One, who earns leadership of the people by working ceaselessly for their welfare, finally realises that he has been rewarded with many added advantages.
You created the counterfeit and the genuine. You appraise all people. You appraise the true, and place them in Your treasury; You consign the false to wander in delusion.
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
Fasting in the monastic community is considered an ascetic practice, a “dhutanga” practice. Dhutanga means “to shake up” or “invigoration”. The Buddha, as is well known, emphasized moderation, the Middle Way that avoids extremes, in all things. Fasting is an additional method that one can take up, with supervision, for a time.
