Spiritual Experiments to Enrich the Self
"Igniting the power of the spiritual self is the supreme goal of my life" stated Acharya Tulsi. These expressions were not merely rhetoric, but were actualized through practice as well. Acharya Tulsi made a constant effort to do sadhana. He kept on practicing various experiments in spiritual and moral enlightenment while simultaneously enriching his internal assets.
Restrain of Taste
Purity is closely connected with restrain of taste. Acharya Tulsi believed that the mental control over the consumption of food is the first step to detachment and to overcome delusion of wants versus needs. He accomplished a number of experiments of controlling the food at different place and time. A few are illustrated here, such as:
- Not to take more than seven or thirteen food items in one meal
- Quasi-fasting for 27 days eating just two items in his meal
- Taking the meal of only one grain per day
- Completely abstaining from food that contained sugar or jaggery
- In 1982, he started practising unodari (eating less than hunger or not eating to satisfy feelings of hunger)
- Eating only one meal a day continuously for one month He practiced many such exercises for self-control.