who subsisted for forty years upon the daily diet of four chuttacks of penda and four chuttacks of milk.  His diet contained 1,980 grains of carbon and 90.72 grains of nitrogen.  Abstemiousness shortens the length of respiration, diminishes the waste of the body, promotes longevity, and engenders purity of heart.  Abstemiousness cures vertigo, cephalalgia, tendency to apoplexy, dyspnoea, gout, old ulcers, impetigo, scrofula, herpes, and various other maladies.

Cornaro, an Italian nobleman, who was given up by all his physicians, regained health by living upon 12 ounces of bread and 15 ounces of water, and lived to a great age.

He consumed less than an ounce of flesh-formers in his diet.  According to Edward Smith 5401.2 grains of bread contain 1 ounce of flesh-formers.

He who wishes to lead a life of chastity, honesty, meekness, and mercy, should consume daily one ounce of flesh-formers in his diet.  As an ounce of nitrogenous matter contains 70 grains of nitrogen, one should take such food as yields only 70 grains of azote.

Murder, theft, robbery, cruelty, covetousness, lust, slander, anger, voluptuousness, revenge, lying, prostitution, and envy are sins which arise from a consumption of a large quantity of aliments containing a higher percentage of azote.

He who intends to be free from every earthly thought, desire and passion should abstain from fish, flesh, woman, and wine, and live upon the most innocent food.

The following table shows approximately the quantities of various aliments furnishing 70 grains of nitrogen: 

Wheat dried in vacuo ............ 3181.81 grains
Oats ............................ 3181.81    "
Barley .......................... 3465.34    "
Indian corn ..................... 3500       "
Rye dried ........................4117.64    "
Rice dried .......................5036       "
Milk dried .......................1750       "
Peas dried .......................1666.6     "
White haricots dried ..... .......1627.67    "
Horse beans dried ................1272.72    "
Cabbage dried ....................1891.89    "
Carrots dried ....................2916.66    "
Jerusalem artichokes .............4375       "
Turnips dried ....................3181.81    "
Bread ............................5401.2     "
Locust beans .....................6110       "
Figs .............................7172.13    "
Cow’s milk fresh .................1346.2     "

Abstemiousness begets suspension of breath.  From the suspension of breath originates tranquillity of mind, which engenders supersensuous knowledge.  From supersensuous knowledge originates ecstasy which is the Samadhi of the ancient Hindu sages.

Instead of walking and running, which lengthen the respiration, the devotees of Om should practice the two tranquil postures termed the padmasana and siddhasana, described in my mystic tract called “The Yoga Philosophy.”  According to Siva the normal length of expiration is 9 inches.  He says that one can subdue his lust and desire by shortening his expiration to 8.25 inches, whether by the inaudible pronunciation of Om or by the suspension of breath (Pranayama); that one can enjoy ecstasy by diminishing the length of his expiration to 7.50 inches.