Asceticism
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Asceticism has been historically observed in many religious traditions, including Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Pythagoreanism. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their practices or continue to be part of their society.
About Asceticism in brief
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Asceticism has been historically observed in many religious traditions, including Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Pythagoreanism. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their practices or continue to be part of their society, but typically adopt a frugal lifestyle. Inversely, several ancient religious. traditions, such as Zoroastrianism, Ancient Egyptian religion, and the Dionysian Mysteries, as well as more modern. Left Hand traditions, openly reject ascetic practices and either focus on various types of hedonism. or on the importance of family life, both rejecting celibacy. The adjective ‘ascetic’ derives from the ancient Greek term askēsis, which means ‘exercise’ or ‘training’. It is seen in the ancient theologies as a journey towards spiritual transformation, where the simple is sufficient, the bliss is within, thefrugal is plenty. The deserts of the Middle East were at one time inhabited by thousands of male and female Christian ascetics, hermits and anchorites, including St. Anthony the Great, St. Mary of Egypt, and St. Simeon Stylites, collectively known as the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers. In 963 CE, an association of monasteries called Lavra was formed on Mount Athos, in Eastern Orthodox tradition. This became the most important center of orthodox Christian ascetic groups in the centuries that followed.
The natural and unnatural asceticism in Christianity appear in 2nd-century-century Christian texts and Western Orthodox traditions. Such as the practice of chaining the body to rocks, eating grass, praying on a pillar in the elements by sitting for decades, and solitary confinement inside a cell. Such practices were linked to the Christian concepts of sin-inflicted pain and voluntary suffering. Evagrius Ponticus, also called the Ponticus Sagrius, was a highly educated educated monk who abandoned personal hygiene, abandoning personal hygiene and adopting a personal hygiene lifestyle. The Dead Sea Scrolls revealed ascetic. practices of the ancient Jewish sect of Essenes who took vows of abstinence to prepare for a holy war. An emphasis on an ascetic religious life was evident in both early Christian writings and practices. Other Christian practitioners of asceticISM include individuals such as St. Paul the Hermit, St. David of Wales, John of Damascus and Francis of Assisi. Ascetic lifestyle is associated particularly with monks, nuns, oppper in Abrahamic religions, and bhikkhus, munis, sannyasis, yogis in Indian religions. The natural asceticist practices such as begging, begging, meditation, meditation and prayer have been part of natural living for thousands of years. In the modern era, Mt Athos and Meteora have remained a significant center.
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This page is based on the article Asceticism published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 01, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
