The guru cannot awaken you; all that he can do is to point out what is. The guru can give you words; he can give you an explanation, the symbols of the mind, but the symbol is not the real, and if you are caught in the symbol, you will never find the way.
Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; this whole world is your own.
You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
Food to a large extent is what holds a society together and eating is closely linked to deep spiritual experiences.
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.
