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Spiritual Nutrition
By Gabriel Cousens, MD

Gabriel Cousens, MD, is founder of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center and author of several books on healing and nutrition, including his latest, Spiritual Nutrition. Meditation Magazine said this is "arguably the best book on diet from both a health and a spiritual point of view ever to see print." Here is a brief excerpt, reprinted by permission.

The Six Foundations for Spiritual Life

These spiritual practices prepare and maintain the physical body as a superconductor.... This is an integration of body, mind, and spirit:

 1. Nutrition: sattvic/kedusha (holy), vegan, organic, live-food, high-mineralized, low-sugar, individualized, moderate food intake diet, well-hydrated with pure living water, and including Spiritual Fasting.

 2. Building prana (life force): Yoga asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing practices), Ophanim (the energetics of the Hebrew letters), T'ai Chi, Reiki, Tachyon Energy, other energy practices, and sacred dance. These all enhance and expand the consciousness of the body-mind complex, filling it with increased life force energy or prana.

 3. Service (seva/sheirut) and charity (tzedaka): In the process of service and charity, we are able to face our attachments to things, as well as to feel our connection to all of the family of humanity. This helps to expand consciousness through direct experience.

 4. Spiritual guidance and inspiration: Satsang or yechidut, being in the energy of Truth in the presence of a Liberated or awakened spiritual teacher. Sangha or chavurah (kehila) is spending time with spiritual people or community. Expanding and refining the mind with spiritual wisdom teachings, the great scriptures such as the Zohar, the Torah, the Tao Te Ching, or the Vedas, and great mystical poetry such as that of Hafitz, Rumi, or Blake is also part of this Foundation.

 5. Silence: Meditation (hitbodedut), prayer (tefila), repetition of mantra (hagiya), and chanting (mizmor) the names of God. Silence is the doorway to the Heart of God. The source of all spiritual wisdom emanates from the silence of the Divine.

 6. Kundalini Awakening: Shaktipat initiation (S'micha l'shefa/Haniha), which is the awakening of the Divine force that is resting in potential within us. This is known as the descent of Grace. It usually occurs through a living Enlightened spiritual teacher, but may occur spontaneously....

The paradox is that it is a pathless path. One cannot eat, do Yoga asanas, pray, selflessly serve, philosophize, have satsang, or even meditate to Enlightenment. The Six Foundations prepare us to awaken from the dream illusion of separation....
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