"Man claims to have had neither food or drink in 70 years"

[Horus_Risen]

Some form of unknown biological symbiosis could perhaps be taking place.
There are plenty of fascinating examples of this:

- Worms that help fight hay fever and allergies: http://www.hayfeverexpert.co.uk/fighting-allergies-with-worms.html
- The algae as a superfood I mentioned earlier
- Mitochondria are believed to have evolved from symbiosis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrion#Origin
- Toxoplasmosis
- etc.

I'm thinking some external structure is feeding these people, keeping them alive somehow. That would explain a biological mechanism.

Of course, there's always the possibility this is no "ordinary" mechanism...

There must be a biological component or reflection in the body, even if this a "spiritual" or mental feat of some kind, assuming of course that mind, body, and spirit are intimately and/or symbiotically linked. I still can't disregard the idea that this phenomenon is often related to a religious/philosophic belief. I think that in cases like this, the "outer shell" of religion is masking some esoteric technique being performed by all who accomplish similar things. I would be interested in finding a case like this in an atheist somehow living without sustenance through some undiscovered symbiosis, though I doubt that would ever happen.

 

[XPreNN]

Some form of unknown biological symbiosis could perhaps be taking place.
There are plenty of fascinating examples of this:

- Worms that help fight hay fever and allergies: http://www.hayfeverexpert.co.uk/fighting-allergies-with-worms.html
- The algae as a superfood I mentioned earlier
- Mitochondria are believed to have evolved from symbiosis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrion#Origin
- Toxoplasmosis
- etc.

I'm thinking some external structure is feeding these people, keeping them alive somehow. That would explain a biological mechanism.

Of course, there's always the possibility this is no "ordinary" mechanism...

There must be a biological component or reflection in the body, even if this a "spiritual" or mental feat of some kind, assuming of course that mind, body, and spirit are intimately and/or symbiotically linked. I still can't disregard the idea that this phenomenon is often related to a religious/philosophic belief. I think that in cases like this, the "outer shell" of religion is masking some esoteric technique being performed by all who accomplish similar things. I would be interested in finding a case like this in an atheist somehow living without sustenance through some undiscovered symbiosis, though I doubt that would ever happen.

I like your comment, I was thinking this, just didn't quite know how to word it.

I also wonder if this is an acquired skill, or a latent skill which is freed from its inhibited state. (assuming it is real)
It would make a big difference if you consider the 'belief' component. If it is latent, it could be brought out through some form of accidental brain trauma perhaps. That is, again, of course, if it is related to the brain at all.
Who knows what mechanism underlies this kind of feat!

 

[Amelopsis]

The man being studied is a Jain. With modern dogma stripped away, Jainism's studies and philosophies are very much based on knowledge, not a whole lot of 'belief' or 'fear' based elements are involved.
I've found the volume of dogma in available material to be overwhelming though, and this has hindered an interest in finding more concise documentation; add to that the measurement conversions and poor translation to english...research is very time consuming.

I don't find it at all difficult to believe that the many thousands of year old philosophy has tapped on a combination of mental & physical understanding & discipline, a commitment to which could result in a lack of requirement for sustenance of the physical body by external food sources throughout its adult lifespan.

It's actually amusing that the army is studying the man at all, there are many such accounts of miraculous feats throughout India's history and present. I see the reporting of the incident to be an indication of the Westernisation of the Indian culture and it's ongoing morphosis into a Bollywood stylised consumer culture.
Methinks that the ever increasing Western military finger in the pie of India might be the origin of the study.

 

[Argonaut]

From a "breatharian" website: _http://www.breatharian.info

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE ?


Explanations for the open-minded.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." No matter whether we believe in something or not, the phenomenon takes place irrespective of our knowledge or belief. Besides, no matter how we try to explain it, is the explanation arrived at really so important? The most important thing is that from the beginning of our civilization, there always were people who never ate. Such people existed, exist and will exist, which means that we too have this capability. We only need to find a way to adapt the body to a different kind of energy processing.

Explanation for an esoteric person.

Ubiquitous energy, whether called prana, qi, ki, orgon, liquid light or by other names, maintains the organism of someone who doesn't eat. A human body can be powered by prana if the subconscious (which manages the body metabolism and shapes the physical body) acquires the skill of automatic transformation of ubiquitous prana to satisfy the needs of a human body.

Explanation for those scientifically-minded.

Of all the other organisms, the human body is the most complicated, integrated and self-regulated energetic system. It is complicated and in many aspects unexplored computer-mechanic-chemical formation, controlled by the brain with the whole layout of magnetic, electric and gravity radiation. This complicated machine can be adapted to all possible living conditions on Earth, if given enough time and developed in right way.

We haven't fully explored the human organism energy system. One of the ways of powering human body is energy and substances created by the chemical and physical factory of the body (excretory and respiratory system). Apart from this powering system, there is another, a reserve one (or maybe major one but moved away to the reserve role), which is able to transform the available energy directly. This powering system transforms the energy directly into matter, so in this way all that the organism needs. The pineal gland is claimed to have a crucial role in this process. This hypothesis is confirmed by research undergone on some people, where CAT scanning shows a significant enlargement of this gland. The pineal gland manages (like a central processing unit) the mechanism of direct energy exchange between the organism cell and the surroundings (it actually occurs at a sub-atom level).

One explanation, purely scientific, which comes from a nuclear physic says as follows: the organism consists of tissues, which are built of chemical molecules, and next these molecules are built of atoms. Atoms consist of electrons and protons, which are built of smaller elements. As the result of this way of looking for an origin element, we reach the point, where the matter does not exist. There, we have only something, which we can call vibrational whirls of energy. As long as history exists it has been known under different definitions, for example prana, orgon, light. Hence such definitions originated such as "living on light" or "prana nourishment". All the matter which exists in the Universe, including the human body, is comprised of whirls of vibrational energy. The human body is the best well-known sophisticated, programmable and simultaneously self-controlled electronic-physical-chemical machine with a central management system, called the brain. There are centers in the brain, which manage body energy and chemistry (mainly pineal gland and pituitary). In this way, the organism lives and builds itself using these whirls of energy.

Explanation for a deeply religious person.

God is everything. There is nothing which exists without God, there is nothing which has not been created by God. The inconceivable and almighty God is the only One and the highest perfection. Since the Almighty God has created everything and He/She/It is the highest inconceivable perfection, He/She/It can bestow the ability to live without eating on people of His/Her/Its choice.

Since God is inconceivable and almighty, it is no use asking how God is able to do this. Important is the fact that God can and does select people to receive this grace. We can ask God for the grace of not eating, because God listens to sincere requests of the devoted children.

They also have a a 201-page ebook on the subject called "Lifestyle Without Food:" _http://niejedzenie.info/english/text/lswf.pdf

It's actually amusing that the army is studying the man at all, there are many such accounts of miraculous feats throughout India's history and present. I see the reporting of the incident to be an indication of the Westernisation of the Indian culture and it's ongoing morphosis into a Bollywood stylised consumer culture.
Methinks that the ever increasing Western military finger in the pie of India might be the origin of the study.

Yeah, the interest in a "military application" is ridiculously typical psychopathic thinking. Forget what this could imply about the nature of man and reality itself - how can it help us kill and conquer more effectively? If anything demonstrates the superficial nature of a pathological mind, it's stuff like this.

And I had a thought that this particular man might be a phony, and the goal of the study could be to expose him as such and thus write off the whole phenomenon. I guess we'll see if/when they do a follow-up piece with the final results.

 

[JGeropoulas]

I had read that story. There were similar incidents reported earlier where some hermit could live without regular food for a long time. Here is a wikipedia link for someone who allegedly gets energy from the Sun.

For all we know, his explanation is the literal truth. But, assumng his explanation is a metaphor for metaphysical processes. if he spends time in the sunlight, I could imagine DNA changes allowing some form of photosynthesis enabling him to be sustained by sunlight alone (like a cactus).

Alternately, If he lives in a cave, then his sustenance might come from breathing alone.

As Laura mentions in her introductory EE breathing video ( http://eiriu-eolas.org/about/ ), Gurdjieff hypothesized that if the outbreaths of an advanced yogi and a novice could be properly analyzed and compared, the outbreath of the novice would contain far more "wasted" material than the yogi due to the yogi's ability to convert it into the "finer" elements needed to grow the higher centers / bodies.

Seems like there are plants (e.g. Spanish moss, orchids?) that live in trees and their roots gather nutrients from the air (cf. Mistletoe, which taps roots into the tree to get nutrients).

 

[abstract]

I've been reading this thread, and the conclusion (for lack of a better term) that I keep coming back to is that this is all very interesting, and it's fun

to contemplate it and roll it around in your mind, but does it do any good, given what we know about diet and health, to even bother

attempting this feat, or continue wondering "hmmm, how did they do that?", when we probably will never know for certain how or why it happens?

It's like asking why you were born with brown eyes instead of blue eyes, interesting, but moot point in the end, IMHO. :)

I certainly don't think you'd have much success if you went out and tried it.

Thanks for that last post, argonaut, very intruiging stuff.

 

[Argonaut]

I've been reading this thread, and the conclusion (for lack of a better term) that I keep coming back to is that this is all very interesting, and it's fun

to contemplate it and roll it around in your mind, but does it do any good, given what we know about diet and health, to even bother

attempting this feat, or continue wondering "hmmm, how did they do that?", when we probably will never know for certain how or why it happens?

It's like asking why you were born with brown eyes instead of blue eyes, interesting, but moot point in the end, IMHO. :)

I certainly don't think you'd have much success if you went out and tried it.

Good point. :) I think "what if..." can be a powerful motivator to study it further. In some cases that can be a bad thing, or at least a waste of time. But apparently "inedia" isn't just a rare freak of nature thing; anyone can potentially live without food.

But it isn't a simple matter of just "not eating anymore"... The ebook says that it takes a lot of deprogramming for most people to succeed. Also, it's most likely to happen as part of an overall spiritual pursuit, not so much when it's just attempted for its own sake. The book makes a lot of sense, but he does hit a few New Agey sour notes. For instance, he recommends monoatomic gold as part of one way to become a breatharian (the "alchemical method"). But unless he's lying (always possible) he's at least a breatharian himself, so much of the book's info comes from personal experience.

I see no reason why someone couldn't try this if he proceeds cautiously. But on the other hand, even the ebook says that it can't be forced. Either you're ready for it or it ain't gonna happen. So if you try to go without eating and wind up with desperate food cravings, then that's that. Call it a fast and move on.

I also found an article on sungazing by Dr. Mercola: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/01/08/feasting-on-sunshine.aspx. That method seems fairly promising, because you can "try it before you buy it" - if the sungazing doesn't give you abundant energy, well... don't stop eating.

 

[JGeropoulas]

this is all very interesting, and it's fun to contemplate it and roll it around in your mind, but does it do any good

While I'm fairly skeptical, and certainly very cautious about anything that might endanger my vision (I backed out of my lasik procedure scheduled with one of the top 10 U.S. eye surgeons).

On the other hand, with water and food shortages looming, and Codex Alimentarius threatening to eliminate access to health supplements ( _http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y7867e/y7867e04.htm#bm04 ), I'm extremely interested in any readily-available, natural resource which might be able to sustain me and keep me healthy.

Magnesium is an excellent example:

Magnesium is bound as the central atom of… the green plant pigment chlorophyll. Magnesium is the element that causes plants to be able to convert light into energy and chlorophyll is identical to hemoglobin except the magnesium atom at the center has been taken out and iron put in.

Hidden in each cubic mile of ocean water is enough healing power to put the pharmaceutical companies out of business.

Medical science and the pharmaceutical companies will eventually have to deal with the fact that the most powerful and universal medicine on earth is a basic nutrient from the sea and can be purchased by anyone at low cost.

http://www.naturalnews.com/024847.html

Our planet is bathed in electromagnetic solar energy each day. And, we are surrounded by an atmosphere filled with oxygen, nitrogen. and probably a host of other vital molecules. Wouldn't it be wonderful—and liberating—if all we needed to survive and thrive was the sun, the sea, and EE.

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin.” (attributed to Jesus)

Perhaps this type thing is a preview (or even the emergence) of 4D, where the C's have said there's more physical variability, making the body more of a refuge, than a prison. Wasn't "test driving" these physical bodies what got us into this 3D mess to start with?

"Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word [i.e.Truth] that proceeds from the mouth of God" (attributed to Jesus).

 

[Juba]

Indian military scientists are studying an 82-year-old who claims he has not had any food or drink for 70 years... Mr Jani, who claims to have left home aged seven and lived as a wandering sadhu or holy man in Rajasthan, is regarded as a 'breatharian' who can live on a 'spiritual life-force' alone. He believes he is sustained by a goddess who pours an 'elixir' through a hole in his palate.

Link to the article - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7645857/Man-claims-to-have-had-no-food-or-drink-for-70-years.html

This is certainly an interesting case if it is true. I've heard of yogis and fakirs doing extraordinary things, but this one takes the cake. Does anyone know of any similar cases throughout history?

Excellent thematic, some videos about Jani can be found in here: http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=17542.msg157747#msg157747

The most funniest thing Jani left hospital after 15 days of scientific observation, Neurologist Sudhir Shah said Jani was under watch for 10 days, with a closed-circuit camera running, and that doctors were convinced he did not break any of his vows, although there was no way of verifying whether Jani has pulled it off for 68 years. “He has evidence of the formation of urine, which was reabsorbed on his bladder wall. The medical committee does not have any scientific explanation,” Shah said.

Jani seems like genuine Autotrophs (Organisms that are able to make their own food (in the form of sugars) by using the energy of the Sun are called autotrophs, meaning "self-feeders")

More on: http://eslkevin.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/man-doesnt-eat-for-70-years-scientists-around-the-world-are-interested-and-we-should-too/

Russia's most famous autotroph's name is Zinaida Baranova. The old lady from the city of Krasnodar is 67 years old. She was approaching her new existence very slowly. At first she gave up meat, then she turned vegetables down. She has been living without food and water for 4.5 years already. Scientists of the Bauman Institute examined her organism and were very surprised to find out that the woman's biological age corresponded to 20 years. Professor Spiridonov came to conclusion that the pensioner was a perfectly healthy lady; all her systems and organs, except for the stomach, were functioning normally. Indeed, she is a very energetic and bubbly person. She got rid of all diseases, even chronic ones. She said, however, that it was rather hard for her to get used to the new lifestyle. She was suffering from cramps, exhaustion, dry mouth, etc. There were moments, when she thought she was dying. The woman's health improved in 1.5 months.

more on: http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/377/14815_autotroph.html

and interview with Zinaida is on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMckW_kdDTc

Currently we have 2 living human beings autotrophs, MOST IMPORTANT, both of them practice breathing techniques and meditate.

 

[tree]

Wow, this IS a fun and interesting topic. But not only that, I think its worth our while to determine if "autotrophism" is truly possible. Personally, I tried vegetarianism for 4 years because I didn't want to be the cause for the deaths of animals...especially cruel factory farming. I found that I wasn't healthy with this diet and resumed eating meat and poultry, although now I have enough money to buy better quality (organic/ free-range, etc). And I am mindful of what I consume...even the plants have to die... I am grateful. However if autotrophic existence is possible, wouldn't it be a worthy pursuit if one was ready for it? As we advance along in the work, continue our breathing, our detox, and with the transformative process of the "Wave"...maybe this is in our future as a stepping stone. Or perhaps if some of us become 4D, it goes beyond that and the attempt to be an autotroph would be unnecessary? Maybe its something that "happens" when one is ready...and the spiritually astute would know it. A child doesn't have to be told to learn or "try" to walk or talk...it happens when its time.

So funny that this came up because I was reading a thread about water last night and there was a mention of sungazing, and a reference by the C's, so I read up on it a little. It was still in the back of my mind when I came across this thread after reading the story in the mainstream headlines this morning. I was exercising this morning...a gorgeous sunny morning... and thought "maybe all I need is the sun?".

Tree

 

[Freelancer]

Wow, this IS a fun and interesting topic. But not only that, I think its worth our while to determine if "autotrophism" is truly possible. Personally, I tried vegetarianism for 4 years because I didn't want to be the cause for the deaths of animals...especially cruel factory farming. I found that I wasn't healthy with this diet and resumed eating meat and poultry, although now I have enough money to buy better quality (organic/ free-range, etc). And I am mindful of what I consume...even the plants have to die... I am grateful. However if autotrophic existence is possible, wouldn't it be a worthy pursuit if one was ready for it? As we advance along in the work, continue our breathing, our detox, and with the transformative process of the "Wave"...maybe this is in our future as a stepping stone. Or perhaps if some of us become 4D, it goes beyond that and the attempt to be an autotroph would be unnecessary? Maybe its something that "happens" when one is ready...and the spiritually astute would know it.

Tree

Good questions.

I guess we all asked them at some point.
The C's have addressed these questions on several occasions, especially in the recent sessions, and they seem to suggest that some people will be able to manifest their own food. But even that might be just a transitory phase, after which people would become independent of food as we know it.
I don't think anyone could become autotrophic overnight (an example of that old lady in Russia is quite interesting).

 

[Juba]

Wow, this IS a fun and interesting topic. But not only that, I think its worth our while to determine if "autotrophism" is truly possible. Personally, I tried vegetarianism for 4 years because I didn't want to be the cause for the deaths of animals...especially cruel factory farming. I found that I wasn't healthy with this diet and resumed eating meat and poultry, although now I have enough money to buy better quality (organic/ free-range, etc). And I am mindful of what I consume...even the plants have to die... I am grateful. However if autotrophic existence is possible, wouldn't it be a worthy pursuit if one was ready for it? As we advance along in the work, continue our breathing, our detox, and with the transformative process of the "Wave"...maybe this is in our future as a stepping stone. Or perhaps if some of us become 4D, it goes beyond that and the attempt to be an autotroph would be unnecessary? Maybe its something that "happens" when one is ready...and the spiritually astute would know it. A child doesn't have to be told to learn or "try" to walk or talk...it happens when its time.

So funny that this came up because I was reading a thread about water last night and there was a mention of sungazing, and a reference by the C's, so I read up on it a little. It was still in the back of my mind when I came across this thread after reading the story in the mainstream headlines this morning. I was exercising this morning...a gorgeous sunny morning... and thought "maybe all I need is the sun?".

Tree

Agree :). Vegetarianism was my way of living for over 2 decades and I was sure I'm doing right thing (still thinking killing is not an answer for anything), I was ready but my body was not, had lot of problems with blood and skin because of unbalanced nutrition, golly, I wish I knew Laura's work 20 years ago. Anyhow, sungazing or Surya yoga is amazing thing, I'm doing Surya according to program of Hira Ratan Manek where practitioner sun gazes at the time of golden hours, preferably last hour before sunset (better than sunrise first hour, because in morning our eyes are more sensitive to the light and could react with headaches or migraines) HRM suggest gradual filling of our solar batteries, starting with 10 seconds and adding additional 10 seconds with next sun gazing. I must admit 1 year and 6 month of sungazing, energised me intensely, I use sun shades very rarely, because my eyes are not so much sensitive on sun as before, from the time I commenced with Surya and my eyes vision is almost perfect (not using glasses any more and, I used them from the time I was 6, had glass diopter: -1,25 on right eye and -2,50 on left eye, right now vision discrepancies are so small that diopter of -0.25 (the smallest one) is to strong for my eyes) appetite and needs for sugar diminished after 2 months, there's only one problem I had more migraines than usual, so I had to stop with Surya for couple of months (actually during summer months). Perhaps C's could assist us and tell us how to use sun gazing, how long sessions of sun gazing should be and how often?

More about HRM on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpmyDeVFT0s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlCJPxxKoaY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfCU_VCvc9k&feature=related

or on site: http://solarhealing.com/

For forum members with Croatian or Serbian knowledge, here is link with Hira Ratan Manek interview translated to Serb-Cro language:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJnV6rpYVNg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6OQpU477fY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrD_R4aQIbA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdTxPbln6w4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsWqcm6cMx0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bWea6Y_2uc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG95e443j4E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_wx-CKH818&feature=related

 

[Vulcan59]

I found this Science Blog that discusses this yogi's feat. Check out the comments section where there is this entry reproduced below: - Source

I asked to be allowed to send an independent team to survey the room where this test is taking place, but I was repeatedly turned down. It is ridiculous to ask people to believe that any man can go 15 days, let alone 70 years, without food or water.

Dr Shah has been in charge of three similar investigations over the past ten years, and he has never allowed independent verification. In 2000, he was asking for funds to investigate a man he claimed got his energy from the sun, just like plants do. In 2003, he even approached NASA for funds to investigate Mr Jani, claiming astronauts might benefit from the research. This particular hospital, led by this particular doctor, keeps on making these claims without ever producing evidence or publishing research.

 

[Juba]

I found this Science Blog that discusses this yogi's feat. Check out the comments section where there is this entry reproduced below: - Source

I asked to be allowed to send an independent team to survey the room where this test is taking place, but I was repeatedly turned down. It is ridiculous to ask people to believe that any man can go 15 days, let alone 70 years, without food or water.

Dr Shah has been in charge of three similar investigations over the past ten years, and he has never allowed independent verification. In 2000, he was asking for funds to investigate a man he claimed got his energy from the sun, just like plants do. In 2003, he even approached NASA for funds to investigate Mr Jani, claiming astronauts might benefit from the research. This particular hospital, led by this particular doctor, keeps on making these claims without ever producing evidence or publishing research.

So STRANGE, man did not eat for 2 weeks and they just let him go, no additional checks and/or tests or even more scientific work in ORDER to show what and how he manage to stay alive for 2 weeks of starvation.

Thanks for the links.

 

[Iron]

Its funny to think that, if you take the hypothesis that sungazing can actually be a supplement of energy, and take other techniques like the breath work and spinning for other purposes, if a civilization like ours stumble upon a bunch of people who did those and many other things, they would be regarded as loony, or more archeologically correct, "moon dancing savages."