Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
When you chant the Name, it actually moves through your whole being - purifying you, bestowing grace, and making you sacred…Chanting breaks down the barriers between you and your own heart.
When divine vision is attained, all appear equal; and there remains no distinction of good and bad, or of high and low.
No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.
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.
