Twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha, the enlightened one also fasted. He taught that unrestrained desires are the cause of human sufferings. Hinduism also has a great self-discipline — fasting is also a part of their religious ritual. Some Hindus eat only one meal a day all year around.
To a Muslim, the month of Ramadan is to reconnect with your Creator through fasting, prayers, and alms giving. Forgiveness, kindness and respect for all kinds of life is also a part of Ramadan fasting.
The fasting of the stomach must be matched by the fasting of the limbs. The eyes, ears, tongue, hands and feet all have their respective fasts to undergo. The tongue's temptations, for example — lies, backbiting, slander, vulgarity and senseless argumentation — must be challenged and curbed to maintain the integrity of the fast.
Consciousness of behaviour and vigilance over action are the most profound dimensions of fasting: the fasting of the heart focuses on the attachment to the divine. That is when Ramadan really becomes a source of peace and solace, just as Christmas goes beyond the rituals to bring forth kindness, charity and caring.
True fasting is self-purification; and from this, a rich inner life that bring about values such as justice, generosity, patience, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy — values that are indispensable for the success of the community.
For fasting to be truly universal, its benefits must extend beyond the fraternal ties of Muslims and must extend to forging a common humanity with others. Fasting is meant to impart a sense of what it means to be truly human, and its universality is reflected by its observance in Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and Jain, Jewish, Sikh, Zoroastrian and other faiths.
http://newageislam.com/ramadan--fasting-is-universal/spiritual-meditations/d/1705
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4:13 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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