the gustatory sense
when i worked at microsoft, i was amazed by my co-worker - a pleasant bulgarian - who would eat mostly fruit and nuts, and sometimes vegetables. in those days, it was amazing enough to have a vegetarian on the team :), but i would marvel at the immense control that had become second nature to him. they say that (if you believe) everything that happens to us happens for a reason, and that everyone who comes our way does so for a reason. no doubt this is true. and today, i find myself thinking of my ex-co-worker (are the hyphens right?) as i find myself on much the same diet.
the wise have stressed often the importance of eating 'right', though in different ways. while in india, i made a conscious decision to eat everything. and indeed, when one starts seeing things 'as they are', then dislike for particular kinds of food becomes a rather strange/illogical sensation that it only makes sense to eliminate. now that i am back in my own apartment, doing groceries for myself, i make an effort to follow the advice of the wise and wholly engulf(?) myself in fruits and nuts. following the 'middle way', i am still consuming one 'old-fashioned' meal per day.
i should add - this is not a 'forever' experiment, but is intended to last long enough for me to observe the difference it makes to the system and, more importantly, the mind.
3 comments:
fruit and nuts -- very interesting. it seems like vegetables would be more important? i like that you are taking the middle path. i will be curious to hear how this pans out.
my philosophy on food and eating is that it is important to listen to what my body wants/needs and pay attention to what/how much makes it feel good/or not. So for me, this negates any sort of asceticism; it allows for reasonable quantities of sweets, when my body craves these. When I am truly in tune with that inner attunement, I find my body is healthier and in greater balance and that I am more at peace and more joyful.
hi bb,
i am totally with you on your philosophy. most of the time, it is what i follow as well.
as for the fruit and nut diet, it is the kind of fasting many sages have recommended over centuries. it may not work well, or it may - i do not know yet, but 1. it seems to be worth trying, given that some of the people who tried it are people i admire for other reasons too, and 2. a little bit of asceticism doesn't hurt from time to time, i think - for it reassures that one's senses are in one's control - when one needs that assurance :).
it isn't permanent, and it gives me something planned to do at lunch time everyday :).
:)
I've just eaten some walnuts and am about to have a piece of fruit in your honor.
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