Contentment and Health

by Lee Hoy Chin 

Of all the virtues we have written down, it seems to me that contentment is the greatest bringer of health.

When Baha’u’llah was in the black pit, His safety as well as His health was in great danger, the environment and the hostility of the enemies was extremely detrimental to His health. During this time Baha’u’llah recited this invocation repeatedly and taught others to do the same: “God is sufficient unto me.” Sufficient means “enough of supply” or simply, felt contented.

In the Long Healing Prayer, we address God as the Sufficer, which means “the One who make me sufficient”. And this line: “Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!” was repeated throughout the prayer. “Abiding” means a feeling or a belief lasting for a long time and not changing.

When you feel satisfied and contended with a situation or a feeling, you do not want to change the condition, and wanted to keep it as long as possible. According to Baha’u’llah, God is the One who gives us that kind of sweetness.

In The Tablet to a Physician, Baha’u’llah in the opening paragraph, said: “Do not eat except when you are hungry. Do not drink after you have retired to sleep”, which means you have to be satisfied with food after you have eaten and do not keep on eating until you feel hungry again.

Scientists today have discovered that “eat when you hungry” is a golden rule to health.

Also, dwelling on the theme of contentment, Baha’u’llah said:

“Do not take nourishment except when the process of digestion is completed” and “Do not swallow until you have thoroughly masticated your food” and also “The taking of food before that which you have already eaten is digested is dangerous.”

The problem with people nowadays is overeating and taking too many meals in a day and the duration after one meal to another is too short, bring about high level of insulin for a prolonged period of time. And this gives rise to numerous health issues.

As we masticate the food thoroughly we become more concentrate on the act of eating and felt gratitude to the food and the giver of food. Also, we tend to eat less when we chew thoroughly.  

Baha’u’llah also said: “If two diametrically opposite foods are put on the table, do not mix them. Be content with one of them.”

Baha’i scholars seldom touch on this statement and we actually don’t know what is meant by “diametrically opposite foods”. However, in the book “Fit For Life” the author said that fruit and meat should not be taken together, otherwise the fruit being faster in digestion than the meat will cause digestion problem, and alcohol will formed in the body.

The Chinese medicine classified foods as “hot” and “cold”, and suggests that they should not be mixed together and eat.

It seems that Baha’u’llah is telling us to be content with one set of food and do not crazy for too many types of food in one meal. 

“A light meal in the morning is as a light to the body”, tells us, learn to be contented from the beginning of the day.

Fasting is another way to train contentment. We must have clear understanding of this spiritual aspect when we fast and measure our progress by observing our feeling in term of spirituality.

Health comes to us as an end result after serious restraint on appetite and desire. Do not take for granted that it happens automatically.

People who are not healthy are more prone to the pandemic. However, Baha’is as exhorted by Abdul-Baha must be in the forefront of health as they tried to excel in all things by adhering closely to the teachings of the Supreme Educator.    

1-6-2021

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