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Jobs, Steve - And Fasting
Identifier
000524
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Fasting might be classified as one of the yoga ‘ tapas’ or Tapasyas (tápasya). In Vedic religion and Hinduism the term is used to denote forms of suffering, mortification or austerity, all of which are intended to help promote spiritual experience. Any yogin practising this and the other tapas is known as a t?pasá (a Vriddhi derivative meaning "a practitioner of austerities, an ascetic"). The adjective tapasvín means "wretched, poor, miserable", but also "an ascetic, someone practicing austerities".
In the yogic tradition, tapasya may be translated as "essential energy", referring to a focused effort leading towards “bodily purification and spiritual enlightenment”.
It is one of the Niyamas (observances of self-control) described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Tapasya implies a self-discipline or austerity willingly expended both in restraining physical urges and in actively pursuing a higher purpose in life.
Through tapas, a yogi or spiritual seeker can "burn off or prevent accumulation of negative energies, clearing a path toward spiritual evolution”.!!
So there you go
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The following article entirely misuses the word enlightenment - for enlightenment read inspiration, but it provides some interesting information
A description of the experience
November 22, 2015 by Sarah Gerdes
Enlightenment & fasting
Steve Jobs has been on my mind; not for his fame, fortune or black mock turtlenecks, but for his use of fasting for the goal of enlightenment.
Let’s think about this for a minute. Fasting has been used for thousands of years for a whole multitude of reasons. Inspiration (think the original Buddha), mental and physical strength (athletes) enlightenment (yogi’s, Jesus) rendering the mind & heart humble and pure (Saint Augustine) cleansing of the body and soul (millions of unnamed people). The length and means are as varied as the people and the times. Jobs tended to use the fasting that skipped everything but juices (not to be confused with a cleanse, which is about losing weight but not enlightenment). A fast is generally considered eliminating all food and living on water, although I know people modify this to address dietary and health requirements and/or restrictions.
Whatever the form and function, a “fast” has a purpose, and end-goal if you will, that is ever-present and top-of-mind throughout. Then, when the goal is achieved—vis a vis the sought after enlightenment has occurred, then the fast ends.
Let’s go back to Jobs. Carrot juice being his fasting method of choice, if he had a problem to solve, he’d go on a juice fast until he received the answer (or enlightenment) he sought.
...........................Prepare to fast and make the commitment to a timeframe. .......... Twenty-four hours is a good starting point and there is a methodology. As said by one of my martial arts instructors (an 8th degree who was as agile as a mountain lion but as peaceful as a cool breeze), the goal is to bring the body to submission of the mind, and the mind itself to a place where it stops making noise.
Depriving the body of food physically weakens it. Only when this occurs does the mind become quiet. Once the mind is quiet, then inspiration can occur.
Constantly reiterate and repeat the intention throughout the fast. Think about it. Consider it. Roll it over and over in your mind. The more you think about the problem you are wanting to solve or outcome you desire, the greater the expansion of your thoughts. This is where the ideas suddenly come from—or the enlightenment. Many have referred to this as a sudden burst of light. For writers, many times this comes in dreams. Others have the ‘a-ha’ moment that seemingly comes from nowhere.