每個月舉辦一梯次斷食營，我在這樣的環境裡擔任輔導員已超過十七年。因為親身實踐，受益最大的人其實是我自己。

回顧早期的經驗，每一季穩定參與的學員，都以高度自律聞名。那時營隊多為兩天一夜，參加成本相對較高，學員必須考慮預算，不容易做到每月參與。

我曾鼓勵體態臃腫的學員，每月給身體一週的休息。願意配合者雖然不多，但半年後幾乎都判若兩人，這個觀察讓我心中留下了可靠的腹案：每個月讓身體休息一週，不只是遠離病痛的根基，更是逆齡的關鍵行動。

然而，對於每天三餐不缺的「一般人」來說，唯一的回應是：「不可能。」甚至讓我想到英文裡的說法：Out of the question，根本連談都不必談。

這並不是能力差異的比較，而是思維層次的分野：有人看得長遠，有人只盯著眼前。這些年的工作帶給我最大的體會，是「動機的喚醒」遠勝於「知識的灌輸」。

隨著歲月逼近，我愈發明白：學員對我的評價已經不重要，把時間留給態度正確的人，才是我此刻堅守的原則。

 

對於前述的「一般人」而言，斷食是一道極高的門檻，許多人甚至連了解的意願都沒有，更別說撥出時間與預算學習。

然而，我的腦海中卻浮現出許多「享受斷食的人」。

這聽來或許不可思議：斷食，竟然可以享受？事實上，斷食正是「行中悟」最鮮活的生命章節，不只要做，還要做得熟練，才能走到「享受」的境界。

那是一種身心靈的會合，一種能量的對準。

近兩年來，每月的斷食營逐漸形成一種外界難以理解的文化。這並不是我們強勢推動的結果，而是學員之間自發的默契。

他們每個月把身體帶進營隊，每個月讓自己遠離食物一週，彷彿把身體送去進廠維修。

若讓「一般人」來評論這個現象，常見的反應是：「他們瘋了嗎？到處都是美食誘惑耶！」、「這樣不怕得厭食症嗎？」、「每月不吃一週，會不會營養不良？」

這些質疑並不意外，對「一般人」而言，隨時有東西可吃才叫生活；但享受斷食的人，已經打開了另一個維度的感官，能更敏銳的接收身體的訊號。

人類開始烹飪、精緻化飲食，也不過百年；因為熟食帶來的耗損，導致身體反應遲鈍，也只是近百年的事。享受斷食的人，只是率先領悟到養生的本質：找到回家的路而已。

 

即使如今斷食文化已經紮根，即使已有一群熱愛斷食的人聚集，能熟練與自己身體相處，仍是現代人難以回歸的境界。

身體是家，而人類卻刻意遺忘家的美好。

我們來到世上是孤獨的，離開時也將孤獨離去。孤獨，似乎是人類存在的底色。

斷食，本質上就帶著孤獨。它需要自律，需要一個人坐在身體的駕駛座上。在「兼善天下」的宏願之外，我們也必須面對「獨善其身」的孤獨本質。

我由衷佩服每個月有計畫遠離美食的學員，他們能在例行性的每月一週內，與自己的身體對頻，與孤獨相處。

我深信，這份力量來自於他們對生命的熱愛，也來自團體的支持。

「享受斷食的人」這個名詞在文學與養生領域都極為陌生，他們像是一種稀有物種，深刻定義了人類如何與孤獨共處。

初看這個名詞，人們的目光往往被「斷食」吸引，好奇或抗拒；但它真正的特別之處，是那個動詞：「享受」。能夠享受斷食的人，也必然是最懂得享受美食的人。

 

長期以來，我們將「享用美食」視為熟練斷食後的自然結果，而不是目標。我在這樣的環境裡成長，逐漸明白進而領悟。

真正的境界不是「因為身體乾淨就能大吃特吃」，而是能吃出食物的真正味道。

享受斷食的人，所有感官都回到原始設定，更能替自己挑選食物，同時享受身體的清淨，也享受健康帶來的自信。

我把這份體悟獻給我心中的斷食英雄：每一位享受斷食的人。

不吃的自律，是外人最難理解的意境。我長期記錄這些歷程，看到人們在行到深處時，臉上展露自信的笑容，身上散發一種熟練孤獨的氣魄。

這是智慧嗎？這是勇氣嗎？還是只有少數人才能擁有的天賦？我把這些問題留給每一位願意為自己的生命品質全力以赴的人。

我真心希望你能轉過身，為自己立下一個停損點，與自己同在，也與身體同在。

 

（孤獨是所有偉大靈魂的宿命）

 

Those Who Enjoy Fasting

Every month, we host a fasting retreat, and I have served as a guide in this environment for over seventeen years. Because I practice what I teach, the one who benefits most is, without doubt, myself.

Looking back at the early days, the participants who returned regularly each season were known for their extraordinary self-discipline. Back then, our retreats were just two days and one night, which made participation relatively costly. Students had to consider their budget carefully, making monthly attendance difficult.
I often encouraged participants with sluggish bodies to give themselves one week of rest every month. Only a small number agreed, but within six months they were completely transformed. This left me with a deeply convincing conclusion: giving the body one week of rest every month is not just the foundation of preventing disease — it is a key act of reversing aging.

Yet for the “average person,” who eats three meals a day without fail, the only response is: “Impossible.” It reminds me of the English phrase Out of the question — not even worth talking about.
This is not a matter of capability but of perspective: some look far ahead, others see only the immediate. My years of work have taught me that awakening motivation is far more powerful than merely delivering knowledge.

As the years press closer, I have become more certain: what students think of me no longer matters. What matters is giving my time to those whose attitude is ready.
—

The Threshold and the Joy of Fasting

For the so-called “average person,” fasting is an impossibly high threshold. Many have no desire even to learn about it, let alone dedicate time or resources to practice it.
And yet, my mind is filled with images of those who enjoy fasting.

It may sound unbelievable — fasting, enjoyable?
But fasting is precisely one of life’s most vivid chapters of awakening-in-action. It is not enough to merely do it; one must practice until it becomes second nature, until fasting becomes a source of joy.
It is a convergence of body, mind, and spirit — an alignment of energy.

In the past two years, our monthly retreats have quietly formed a culture that outsiders struggle to understand.
This is not a culture we forced upon anyone — it arose from the quiet consensus of participants.
Each month, they bring their bodies back to the retreat. Each month, they give themselves a full week free from food — as if sending the body to a repair shop.

If “average people” were asked to comment, they might say:

“Are they crazy? There’s delicious food everywhere!”

“Aren’t they afraid of developing an eating disorder?”

“Won’t they be malnourished if they don’t eat for a week every month?”
Such doubts are unsurprising. To most people, life means having food always within reach.
But those who enjoy fasting have unlocked a new dimension of perception — they are attuned to their body’s signals with remarkable clarity.

Humans have only been cooking and refining food for about a century. The physical wear and tear caused by cooked food — and the dulled responses of the body — are equally recent phenomena.
Those who enjoy fasting have merely rediscovered the essence of health: the road back home.
—

Fasting and the Courage to Be Alone

Even now, with fasting culture taking root and a community of fasting enthusiasts growing, the ability to live in harmony with one’s own body remains a rare and difficult realm to return to.
The body is home, yet humanity has chosen to forget its beauty.

We come into the world alone, and we leave it alone.
Loneliness seems to be the background color of existence.
Fasting, by its very nature, carries the essence of solitude.
It demands self-discipline; it requires you to sit in the driver’s seat of your own body.

Beyond the grand ambition of “benefiting the world,” we must also face the solitary nature of “tending to ourselves.”
I deeply admire those participants who plan, month after month, to step away from culinary temptations.
In a single week, they manage to tune in to their body’s frequency and embrace the company of solitude.

I believe this strength comes from their love of life — and from the support of the community.
“The ones who enjoy fasting” — this phrase is still rare in both literature and the wellness world.
They are like a rare species, redefining what it means for humanity to live well with solitude.

At first glance, the word that captures attention is “fasting” — sparking curiosity or resistance.
But what makes the phrase truly extraordinary is the verb: enjoy.
For those who can enjoy fasting are also those who most deeply enjoy food.
—

Returning to the Original Senses

For years, we have treated “enjoying food” as the natural outcome of becoming skilled at fasting — not the goal.
Growing up in this environment, I came to understand this truth deeply.

The highest state is not “because my body is clean, now I can eat recklessly,”
but rather “because my body is clean, now I can taste food as it truly is.”

Those who enjoy fasting have reset all their senses to factory settings.
They are better at choosing the right foods for themselves.
They enjoy the cleanliness of the body and the confidence that health brings.

I dedicate this understanding to the fasting heroes in my heart:
every single one who enjoys fasting.

The self-discipline of not eating is a realm few outsiders can grasp.
I have long recorded these journeys and witnessed how, when people go deep into the path,
their faces begin to shine with confidence,
their whole being radiates the quiet power of practiced solitude.

Is this wisdom?
Is this courage?
Or is it a rare gift that only a few possess?

I leave these questions to everyone willing to give their all for the sake of their own life’s quality.

I sincerely hope you will turn around,
set a stop-loss point for your life,
be with yourself — and be with your body.