What are the benefits of Taoist fasting and abstinence for cultivation?
paulpeng
Practicing the method of fasting and abstinence is teaching you how to overcome your own inner obstacles.
When it comes to fasting and abstinence, most people simply understand it as being vegetarian and associate it with religious practice. In fact, this is both a misunderstanding of the term "fasting and abstinence" and a misinterpretation of religious practice. Fasting and abstinence should actually be explained in two aspects:
"Zhai" (fasting), on one hand, refers to a vegetarian diet, and on the other hand, by extension, it means the process of purifying the body and the mind. Taoism believes that all the celestial deities are manifestations of the pure Dao Qi. When worldly people worship devoutly in an attempt to communicate with the lofty immortals, they should first clear away the impure Qi in their bodies and the filthy distractions in their minds. Only with a pure and clean body and mind can they resonate with the pure Dao essence. Therefore, regardless of which sect or school they belong to, Taoists have dietary restrictions when holding Daoist ceremonies and assemblies.
Patriarch Lu Xiujing mentioned in "The Outline of Taoist Precepts by Mr. Lu" that when worldly people worship the immortals to pray for blessings and make wishes, they are often afraid that their thoughts cannot reach the celestial court, so they tirelessly submit memorials again and again, not realizing that this is precisely the manifestation of not having grasped the essence of the fasting practice. It is said: "If the merit of fasting is not achieved, the memorials will be full of fallacies and excessive words. Even if you submit ten or a hundred memorials, it will be of no avail. One should first fast, and after feeling a profound connection, then one can submit memorials to prove the achievement of the fasting merit. The method of submitting memorials does not need to be overly elaborate. Repeatedly bothering the celestial bureaucracy is worse than not submitting at all. After fasting for a hundred days, the merit of one fasting period is achieved." That is to say, if believers do not practice fasting to purify their bodies and minds, no matter how many memorials for seeking blessings and pardoning sins they write, they will not be able to reach the celestial court. Taoists' practice of fasting focuses on repenting for their past actions, being able to recognize past mistakes, and generating compassionate thoughts towards all living beings in heaven and earth. Thus, although it is called fasting, it is already a form of cultivation.
"Jie" (abstinence), on the basis of the idea of "Zhai", is concretized into certain regulations. For example, the Five Precepts for Novice Taoists require believers to strictly abide by the five precepts of refraining from killing, stealing, lust, false speech, and excessive drinking in their daily lives. Taoism advocates the practice of precepts, which, like the idea of fasting, has the same origin and is essentially still an expression of pure cultivation of the Dao. All living beings are born with the Yin and Yang Qi of heaven and earth, and the pure and impure Qi within each person is mixed together. Guided by the pure Qi, one tends to be good-hearted, acts in accordance with non-action and nature. However, being tainted by the impure Qi, one sometimes falls into various vices. The first realm that cultivation should achieve is to suppress the influence of the impure Qi within the body, so that people no longer indulge in the pleasures of the five senses, and thus reflect on the subtleties of their own pure Dao essence. But because people have different natures and capacities, it is difficult to require everyone to resist the temptations from the outside world and their own desires. Therefore, many precepts have emerged according to the situation, and certain external admonitions have enhanced the guiding significance for people's thoughts and behaviors.
The significance of emphasizing fasting and abstinence in religion is twofold: on the one hand, it is to offer thanks to the deities; on the other hand, it is to purify oneself. This is both the requirement of religious precepts and has practical significance for religious practice. It can even be said that while being able to practice fasting and abstinence due to faith, one can also enhance the power of faith through specific fasting and abstinence behaviors. Although fasting and abstinence are only an external manifestation, originally an expression of the authenticity of faith and a pure heart, those who can practice fasting and abstinence should be given the highest respect. However, at the same time, it should be clearly understood that fasting and abstinence are expressions of faith but do not represent the entirety of faith. If it is one-sidedly emphasized that only practicing fasting and abstinence is the correct faith and practice, then the teachings of the Great Dao will be narrowed down.
The obsession with fasting and abstinence will also be manifested in two aspects:
First, it is believed that all believers must practice fasting and abstinence regardless of time and place. This is actually a manifestation of not understanding the doctrines of Taoism. There are numerous sects in Taoism, and the requirements for the practice of disciples and believers vary from sect to sect. For example, it is required to bathe the body and mind when performing rituals on the altar, and its function is to invite the descent and inspection of the lofty immortals. Except for such special occasions, the contents of fasting and abstinence in different sects also vary to some extent. If we view specific and different real situations with a unified perspective, it is not in line with the Dao.
Second, although there are requirements for fasting and abstinence in the process of cultivation, one cannot judge the level of a person's cultivation by whether or not they practice fasting and abstinence. If so, it is still taking a part for the whole and is not in line with the Dao. Moreover, it is very important to note that the basic meaning of fasting and abstinence lies in enabling the practitioner to have a clear body and mind, always maintain a compassionate intention in the heart, and be able to refrain from greed, attachments, and delusions in behavior. It is mentioned in "The Supreme Lord Laozi's Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility": "The superior person who comprehends it will ascend to be a celestial official; the intermediate person who cultivates it will become an immortal in the Southern Palace; the inferior person who obtains it will enjoy a long life in the mortal world." What they comprehend, cultivate, and obtain is nothing but the two words "purity and tranquility". If a person of superior quality clearly comprehends the original state of purity and tranquility, why should they use the behavior of fasting and abstinence to prove the comprehension of the Great Dao and the cultivation of the Dao?
The method of fasting and abstinence for cultivation is both a shortcut for the inferior people to reach the Great Dao and a natural manifestation of the enlightenment of the superior people who have attained the Dao. These two are different situations and must not be treated in reverse. If ordinary people like us blindly emphasize the carefree attitude of "wine and meat pass through the intestines", we are likely to continuously sink in material desires; if one has already clearly witnessed the mystery of existence and non-existence, whether or not one fasts is just an expression of a natural state, and it will not disrupt the inner tranquility just because one has eaten or drunk something. Facing this situation, it is rather arbitrary to judge the level of a person's cultivation based on whether or not they practice fasting and abstinence. Taoist cultivation emphasizes conforming to the differences of time, place, and individuals. Ignoring the expression of the natural essence means that the cultivation of the Dao will lose its practical foundation.
Cultivation is originally to teach people how to maintain inner peace when facing the myriad of worldly affairs, and fasting and abstinence is one of the major methods. However, just because of whether the other person practices fasting and abstinence, one develops a discriminatory mind, which may not be an obstacle to the other person's cultivation but rather indicates that one has not overcome the obstacles of obsession and resentment oneself. The reason why cultivation is said to be difficult is not that there are hardships in the cultivation environment, but that all obstacles are created by the mind. The essence of fasting and abstinence lies in using such cultivation merits to overcome one's own inner obstacles. Only one's own body, mind, and intention are the most difficult hills to cross in the world.
When it comes to fasting and abstinence, most people simply understand it as being vegetarian and associate it with religious practice. In fact, this is both a misunderstanding of the term "fasting and abstinence" and a misinterpretation of religious practice. Fasting and abstinence should actually be explained in two aspects:
"Zhai" (fasting), on one hand, refers to a vegetarian diet, and on the other hand, by extension, it means the process of purifying the body and the mind. Taoism believes that all the celestial deities are manifestations of the pure Dao Qi. When worldly people worship devoutly in an attempt to communicate with the lofty immortals, they should first clear away the impure Qi in their bodies and the filthy distractions in their minds. Only with a pure and clean body and mind can they resonate with the pure Dao essence. Therefore, regardless of which sect or school they belong to, Taoists have dietary restrictions when holding Daoist ceremonies and assemblies.
Patriarch Lu Xiujing mentioned in "The Outline of Taoist Precepts by Mr. Lu" that when worldly people worship the immortals to pray for blessings and make wishes, they are often afraid that their thoughts cannot reach the celestial court, so they tirelessly submit memorials again and again, not realizing that this is precisely the manifestation of not having grasped the essence of the fasting practice. It is said: "If the merit of fasting is not achieved, the memorials will be full of fallacies and excessive words. Even if you submit ten or a hundred memorials, it will be of no avail. One should first fast, and after feeling a profound connection, then one can submit memorials to prove the achievement of the fasting merit. The method of submitting memorials does not need to be overly elaborate. Repeatedly bothering the celestial bureaucracy is worse than not submitting at all. After fasting for a hundred days, the merit of one fasting period is achieved." That is to say, if believers do not practice fasting to purify their bodies and minds, no matter how many memorials for seeking blessings and pardoning sins they write, they will not be able to reach the celestial court. Taoists' practice of fasting focuses on repenting for their past actions, being able to recognize past mistakes, and generating compassionate thoughts towards all living beings in heaven and earth. Thus, although it is called fasting, it is already a form of cultivation.
"Jie" (abstinence), on the basis of the idea of "Zhai", is concretized into certain regulations. For example, the Five Precepts for Novice Taoists require believers to strictly abide by the five precepts of refraining from killing, stealing, lust, false speech, and excessive drinking in their daily lives. Taoism advocates the practice of precepts, which, like the idea of fasting, has the same origin and is essentially still an expression of pure cultivation of the Dao. All living beings are born with the Yin and Yang Qi of heaven and earth, and the pure and impure Qi within each person is mixed together. Guided by the pure Qi, one tends to be good-hearted, acts in accordance with non-action and nature. However, being tainted by the impure Qi, one sometimes falls into various vices. The first realm that cultivation should achieve is to suppress the influence of the impure Qi within the body, so that people no longer indulge in the pleasures of the five senses, and thus reflect on the subtleties of their own pure Dao essence. But because people have different natures and capacities, it is difficult to require everyone to resist the temptations from the outside world and their own desires. Therefore, many precepts have emerged according to the situation, and certain external admonitions have enhanced the guiding significance for people's thoughts and behaviors.
The significance of emphasizing fasting and abstinence in religion is twofold: on the one hand, it is to offer thanks to the deities; on the other hand, it is to purify oneself. This is both the requirement of religious precepts and has practical significance for religious practice. It can even be said that while being able to practice fasting and abstinence due to faith, one can also enhance the power of faith through specific fasting and abstinence behaviors. Although fasting and abstinence are only an external manifestation, originally an expression of the authenticity of faith and a pure heart, those who can practice fasting and abstinence should be given the highest respect. However, at the same time, it should be clearly understood that fasting and abstinence are expressions of faith but do not represent the entirety of faith. If it is one-sidedly emphasized that only practicing fasting and abstinence is the correct faith and practice, then the teachings of the Great Dao will be narrowed down.
The obsession with fasting and abstinence will also be manifested in two aspects:
First, it is believed that all believers must practice fasting and abstinence regardless of time and place. This is actually a manifestation of not understanding the doctrines of Taoism. There are numerous sects in Taoism, and the requirements for the practice of disciples and believers vary from sect to sect. For example, it is required to bathe the body and mind when performing rituals on the altar, and its function is to invite the descent and inspection of the lofty immortals. Except for such special occasions, the contents of fasting and abstinence in different sects also vary to some extent. If we view specific and different real situations with a unified perspective, it is not in line with the Dao.
Second, although there are requirements for fasting and abstinence in the process of cultivation, one cannot judge the level of a person's cultivation by whether or not they practice fasting and abstinence. If so, it is still taking a part for the whole and is not in line with the Dao. Moreover, it is very important to note that the basic meaning of fasting and abstinence lies in enabling the practitioner to have a clear body and mind, always maintain a compassionate intention in the heart, and be able to refrain from greed, attachments, and delusions in behavior. It is mentioned in "The Supreme Lord Laozi's Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility": "The superior person who comprehends it will ascend to be a celestial official; the intermediate person who cultivates it will become an immortal in the Southern Palace; the inferior person who obtains it will enjoy a long life in the mortal world." What they comprehend, cultivate, and obtain is nothing but the two words "purity and tranquility". If a person of superior quality clearly comprehends the original state of purity and tranquility, why should they use the behavior of fasting and abstinence to prove the comprehension of the Great Dao and the cultivation of the Dao?
The method of fasting and abstinence for cultivation is both a shortcut for the inferior people to reach the Great Dao and a natural manifestation of the enlightenment of the superior people who have attained the Dao. These two are different situations and must not be treated in reverse. If ordinary people like us blindly emphasize the carefree attitude of "wine and meat pass through the intestines", we are likely to continuously sink in material desires; if one has already clearly witnessed the mystery of existence and non-existence, whether or not one fasts is just an expression of a natural state, and it will not disrupt the inner tranquility just because one has eaten or drunk something. Facing this situation, it is rather arbitrary to judge the level of a person's cultivation based on whether or not they practice fasting and abstinence. Taoist cultivation emphasizes conforming to the differences of time, place, and individuals. Ignoring the expression of the natural essence means that the cultivation of the Dao will lose its practical foundation.
Cultivation is originally to teach people how to maintain inner peace when facing the myriad of worldly affairs, and fasting and abstinence is one of the major methods. However, just because of whether the other person practices fasting and abstinence, one develops a discriminatory mind, which may not be an obstacle to the other person's cultivation but rather indicates that one has not overcome the obstacles of obsession and resentment oneself. The reason why cultivation is said to be difficult is not that there are hardships in the cultivation environment, but that all obstacles are created by the mind. The essence of fasting and abstinence lies in using such cultivation merits to overcome one's own inner obstacles. Only one's own body, mind, and intention are the most difficult hills to cross in the world.
