Fasting in monsoon
It was strange coincidence that Gandhian Anna Hazare chose the medium of fast in the months of monsoon for his anti-corruption crusade. While his anti-corruption movement captured popular imagination, it was difficult not to focus on the timing of the agitation — Chaturmasa.
As per Hindu, Jain and Buddhist beliefs, the monsoon season, known as Chaturmasa, is the time when spiritual aspirants undertake penance activities like fasting and bathing in holy rivers, and itinerant monks and nuns come and stay at one place, where they are offered food and shelter. This is also an opportunity for the monastic residents to hold intensive learning camps for themselves as well as hold teaching sessions for their followers. This period is also meant to save the lives of many insects and other life forms from being trampled under the feet of travellers as they come out from under the surface at this time of the year.
According to Thich Nhat Hanh’s biography of Lord Buddha, this practice originated in Buddhism when King Bimbisara gifted Buddha the Bamboo Forest in Rajgir. The Buddha found it to be an ideal retreat for monks and nuns during months of inclement rainy weather and started the tradition of holding his rainy season retreats here.
Like Lent for Christians, Ramzan for Muslims and fasting for Hindus during Navratri, monsoon season is a holy period devoted to the study of scriptures and self-purification. However, we can improvise on this practice to suit our specific growth needs. Fasting can be used as a means to change habits that are difficult to overcome. It can be the anchor of our faith, to support our will if we are, for example, trying to quit smoking or turn vegetarian.
Similarly “maun vrat” or keeping silent is another extremely difficult form of fasting where you decide to give words a rest. This is when the real test starts, as awareness about our root thoughts emerge. We may be silent but achieving equanimity of the mind is the main goal and that comes from the practice of maun vrat.
Silence also helps us improve another key quality where one day can be devoted to only listening with an open mind. A day of service to community can be another form of holy practice, akin to fasting. This could become a fun exercise if we designate each day of the week for a particular practice! You can actually do this as a family, with the young and the adult. Handholding and monitoring each other to ensure serious commitment to the goals makes achieving them easier.
Poonam Srivastava’s book T-Junction Crossing Over for Change will be released in October. She can be contacted at m4moment@gmail.com.
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