"My Friend is nearer to me than I am to myself And I'm far from Him How amazing! Whom can I tell? That my Friend is within me, and I am exiled."
-Sa'adi
Dr. Rafique Keshavjee, who holds a PhD in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology in Islamic Studies, translated this Sa'adi poem from Farsi to English, pointing out that "English forces this translation to be linked to gender. Persian does not. That way, it means that the Friend could be male, female, or God."
How do we know this friend, who is so closer to us than ourselves?
Buddha sought to understand and free himself from the confines of the human body by learning about it from various sages. He then began to practice ascetism: holding his breath, fasting until he was decimated to just bone and skin, feeling his spine through his belly. Still, he could not reach a deeper realisation of the friend. Then he remembered a feeling of yūgen from his childhood, the joy of sitting beneath a rose apple tree, which led him into a meditative state. He understood then that he would not reach enlightenment by torturing his body, instead he needed to work with his own nature and achieve good health to continue his seeking. That's when a young girl appeared before him with a bowl of milk and rice. With gratitude he ate the offering and found that the path to awakening was the "middle path" between self denial and over indulgence. Jesus said something similar, "Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life (awakening)." The Upanishads very gently say "neti, neti." "Not this, not this." Specifically, the Katha Upanishad says "the path is as narrow as the razor's edge." In Surah Baqarah, Allah tells beloved Mohammad, "Thus We have appointed you a middle nation." Beloved Mohammad always encouraged a life of wasat - middle, centered, balanced.
My beloved husband always says, "It's about your attitude, Shireen - your intention, balancing your intention between the extremes."
Having taken into account all the great sages' in my life – past and present - I had some of my husband's raunchy chocolate cookies last night.
Pragmatically, if you want more insight into your physical nature, you might turn to the ancient science of Ayurveda where human bodies are categorised according to certain mind-body characteristics or doshas. The Chopra Center's website has a simple test to help you learn more about your specific body type and what foods, work/sleep rhythm would suit you best. Once again, explore this keeping in mind "wasat", "neti-neti, the razor's edge.