehydrated it is obvious that we should also drink a very "generous"
amount of water-- and not just a single glass.
And, as we have all experienced, on the morning of breaking fast drinking
an ample amount of water fulfills two distinct purposes. Firstly by
ingesting a minimum of 2-3 liters of lemon salt water then the body is able
to cleanse itself from top to bottom. The toxins are pulled from the
entire body and the entire length of the digestive track is made sparkling
clean.
Thereafter by drinking fresh water the second task is accomplished.
And that is to re-hydrate the body because after a 36 hour dry fast the
body is in need of water. Thus after cleaning the body with lemon salt
water one must drink another liter or two of fresh water to properly
hydrate the body. As others have described before, this two-fold process of
water drinking has to be completed prior to taking any solid food.
[C] When the body is cleansed and hydrated then one can eat a few ripe
bananas by chewing them properly to promote smooth and easy digestion. This
will give some calories to energize the body and when these bananas have
properly settled in the stomach (approximately 20-25 minutes) one should
again drink water before taking a light meal of well hydrated rice and
vegetables or other food commonly available in your locale.
[D] So these are some of the key points yet no doubt there are various
other detailed steps about breaking fast that others have already written
about.
GREAT RESULTS
The grand outcome of all of this is a dynamic and wonderful cleansing
process which consumes the entire body.
Baba says, "As a result of fasting, the poisonous and unproductive waste of
the body gets destroyed and expelled." (CC-3)
Thus by Baba's complete system of fasting and breaking fast all the toxins
get removed and the body becomes vibrant and pure.
ONE BLACK SPOT
Unfortunately in one small corner of our present day AM society, one WT is
preaching and publishing something different which runs counter to Baba's
perfectly prescribed system and guidelines. For the awareness of all and to
clear the matter entirely, we should all be aware about the defective
approach being advocated by this WT.
FAULTY RECOMMENDATION #1
Our WT wrote: "Break the fast the next morning after sunrise with a glass of lemon juice
(about 1/4 of a fresh lemon in a glass of water), with a little salt or honey."
Needless to say drinking only a single glass of lemon water on the morning
of breaking fast will never ever suffice. That is like placing a tiny drop
of water in the desert. Because a mere small glass of water is nothing
compared to what the body really needs. Not to mention that one cannot
cleanse the body with that paltry amount of fluid either. In which case all
the toxins, previously undigested food, and other waste material will just
sit and linger in the body. And those dirty substances will release their
negative microvita throughout the entire body since they could not get
expelled from the body. Thus on multiple accounts this incorrect guideline
of drinking only 1 glass of water is totally wrong and harmful as it goes
against Baba's expressed teachings. So no one should do like this and we
should warn others also. Because unfortunately one WT published this faulty
suggestion in their book.
FAULTY RECOMMENDATION #2
Then that same WT wrote: "Then eat 1/2 or a whole banana slowly, biting off
small pieces and swallowing them whole without chewing."
So after drinking only 8 ounces or 1/4 liter of water, now this WT is
recommending to eat a banana without chewing it.
Yet for sound health, Baba's explicit teaching in Yogic Treatments book is
that all the food taken into the body must be digested properly. And part
and parcel of this process is chewing since this act of chewing awakens and
stimulates the digestive enzymes and produces saliva in the mouth-- thus
allowing for proper digestion.
But on this most sensitive time of taking the first solid food after a
fast, our WT is putting in black and white that one must not chew their
food. So this is another "faux pas" or negative guideline given that is
oppostional to Baba's teaching.
FAULTY RECOMMENDATION #3
The WT writer then recommends: "If possible, wait a 1/2 hour and then eat your
breakfast."
So lastly, after not cleaning or hydrating at all, and after not chewing a
banana, now the guideline has come to eat breakfast after just a short gap
of time, or even right away if one does not have an adequate amount of
time. Without question, this type of thing will create one "train-wreck" in
the stomach. Because in that dehydrated state unchewed food is being mixed
with a full meal of new food and that is all getting mixed into one mass
along with the toxins and waste that never got released from the system.
All of which spells disaster for any human being. No doubt this is not what
Baba means when He says that we should break fast in a proper way.
BABA'S WARNING
This WT erred from the path because they tried to invent their own way that
was not at all consonant with Baba's guidelines. Otherwise what can be the
cause. And even worse is that they put those things in print-- thus
misguiding all. So before following anyone's professed recommendations we
should always evaluate how far those things are truly proper or not. This
is Baba's warning.
Baba says, "Whatever people learn from the external world-- be it from a
book of facts or a learned discourse, or any source of knowledge-- is
'prapta vakya' or 'relative knowledge'. It is sometimes correct, sometimes
incorrect." (PNS-18, p. 6-7)
Thus in the world there a countless books full of wrong information like
the section of that book about breaking fast written by our WT.
ONLY BABA'S TEACHINGS ARE BEST
Baba's teachings are best. They are the Supreme Guideline. Thus whether in
the realm of sadhana or fasting, by following His way we will always
proceed along the road of progress and welfare.
Baba says, "Knowledge directly from the Cosmic Mind is true and beneficial
for all people in all ages and in all countries. It is called 'apta vakya'
or absolute knowledge. The books in Ananda Marga [i.e. Baba's books] are
all absolute knowledge." (PNS-18)
Namaskar,
Mirabai
Note 1: OVER-EATING THE NIGHT BEFORE SPELLS TROUBLE
As a general rule, it is important not to overeat and stuff oneself the
night before fasting. Certainly we have all seen how this is a common
tendency; but this type of overeating is to be avoided as it delays or even
disturbs the body's cleansing process and makes it difficult or even
impossible to break fast properly. So to maximize the benefits of a fast
one should take care about the quantity of food taken the evening prior.
Note 2: MISREPRESENTING ANAND MARGA ON THE PUBLIC PLATFORM
It is highly unfortunate that the involved WT has written these misguided
ideas in a published book that has been translated into multiple languages
and circulated all around the globe. Hence the problem or tragedy is
two-fold, at minimum.
Firstly, hundreds or even thousands of readers have already been
misinformed and anyone following those printed suggestions has been taught
the wrong technique for breaking fast-- thus causing them harm and
difficulty. So the book was written to help others yet here the opposite
effect is happening.
Next, when this point of breaking fast is wrong then simple readers may
think that all the points in the book are wrong. This would be a natural
conclusion to arrive at. In which case the common people may also blame
that the book's recommendation of a vegetarian diet is also harmful. Thus
this is another negative outcome or possibility.
And worst of all is that these mistakes committed by this WT were done in
the name of Ananda Marga. Because the book itself was printed by AM
Publications; and not only that but Baba's name appears in countless places
throughout the book. So naive readers will be misled to believe that the
faulty recommendation given by the WT for breaking fast is consistent with
or part of Baba's divine teachings of AM. Thus the public will form a poor
opinion in that regard also. Means the sloppy and misguided work of this WT
reflects negatively on our Marga. This is the yet another tragedy.
When in fact in all the spheres from relief work to meditation to human
health we are trying to project Baba's Supreme and seamless teachings to the
general society in the best way possible yet this WT's book is going against.
Note 3: WHICH WT IS WRITING LIKE THIS
The WT who has given these "recommendations" for breaking fast is Didi
Ananda Mitra. She is the one who is misguiding others on this sensitive
issue of breaking fast. Because it is in her book "Food for Thought" ('91
Edn, pp. 78-9) that contains all these wrongful and indeed harmful directives.
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Dharma & Adharma
Baba says, "Everyone should sit on equal seats for dharmacakra and meals."
(CC-2, 'Miscellaneous', Point #1)
(Whoever becomes the new / next PP, whenever it gets decided, should
not fall prey to what the old PP did - see below)
1. According to Baba's above teaching, we all sit on equal seats during
collective spiritual programs like dharmacakra and during various social
gatherings such as collective meals.
2. However since 1990 they instituted the dogmatic policy that PP Dada
need not follow Baba's above mandate. So out of fear of losing his
prestige-- even when he was hearty and healthy-- PP Dada never sat on an
equal seat during dharmacakra, Guru Puja etc.
3. But by going against Baba's aforementioned teaching, it is the sad
reality that after 1990 PP becaome totally degenerated.
4. By such tragic circumstances, everyone can understand that dharma-- i.e.
Baba's teachings-- must always be followed. Baba guides us, "Dharma raksati
raksitah: One who protects dharma is protected by dharma." (NSS, Disc 11)
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