Daoist Bigu and the Science of Fasting By Michael Rinaldini My next journal writing project is a consolidation of my first three books (A Daoist Practice Journal: Book 1: Come Laugh With Me; Book 2: Qigong, Circle Walking & Daoist Cultivation; Book 3: Qigong, Seasonal Food Cures & Daoist Cultivation), and a fourth book that focuses on the practice and science of Bigu Fasting. This new book will be titled: You Grow As A Daoist In The Heart, Journals Of A Modern-Day Western Daoist Priest. Below are selected entries (mainly on Bigu fasting) from Book 4 of my new volume on Daoist cultivation. September 27, 2019 I just arrived at the Hackerman Patz House, outside of Baltimore, the residence where I will stay for a three-day Bigu Fasting training with Kevin Chen (Kevin Chen is a well-known teacher of qigong and bigu fasting. He offers bigu trainings throughout the year in the USA, and China). It was a tiring overnight flight via Salt Lake City and arriving at 5 a.m. The last 5-6 hours I spent sitting in various locations in the airport terminals. I feel the need for a couple of hours of sleep and then getting something to eat. It’s a funny thought, but I don’t want to start the fasting retreat hungry. September 30, 2019 I am back at the Baltimore airport waiting for my return flight at 6:55 p.m. I am still fasting. I am on day 4. My last meal was the cobb salad I had last Friday afternoon, around 3:30 p.m. And the good news is that things are going really well for me. These last few days, I have had an abundance of energy. October 2, 2019 Today is day 5 of my fast, which started last Friday The Empty Vessel — Page 22
afternoon. I feel tired this morning and although I don’t feel hungry, I feel I am ready to end my fast. I just finished my recovery soup and am ready to eat it. Kevin Chen said you can eat some of this soup every 2-3 hours. Ok, here goes, I’m ready to eat. 2 p.m. Still feeling tired after eating my soup, I ate a handful of nuts: cashew, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. October 3, 2019 I spent some time reviewing Bigu on the web, specifically looking for Daoist references to ancient practices of Bigu. And I found a lot. I also found some useful information from some Daoist books I have on my bookshelves. Plus, I haven’t gone back to all the material that Kevin Chen gave us during our training. So, I have ample study and writing material for my journal writings. November 5, 2019 Okay, it is the first week at the start of a new month. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it yet, but my intentions are to do a 48-hour fast on a monthly basis. I did some preparations already like purchasing some napa cabbage for a pre- and postcleansing soup. I also weighed myself this morning. Naked, I weighed 163.5 pounds. It’ll be interesting to see how much weight I lose on this 48-hour fast. November 6, 2019 I am at the start of a monthly fast. Today is Wednesday and I am continuing to eat my preparation soups. I bought a few extra ingredients for it this morning. Here are the ingredients: Napa cabbage, kale, carrots, gogi berries, shitake mushrooms, and some left-over brown rice. I also added some olive oil and Spike seasoning. One of the key cooking directions is to cook the napa cabbage for no more than 3 minutes. This helps
