Sans Food
According to current understanding humans gather their energy from three primary sources: oxygen, water, and food. The rule of thumb for surviving without one of these is approximately:
- 3 minutes without air
- 3 days without water
- 3 weeks without food
However, there are sometimes exceptions to the rule. Some people defy these rules, living without food and water for much longer than is scientifically explainable. Sounds fascinating! Let’s talk about those people.
The Buddha Boy
After searching for several cases of inedia, or the ability to live without food, this one was my favorite. Ram Bahadur Bomjan, aka “The Buddha Boy,” told his mother that he would sit under a bodhi tree for six years until he reached buddhahood. Sound familiar? Yeah that’s how he got his nick name.
During long periods of this time it is purported that he didn’t take any food or water. He simply sits… for hours… and days at a time. In the documentary I watched, they filmed him for 96 hours straight of not moving, not eating, and not drinking anything.
This flies in the face of all modern medical knowledge. He has mastered a certain technique of slowing down is metabolism and is also drawing energy directly from the source. You can watch the full Discovery Channel documentary about the Buddha Boy on YouTube here.
Giri Bala
Another well known example is that of Giri Bala. She was a saintly Indian woman who stopped eating at the age of 12 for the span of her life until she died 56 years later. Referring to her spiritual guru, she states:
“He initiated me into a kriya technique which frees the body from dependence on the gross food of mortals. The technique includes the use of a certain mantra and a breathing exercise more difficult than the average person could perform. No medicine or magic is involved; nothing beyond the kriya.”
When asked why she was given the technique, she replied:
“To prove that man is Spirit.” Her face lit with wisdom. “To demonstrate that by divine advancement he can gradually learn to live by the Eternal Light and not by food.”
You can read the entire account here: http://www.crystalclarity.com/yogananda/chap46.php
These are only a few of the cases of indea that I found during my research. This was a wonderful reminder for me of the hidden spiritual realms of life. Specifically, Ram Bomjan, the boy mentioned above, just struck my soul when he said he would sit down under a tree and meditate for six years. Blows my mind and inspires my devotion. The mystery of life is fascinating and the supernatural is simply a few steps beyond what will someday be accepted knowledge. The future is bright.
Next time I’ll speak more about how people are using another technique to gather energy directly from the sun.
Share your thoughts in the comments below. =]