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Hi Bruiser,

the translation I have of that passage by Chuang Tsu is somewhat different, and does not reference fasting, but rather meditation.

I can't find it at the moment, but if you would like to read it, along with the most beautiful translation of Chuang Tsu (which happens to be my favorite Taoist literature), you might wish to pick up CHUANG TSU, Inner Chapters by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English. It is very poetic, and the photographs in the book are simply phenomenal. The "inner chapters" of Chuang Tsu are those chapters which scholars agree were actually written by Chuang Tsu. Feng and English, at the time of writing, were involved in running The Stillpoint Foundation in Manitou Springs(?) Colorado, a Taoist foundation and retreat.

Since you like Taoist stories, the best stories I have come across are in a little out-of-print paperback by John Blofeld, titled THE SECRET AND SUBLIME, Taoist Mysteries And Magic. Very enjoyable reading, which chronicles his encounters amongst the Taoist hermitages in China, before, I believe, the Red takeover of the country. It is much more enjoyable reading than his later works, so if you can have a search done for it by a bookstore, or perhaps find it on eBay yourself, I am sure you will enjoy it. If you would like to be see inside remote mountain grottoes, to witness the Taoist Autumn Festival, to share green tea and talk with bearded Taoist sages, this book is for you.

In my teens, I developed a keen interest in Taoism and Buddhism, which has stayed with me throughout the years, so I can relate to that which you find interesting about these things (by the way, when I was in my teens and early 20's, my political views were far more towards "modern liberal", also, so you and I might actually have more in common that way you might guess, heh).

Another book you would enjoy is The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen. You should be able to relate to this trek journal (with a great spiritual twist) especially well, after your own fascinating trip to Nepal.