Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness - Part 8

[Guest guest]

Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness - Part 8

 

Value of proper diet

and periodic fasting

 

(p.171) Deep 'samadhi' meditation is possible only when all bodily functions are

stilled. Proper diet and fasting are helpful in conditioning the body for this

state of quiet and interiorization. Jesus acknowledged this principle by fasting

to spiritualize his body and free his mind during his forty days in the

wilderness.

 

To meditate when the stomach is empty is a good practice because the energy that

runs the nervous system is not then as busy with bodily functions. Meditation

after heavy meals sets up a tug-of-war between the body consciousness and the

soul's superconsciousness. With a full stomach, the heart, lungs, and digestive

and nervous system are all engaged in digesting food, burning carbon, and

maintaining circulation to the lungs to rid the blood of carbon dioxide. This

keeps the subconscious mind busy, which in turn injects its restlessness into

the conscious mind. Such invasion of the consciousness precludes inner

God-communion. But when the inner activities of the body are still, the heart is

calm. When the heart is calm, the life current is switched off from the senses,

and the mind is freed from restless thoughts to concentrate wholly on God.

 

People who habitually overeat and never fast harness the life force in their

bodies to a relentless activity of burning carbon and cleansing venous blood,

overworking the heart and keeping the five sense-telephones constantly active.

(p.172) Fasting in connection with meditation slows the activity in the muscles,

heart, circulation, diaphragm, and lungs by denying carbon and chemicals to the

blood, thus helping to draw the attention away from the body and its functions.

Metaphysically, fasting helps to open up the life-giving inner source of Cosmic

Consciousness and Cosmic Energy. [1]

 

Long fasting should never be undertaken without the guidance and direction of a

competent preceptor. Long fasting (that is, for more than one day a week, or

three days once a month or every forty-five days--taking sufficient fluids) is

not necessary in order to demonstrate the vital sustenance of Divine Power.

Nourish the body and spirit with meditation.

 

The mind sets the tone for all the activities of the body. Thus, affirmations

are helpful: " I live by the power of God and not by physical means only. " A

state of such freedom is nearly inconceivable to the typical body-bound

individual, who cannot even begin his day without first paying homage to his

need for morning toast and coffee. But Jesus demonstrated the truth that man

lives by Divine Power, and that by the proper effort he can become aware of his

inherent connection with God Consciousness and Cosmic Energy.

 

Meditation is the most effective way to spiritualize the body. Meditative effort

to make the body live on this higher plane is aided by right eating at all

times. Even a spiritual man eating food injudiciously would find the body

obstructing the practices that lead to spiritual realization. Dietetics is not

delusion so long as the body itself asserts its existence in the realm of

manifestation. Healthful food, pure oxygen through proper breathing, and

sunshine are Nature's requirements for the upkeep of this body battery.

 

(p.173) The proper diet should be chosen and care should be taken never to

overeat. There is a lot of truth in the adage that man digs his own grave with

his knife and fork! Most kinds of meat (especially beef and pork) and other

vibrationally gross foods overtax the life force, making it difficult to

disengage its preoccupation with the senses and overworked vital organs, and to

reverse the current of life and consciousness toward God when one sits for

devotional communion.

 

One should choose a healthful balanced diet of natural foods rich in life force

that are easily processed by the body--fruits, vegetables, whole grains,

legumes, nuts, some dairy products--and avoid foods in which the life force has

been denatured or destroyed by improper processing or are otherwise unsuited for

the human system. [2] Additionally, fanaticism is to be avoided. A food fanatic,

constantly obsessed with fastidious observance of health and dietary laws, will

find his attachment to the body a real hindrance to spiritual realization. Eat

rightly, never admitting dependence on food. Know that it is God's Cosmic Energy

and Cosmic Consciousness that changes the food into the energy of life.

 

The soul is above hunger and the desire for food. This does not mean that the

spiritual aspirant should stop eating, but it does mean that he should eat

properly and joyously to maintain the body-temple of God, and not just to

satisfy sense craving. The sense of taste should not be debased with greed and

indigestion from wrong eating and overeating; its purpose is to select and enjoy

the right food to keep the body healthy and vibrant for the use of the soul. To

eat only for the pleasure of taste produces greed, slavery, indigestion,

disease, and premature death. To eat for the maintenance of the body-temple

produces self-control, long life, health, and happiness.

 

Through fasting and meditation, Jesus realized fully that hunger is a delusion

connected with the law of change in the body, and can be overcome--that one can

live entirely by God's energy. (p.174) By not accepting Satan's suggestion to

turn stones into bread, Jesus performed a greater miracle of conquering his

mortality by the divine memory of his self-sustaining unconditioned spiritual

existence. From then on it was at his option to live with or without sustenance

from food.

 

The spiritual lesson

in Jesus' refusal to

change stones into

bread

 

For Jesus to have miraculously created food to satisfy the needs of his human

body would have been a misuse of his divine powers. Great souls who attain the

highest do not employ their powers for their own benefit. Their unspectacular

demeanor in personal affairs embraces the difficulties common to all human

beings, whose struggles they have come on earth to share. The only power they

use for themselves is their exceptional love and devotion for God. It is this

supreme miracle with which they also seek to attract others to the Divine

Presence.

 

Miracles are held in esteem by earthbound mortals, who try to satisfy their own

feelings of inadequacy by challenging God to prove Himself. But divine souls do

not test the attention and love of God, because that is to doubt Him. If Jesus

had invoked a miracle for the mere trifle of appeasing hunger, that would have

been an assault on his faith in God and a denial of his reliance on God's

all-protecting power. Jesus' triumph over this temptation was a severe defeat to

Satan, whose strongest delusion holding man in bondage is attachment to the

mortal body consciousness.

 

Satan saw in Jesus his nemesis that would snatch many souls from his domain, so

he was not deterred in his efforts to prevent Jesus' ascendancy.

 

The Second Coming of Christ (The Resurrection of the Christ Within

You) Volume 1, Discourse 8, pg. 171-174

Paramahansa Yogananda

Printed in the United States of America 1434-J881

ISBN-13:978-0-87612-557-1

ISBN-10:0-87612-557-7

 

Notes:

 

[1] " Recent Indo-German studies have revealed that fasting can prolong life

span, " reports an article in 'The Deccan Chronicle', Hyderabad, India, January

23, 1995. " The experiments, carried out by the Hyderabad-based Centre for

Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in collaboration with the Max Planck

Institute for Experimental Endocrinology (Germany) noted that fasting conserved

a lot of energy. This excess energy could be utilized for carrying out other

functions of the human body or for keeping the body fit, thus increasing

longevity.

 

" During the experiments, which subjected rats to fasting, it was found that the

turnover or replacement of internal lining cells, which requires a lot of

energy, was completely stopped. There also was no physiological cell death, and

intestinal cells became more efficient in absorbing nutrients, Dr. P.D. Gupta,

Deputy Director of the CCMB and leader of the study group, said.

 

" Dr. Gupta said there were instances of Jain 'munis' fasting for more than 200

days. However, it was found that fasting up to three days stopped 'physiological

cell death' completely. Fasting for one or two days intermittently over a period

of one month was always beneficial, the study found. " ('Publisher's Note')

 

[2] My guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, concisely set forth principles of the ideal

diet natural to man as being vegetarian, based on an analysis of " the formation

of the organs that aid in digestion and nutrition, the teeth and digestive

canal " and " observation of the natural tendency of the organs of sense--the

guideposts for determining what is nutritious--by which all animals are directed

to their food. " ('The Holy Science', Chapter 3; published by Self-Realization

Fellowship.)