මහාමේඝ 2563 දුරුතු (2020 ජනවාරි) මස කලාපය

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28Y%S nqoaO j¾I 2563 - ÿre;= l,dmh ^2020 ckjdß - fmnrjdß&Intermittent FastingNew Revelation?Fasting is a religious practice endorsed byHindus while in the context of Buddhism it is a partof the discipline for Buddhist monks. For millenniafasting has been practiced by ascetics and practitionersof austerities as a way of healing, cleansing, andattaining spiritual development. However, it has nevergained the popularity that it currently enjoys today. In2016, professor Yoshinori Ohsumi, a cellular biologistfrom Japan won the Noble Prize in physiology andmedicine for his discovery of the mechanism of‘autophagy,’ the metabolic recycling process in whichcells consume parts of themselves to survive and stayhealthy. The efficiency of autophagy increases duringfasting. In other words, cells perform their best tokeep you healthy during fasting. With this discoveryJapanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi has scientificallysubstantiated fasting as good for one’s health.Since then fasting started receiving the limelightas celebrities and health experts now rave about itsbenefits. For Buddhists, especially monks, fastingis a part of the spiritual discipline, set forth bythe Lord Buddha. More than 2600 years ago, ourteacher the Lord Buddha expounded that fasting isgood for one’s health.In the Kīṭāgiri Sutta of the MajjhimaNikāya, the Buddha advises the monks: “Monks, Irefrain from a nighttime meal (dinner). As I refrainfrom a nighttime meal, I experience less illness,less affliction, lightness of body, strength, and acomfortable abiding. Therefore, monks, comenow, you too refrain from a nighttime meal. Asyou refrain from nighttime meals, you too willexperience less illness, less affliction, lightness ofbody, strength, and a comfortable abiding.” Thenthe monks, being thus advised by the Buddha,agreed. Here, the Buddha is saying that skippingdinner (fasting) will make you stronger andhealthier. This is the most crucial point here,and it surprisingly does not agree withwhat we are used to hearing, orgenerally hear. We were told thatthree meals a day is necessary tobe strong and healthy. But whenthe Japanese professor provedwith his Noble Prize-winningdiscovery that abstaining fromfood, i.e. fasting, is healthy, ittook the world by a storm.Experts from differentfields poured in theirknowledge and experiencesregarding fasting. Dietitians,doctors, world-class athletes,coaches, body builders,gym trainers, and celebritiesstarted gushing about benefitsof fasting. They talk aboutfasting as a method of losingweight, a remedy for obesity, a cure for variousillnesses including terminal illnesses such as cancer.So, how is fasting healthy and how can it be a remedyfor illnesses? As mentioned above autophagy isthe process of using and recycling unnecessary ordysfunctional cellular components—the so-calledcellular rubbish which accumulates in cells. Theterm ‘autophagy’ originates from two Greek rootswhich mean “self-eating.” Hence, the process ofautophagy is like cells eating away cells to produceenergy. This process becomes especially intensivewhen one is under stress, for example, when onefasts. When one fasts, which means when no energyfrom food is given to cells, they use its internalresources, cells feast on other cells to produce energy,especially cellular rubbish (recycling) includingpathogenic bacteria. This is what the Buddha said inKīṭāgiri Sutta; that when one refrains from nighttimemeal, one experiences less illness, less affliction,lightness of body, strength and a comfortable abiding.In the same sutta, the monks led by Assaji andPunabbasuka, also residing at Kīṭāgiri, refused to giveup nighttime meal and claimed that they experiencethe same comforts that are experienced by those whorefrain from nighttime meal. At that time the Buddhasays that he would not ask to abandon a pleasantfeeling unless he has realized with wisdom, seen,known, attained, and touched through discernmentthat that pleasant feeling gives rise to unwholesomequalities and decreases wholesome qualities.Thus, when the Buddha says something should beabandoned or practiced, there is a reason for that.We need faith to accept his advice wholeheartedly.In this context, the benefits the Buddha stated forabandoning the nighttime meal (fasting), are nowbreaking boundaries in science.The modern fasting trend, however, does notTo page 29..
29f.!;u nqÿrcqkaf.a ioyï idu ikafoaYh /f.k'''From page 28..Intermittent Fasting - New revelation ....emphasize fasting during nighttime. Instead, thereare various types of dieting techniques includingcombinations of fasting and non-fasting, commonlyknown as time-restricted eating. One such methoduses 14 or 16 hour fasting based on one’s personalconvenience, meaning one can either skip dinner orbreakfast. 4 hour window diet, in which one eats onlyduring 4 hour window and fast for 20 hours, is alsovery popular among those who are keen on stayinghealthy.In Hinduism, fasting is a method ofpurifying the mind. As a Bodhisatta, the asceticSiddhartha practiced various methods of fasting;at times forgoing food for days and knew it to befruitless when practiced to an extreme degree. TheLord Buddha explains in many suttas the purposeof eating for monks. In Rathopama Sutta of theSaṃyutta Nikaya (Saḷāyatanasaṃyutta), the mostcompassionate Buddha says: ‘And how, monks, isa monk moderate in eating? Here, reflecting wisely,a monk takes food neither for amusement nor forintoxication nor for the sake of physical beautyand attractiveness, but only for the support andmaintenance of this body, for ending discomfort, andfor assisting the spiritual life, considering: “Thus Ishall terminate present hunger and not arouse furtherhunger, and I shall be healthy and blameless and livein comfort.”The Lord Buddha uses a simile of a chariotwheel to explain further. He says just as we grease awheel of a cart for the smooth running of the wheel,in order to get the work done, we use food to sustainthis life to practice the noble path.Further, all this new scientific evidence aboutthe benefits of fasting and all the excitement about itis limited to maintaining this life, this body; a worldlyobjective. But when the Lord Buddha set forth adiscipline it is not limited just to the betterment ofthis life, it is also to overcome the suffering of thecontinuous cycle of rebirth. Therefore, when the LordBuddha advised monks not to eat after noon andrefrain from a nighttime meal, that fasting method isconducive to good health and spiritual development.Therefore we as lay disciples of the Buddhashould fast on poya days when observing higherprecepts emulating the great arahants with spiritualadvancement as the objective. Because few in thisworld practice fasting to that end. Just as there areonly a few who cross the ocean of existence Buddhasaid there are only a few who refrain from food afterthe sun reaches its zenith. Even more so when fastingfor spiritual progression.The Japanese Nobel Prize-winner’s discoveryshows that abstaining from food and keeping fastsis healthy. For many in the world this may seem asa 'new revelation' but for us Buddhists it's as old asthe hills. Because we know for a fact that Buddhastated this many millennia ago. Therefore thisarticle is by no means another vain attempt to showthat Buddhism agrees with Science or vice-versaas Science cannot hold a candle to the marvelouswisdom of the Buddha.What we should understand is of all thepeople in the world how fortunate we are to be thedisciples of the Buddha. Hence, let us not let thismomentous opportunity to be guided by the sublimeteachings of the Buddha pass us without reapingwhatever benefit we can from it.Written byPrajapathi JayawardenawudjlnkaOkh'''.sysf.h isrf.hlsmsß nkaOk fkall`ÿ¿ .eí ordWiq,k ÿla fYdalreÿrehs lgql fkd±uqkqis;=ú<s is;lÈ.=fjhs iir meg¿Kqudhd ±,l'''ryfia l<;a mõke; lsis iudjlamyfia wef,k ;=reÿl ke; ksudjlai;=gla ke;s f,djgke; ysre Wodjlaoyñka tl¨ ke;sÈúh u wudjlla'''is;=jo f,dfjkame;=jo hï yõyrKla.eryqï neKqï f.rú<sWreuh muKla;ud ;ukag ulrf.k ms<sirKlaoyfï mu‚ we;af;a,nkg ksjkla'''wdor“h msfhl=f.a is;sú,swdorÃh msfhl=f.a is;sú,soyil=;a foõ nUqka jäñkaÈjd ? jkaokd lrñkarlsk rkaue,s iE rcdKkauf.ka kqU ,o Wreuh hs''''ordf.k nqÿ iqj| woßkafydjdf.k nqÿ .=K u i;=ákargla iqrlsk o<od iñ÷kauf.ka kqU ,o Wreuh hs''''uf.a iñ÷g fiur i,ñkaf,dõ;=rd nqÿ iñ÷ <Õ yqkach Y%S uyd fnda rcdKkauf.ka kqU ,o Wreuh hs''''mska fl;la n÷ uf.a rg ;=<bmso we; kqU msrE msklguf.a Wreuh kqfò lrf.krlskq uek mq; kqfò mK f,i''''bfkdaId mshqñ úfÊisxy
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මහාමේඝ 2563 දුරුතු (2020 ජනවාරි) මස කලාපය

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