Ramana Maharishi Suggest to be Silent instead of Criticizing others

Mrs. Piggot.: What diet is suitable for a person engaged in spiritual practice?

B.: Sattvic food in moderate quantities.

Mrs. Piggot.: What food is sattvic?

B.: Bread, fruit, vegetables, milk and such things.

Mrs. Piggot.: Some people in the North eat fish. Is that permissible?

To this question Bhagavan did not reply. He was always reluctant to criticise others and this question was inviting him either to do so or to change what he had said.

B.: What do you mean by ‘strength of mind’?

Mrs. P.: The power to eliminate worldly attachment.

B.: The quality of one’s food influences the mind. The mind feeds on the food consumed.

Mrs. P.: Really! But how can Europeans accommodate themselves to sattvic food?

B.: (turning to Mr. Evans-Wentz) You have been taking our food. Does it inconvenience you at all?

E.W.: No, because I am accustomed to it.

B.: Custom is only an adjustment to environment. It is the mind that matters. The fact is that the mind has been trained to find certain foods good and palatable. The necessary food value is obtainable in vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian food; only the mind desires the sort of food that it is used to and which it considers palatable.

D.: Can fasting help towards Realisation?

B.: Yes, but it is only a temporary help. It is mental fasting that is the real aid. Fasting is not an end in itself. There must be spiritual development at the same time. Absolute fasting weakens the mind too and leaves you without sufficient strength for the spiritual quest. Therefore eat in moderation and continue the quest.

D.: They say that ten days after breaking a month’s fast the mind becomes pure and steady and remains so forever.

B.: Yes, but only if the spiritual quest has been kept up right through the fast.

Source: From The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Edited by David Godman
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