BY KAUKAB JHUMRA SMITH
Soul Food
From Buddhists to Sikh to Jews,
food takes on religious meaning.
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ow are food and religion con-
nected? EW spoke to local religious
centers, and some scholars, includ-
ing Katherine Ulrich, a DePauw University
professor who teaches a course called “Diets
and Deities: Food Themes in World
Religions,” to figure out whether fasting is a
common way for people to express their
faith.
A fascinating variety of food practices
have emerged across the religious spectrum.
In some traditions, controlling your food
serves as a form of self-purification and
penance for past sins (see last week’s cover
story on Ramadan). In others, staying away
from all food, or certain kinds of food, be-
comes a way to get closer to God or to show
solidarity with the poor.
Jainism, for example, places such impor-
tance on nonviolence that “even eating a veg-
etable is an act of violence” that attracts bad
karma, says Ulrich. Monks and nuns fre-
quently sweep their own paths to avoid step-
ping on insects. Some clergy too old to carry
out their duties may even fast themselves to
death as a way to atone for their accumulated
bad karma.
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Sikhs, however, do not believe in fasting
for spiritual purposes. But they do restrict
their diet: They eat no meat, and like
Muslims, disapprove of mind-altering sub-
stances such as alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Sikhism emphasizes sharing meals as a way
to promote community. “We like to mention
in our history that when a beggar and a king
came to the same court, they would eat the
same meal before they met the guru,” says
Sat Ganesha Khalsa of the Eugene Sikh
Gurdwara.
Despite the image of the starving Buddha,
fasting is not a Buddhist practice either. The
Buddha fasted so strenuously he almost died,
says the Rev. Oswin Hollenbeck of the
Eugene Buddhist Priory, before realizing that
such extremes were unnecessary in order to
become enlightened. “I don’t say this in judg-
ment of any tradition, but for us, we found
that not to be helpful,” he says. Food is con-
sidered essential for the pursuit of spiritual
success, as long as one neither denies nor in-
dulges oneself in extremes. “The human
body is our vessel and vehicle of our practice.
We must not mistreat it or punish it in any
way,” says Hollenbeck.
uddhists say food is considered
essential for the pursuit of spiritual
success, as long as one neither denies
nor indulges oneself in extremes.
Less drastically, Jews also fast to repent
for sins committed against God on Yom
Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Believers go
without food or water for 24 hours from sun-
down to sundown, often wearing white to sig-
nify purity. This also marks a time to ask fel-
low beings for forgiveness for any sins
you’ve committed against them, says
Deborah Green, UO professor of religious
studies. And Tisha B’av, a fast on the ninth of
the Jewish month Av, is held in memory of
the destruction of the first and second temples
in Jerusalem.
One of the five “minor fasts” in Judaism
revolves around the story of Esther, the
Jewish queen credited with saving her nation.
Esther ate nothing for three days to purify
herself before going to the king — who knew
nothing of her religion — to ask him to re-
verse his command for all Jews to be killed.
In memory of Esther’s bravery, Jews fast be-
fore the holiday of Purim and then feast to
celebrate their survival. Purim is also the only
holiday Jews are commanded to get drunk!
Hindu women will often fast for 24 hours
to ask for blessing for the men in their family
or their children, Ulrich says. Unlike
Ramadan or Jewish fast days, which follow
prescribed times, the fasts of Hindu women
usually follow an individualized schedule de-
pending on the deity to whom they pray.
Many Native Americans pursue a spiritual
vision of clear understanding, usually under
the guidance of an elder, through a process
that includes fasting from all food and drink.
Some Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians
and other Christian groups may observe 40
days of Lent, a time of personal reflection and
repentance in preparation for Easter, when
fasting usually means avoiding meat or other
forms of self-indulgence.
“Food is a good way to feel like you’re
controlling a lot of things,” says Ulrich, be-
cause although we can’t stop breathing or
sleeping, we can stop eating for a while:
Giving up certain foods for good, or all food
for a short time, can help express one’s spiri-
tuality.
ew
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