I just remembered that the japanese have a culture of fasting and just found this interesting article Major Japanese Study Validates Fasting Therapy
Here's some amazing photos of Japanese Buddhist Mummies
The British Ramadan?
- Thread starter common_sense_seeker
- Start date
Here's some amazing photos of Japanese Buddhist Mummies
Why would you have looked like "greedy westerners, oblivious to our wanten [sic] needs"?
One more aspect of Islamic philosophy which you may not have realised is what we call fulfilling our nafs: we don't believe in self denial which is why Ramadan is especially important so that we don't turn into complete wusses!
There is no ascetism in Islam - the world is there to be enjoyed and people are there to be cherished. Ramadan is what is necessary to learn delayed gratification, which is supposed to be good for EQ, isn't it?
A little more on what nafs is and how self control helps you to make the correct choices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nafs
In the primitive state, it is the primal nafs that controls us, and fasting in Ramadan is about controlling these primals nafs; recognising your limitations and weaknesses to become self aware. e.g. Like I said, I find it hard to control impatience and anger and I can see how my caffeine intake modulates my behaviour. You literally learn things about yourself and identify strengths you might not have known you possessed.
If you note, all the things to be avoided in Ramadan are directed at these instincts. After all, we are what habitually do, so learning to inculcate the right habits should be a priority for all of us.
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I appreciate the knowledge you are passing, i will check it out ^^.
peace be with you.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
Of course not. But on the balance it has been so overwhelmingly negative that we'd be far better off without it.
Christianity alone has obliterated two of the world's six precious civilizations, in the name of their imaginary deity and with the blessing and encouragement of their pope. How many "positives" would it take to make up for such an immeasurable loss?
Lately it appears that the Jews and the Muslims would like to finish the job and bomb us all back into the Stone Age, where religious propaganda can be spread more freely without the obstacles of science and education.
which two?
The japanese Zen buddhists fast on a regular basis they are all in great shape usualy. I couldnt keep up with the devout meditations of some abbots i have met.
I will check out the links you gave, thankyou.
Peace.
Self harm is haram in islam, self harming is a sin and is deemed Haram in the Hadiths.
No real muslim will self harm, It is strictly haram to cut yourself with the intention of causing harm,
Fasting is good for you I have always fasted throughout my life and im in great shape. I have the metabolism of a 10 year oldand im 26 and i cant even get served tobacco or a lighter in a shop because i look so young even though im approaching 30.
Peace.
Indeed, Muslims do not fast for long periods, it is only fasting during daylight hours.
I personaly fast in the day and night but what I do is not what is taught in the Quran, What I do may be considered starving yourself since i fast for weeks on end and i hold water fasts too.
My fasting is different and according to the quran i am supposed to follow the torah aswell as the quran since i am of jewish bloodline.
I will in future be fasting for the entire stretch of ramadan for 30 days i will not eat.
Peace.
We were completely ignorant of the history and religous practices of the arab region in general and were just young and out to have fun. That's the reason I felt a bit uncomfortable with encountering the local population fasting I think. I was simply too unprepared for it.Why would you have looked like "greedy westerners, oblivious to our wanten [sic] needs"?
One more aspect of Islamic philosophy which you may not have realised is what we call fulfilling our nafs: we don't believe in self denial which is why Ramadan is especially important so that we don't turn into complete wusses!
There is no ascetism in Islam - the world is there to be enjoyed and people are there to be cherished. Ramadan is what is necessary to learn delayed gratification, which is supposed to be good for EQ, isn't it?
A little more on what nafs is and how self control helps you to make the correct choices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nafs
In the primitive state, it is the primal nafs that controls us, and fasting in Ramadan is about controlling these primals nafs; recognising your limitations and weaknesses to become self aware. e.g. Like I said, I find it hard to control impatience and anger and I can see how my caffeine intake modulates my behaviour. You literally learn things about yourself and identify strengths you might not have known you possessed.
If you note, all the things to be avoided in Ramadan are directed at these instincts. After all, we are what habitually do, so learning to inculcate the right habits should be a priority for all of us.
Thanks for the link and the list of the nafs, most informative. I especially liked your saying of "..delayed gratification, which is supposed to be good for EQ, isn't it?". I totally agree. It's something non-religious western kids have lost imo.
Peace be with you.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
- Olmec/Maya/Aztec. Civilization came late to the New World; reasons include the difficulties that its north-south orientation posed to tribes cooperating by sharing agricultural technology across climate zones. The Olmecs had a regional network of cities by 1500BCE. The Maya took over leadership when the Olmecs declined, and then the Aztecs. They had reached the Bronze Age when the Christian armies arrived with their superior Iron Age technology. The Europeans destroyed their "heathen" culture, even burning their libraries.
- Inca. They got an even later start, around a thousand years ago, but they managed to invent bronze technology. The Christians were so thorough as to even melt down their "blasphemous" golden art objects and ship them home as bullion.
- All of this was under the oversight of Pope Urban, who divided the Western Hemisphere along a line of longitude and "gave" the eastern part (Brazil) to the king of Portugal and the western part (everything else) to the king of Spain. Much as the Britons, in the last death rattle of their Empire and a giant fuck-you to the world that spurned their leadership, "gave" the homeland of the Palestinian Muslims to the Jews.
ok now I got more of the grasp on how your dividing up the civs
Why is the saving of bread a good idea? That is all that fasting really is if you do not transcend the moral laws...
A good idea would be to live exemplary for a month...be about action, not inaction.
Cycle to work , or catch a bus instead.
Pick up an old hobby.
Visit a relative.
Leave the TV off...
A good idea would be to live exemplary for a month...be about action, not inaction.
Cycle to work , or catch a bus instead.
Pick up an old hobby.
Visit a relative.
Leave the TV off...
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