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The story of the starving yogi is one more reason not to fall for every extraordinary mystical phenomenon that comes down the aisle.
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An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period.
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Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television.
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During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet.
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"We still do not know how he survives," neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. "It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is." - Rest of story.
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One report stated that he stopped eating when the nursing home in which he lived told the residents they can't pray before meals anylonger. Government regulations - not everyone was Hindu in that particular nursing home.
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Actually, that last statement is a lie.
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Vote for Larry!
Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia#Prahlad_Jani
ReplyDeleteAlthough I sincerely doubt something like that is feasable, a rigorous medical observance of this guy is recommended. In India, people regularly tend to be taken for rides by 'godmen'.
Thanks Jeevan - I think many Westerners are dooped as well - the Beatles come to mind.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you, thanks for stopping by.
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteWhen I enrolled for an "Asian Studies" paper in uni (Don't look at me like that! I needed an easy A.), I heard a lecture on "Asian religion"--which, of course, said nothing about Catholicism.
The professor spoke of a Indian guru with a following of thousands, who believed in him as a miracle worker--and not without "proof." I can't remember what all the proofs were, but the one saved for last was an image of the guru which had appeared in the clouds, when one of his devotees happened to be taking a flight. (On a plane, I must add! Not on drugs! LOL!) The devotee snapped a picture immediately, and the professor reproduced it for us. It was seriously bad Photoshopping, and the whole room laughed.
Then the professor said, "How is this funnier than people saying they've seen an apparition of Jesus? Or claiming that a man multiplied loaves and fishes or walked on water? Remember that these devotees are intelligent people: doctors, lawyers, engineers . . ."
It was the first time I had seen Christianity from the point of view of a non-believer for whom religions are interesting, but not true, and for whom believers can be intelligent, but utterly mistaken.
Great point Enbrethiliel! I'm fascinated by how other religions and people without faith view us. When I think some fellow Catholics - fundies - are crazy, I don't feel so alone knowing that most of the world thinks we are all nuts. LOL! I'm such a misfit.
ReplyDelete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteBut I find I prefer "Devotees of Weird Asian Guru" nuts to "Whore of Babylon" nuts. ;-)