fasting as a spiritual discipline and/or requirement

[kangamitroo]

I am interested in reading about fasting as a spiritual discipline and/or religious requirement in the Abrahamic faith traditions. I would like to look at classical/traditional works as well as those by contemporary practitioners. I am purposely casting a wide net because I am only at the beginning of this exploration.

At this stage I only have read The Inner Dimensions of Fasting by Abu Hamid al-Ghazali.

thank you for any reading suggestions.

[lilyka]

We do not have a lot of books written on the subject apparently but  that makes sense.  Fasting is something to be done under the guidance of ones spiritual father and not something we need a lot of information on for informations sake.  It is not something we take on ourselves but something we are instructed to do and educated in the how and why according to where we are.  (people can tend to get a little too bookish and self reliant in the faith sometimes and fasting has great potential for people to become prideful legalistic and judgemental)  Here is a good link http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/pr_fasting.aspx  qith a lot of information and towards the bottom there are a couple of book recommendations.

[PatienceAndLove]

Fasting from a traditional Catholic prospective

http://www.fisheaters.com/fasting.html

[kangamitroo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatienceAndLove 

Fasting from a traditional Catholic prospective

http://www.fisheaters.com/fasting.html

thanks for the link, P&L. it looks interesting.

I have been reading Scot McKnight's Fasting; his background is Anabaptist. the core of his view is that fasting is a response to a sacred moment (e.g. grief, repentance), and that it has deep roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition. (I found I wished he would take that further, and point out the similarities with Islamic fasting practices, too—especially regarding being mindful of the poor and giving charity along with fasting.) he contrasts this view to fasting as a means to get something—a specific outcome or reward. he talks about the need for holistic spirituality, rather than saying body bad/spirit good. this is a very general description, but it is an interesting read.