Asceticism in simple words and what are its advantages

Ascesis: exercises in approaching God

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Very often, various opponents of the Church, from the very moderate to the most radical, are particularly opposed to monastic asceticism and ascetic deeds. They are seen as a mockery of natural human feelings and needs, sometimes even dark fanaticism. Strict fasting, hermitage, the strictest internal struggle with passions, etc. are perceived by many as the mortification of human nature, a perverted denial of physical and spiritual human health.

Meanwhile, the word “ascesis” comes from the ancient Greek word ἡ ἄσκησις

(askēsis), which means “exercise”, “practice”.
It, in turn, comes from the ancient Greek verb ἀσκέω
(askeo), which means “to process”, “to exercise”, “to train”. And based on this etymology, asceticism is an exercise in getting closer to God.

When opponents of monasticism say that asceticism is the killing of a person, then from the point of view of Christian asceticism they are right in their judgments, exactly the opposite. This is indeed a struggle and mortification, but of an old man, filled and corrupted by passions and sins. As Father Alexander Men said, “ascesis is the fight against the chaos of thoughts, feelings and desires.” In Christian anthropology, it is believed that a person consists of body, soul and spirit. The first two principles are “the flesh,” that old man, who must be replaced by a new man, living according to the Gospel. At the same time, in Orthodoxy it is believed that monasticism with its ascetic life and way of life corresponds to the greatest extent with the Gospel norms and requirements. Monks differ from the laity in that, by taking vows of non-covetousness, chastity and obedience, they completely subordinate their lives to serving God. Without asceticism, that is, without the strictest systematic and regular efforts that are designed to subordinate bodily and mental human movements to the spirit, such service is impossible. It is not for nothing that in the Ancient Patericon, in response to the question “who is a monk,” the following definition is given: a monk is one who forces himself in everything.

Of course, ascetic exercises are necessary for any Christian, both monks and laymen. Fasting, the fight against passions, and even a reasonable lifestyle are all types of asceticism. True, as the Fathers of the Church say, in asceticism one must avoid any excess, especially in the initial stages. Excessive zeal of unprepared people in ascetic exercises can lead to serious disturbances in the life of the body and soul, and then the spirit.

In addition, you need to understand that asceticism, understood as an intrinsic value, can serve as a reason for pride and self-exaltation. The main criterion for the effectiveness of ascetic exercises is the attitude of the ascetic towards people. If a person who strives does not develop more love for others and an awareness of his own imperfection, then all ascetic “deeds” are in vain and even dangerous.

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Orthodox asceticism

Communion with God, as the ultimate goal of a Christian, is realized gradually as the believer achieves holiness. This realization has its own degrees, and the beginning of communication with God must necessarily be made in a person’s earthly life, and in his afterlife only the completion or continuation of this realization is possible, but not the beginning, contrary to his previous direction in life. That is why eternal life does not come to a person only after death in the form of some external good independent of his internal content, but is gradually revealed in him even in his earthly existence, among the usual external conditions of his life. This idea is clearly expressed in the Holy Scriptures: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life” (John 3:36), “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54), “Take hold of eternal life, to to whom you were called” (1 Tim. 6:12). The patristic heritage clearly expresses the idea that a person already on earth either actually lives a true, eternal life of communion with God, or actually dies the eternal death of harmful separation from Him. In the words of St. Basil the Great, “Through Baptism the Lord dwells in the souls of the sanctified.” According to the teachings of the Venerable Macarius of Egypt, the soul of a Christian even now accepts the kingdom of Christ into itself, is at rest and illuminated by eternal light, so that the resurrection, revival and glorification of the soul also occurs in the body, and in the future resurrection the glorification will also affect the body. Thus, eternal life, having begun in a person in Baptism, then gradually reveals itself in the continuation of his earthly existence, provided that this life proceeds normally, in accordance with its idea. A true Christian, while still on earth, as he develops religiously and morally, becomes a participant in heavenly bliss - sublime, spiritualized joy due to communion with God. Holiness and likeness to God, cultivated and partly realized by the believer in union with Christ while still on earth, will be the content of his life even after death, stipulating the possibility of direct communication with God, as the source of his highest bliss. According to the Monk Macarius of Egypt, “worthy souls, through the communion of the Holy Spirit, still here receive the guarantee and the firstfruits of that pleasure, that joy, that spiritual joy, of which the saints in the kingdom of Christ will partake in eternal light.” According to St. Gregory the Theologian, a righteous Christian receives after death those benefits that the streams reached before him on earth, for the sake of his sincere desire for them.

If the future life is sometimes contrasted in the Holy Scriptures and in the Fathers of the Church with the present, then only when we are talking about moral struggle, or about suffering from external needs and deprivations, or about the state of the bodily organism and the physical life of a person. In such cases, either the external conditions of earthly existence are understood, or the position of Orthodox teaching is revealed that complete bliss will be achieved only in the afterlife. This is the sense in which Holy Scripture says that Christians “by the power of God through faith” are kept “for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5), or that “we are saved in hope” (Rom. 8:24) . Therefore, in the words of St. Isaac the Syrian, “only in the next century the glory of man receives his full wealth.”

The reason for the impossibility of the perfect revelation of eternal life on this earth lies in the conditions of the earthly existence of a Christian, i.e. in the state of the world and nature surrounding man on earth, as well as the imperfection of his own nature, especially bodily, subject to the law of death and decay. After the Fall of Adam, the state of all created nature, among which a Christian lives, is abnormal, “for the whole creation groans and suffers together until now” (Rom. 8:22). This state of creation, with which man is connected organically through his body, cannot but be reflected accordingly, on the well-being and self-awareness of a person, even a perfect, true Christian. At the same time, for the reason that the coming of Christ has not actually yet completely broken the kingdom of evil, and the action of forces hostile to God has not been destroyed in the world, man’s assimilation of Christ’s salvation throughout his life does not occur through calm, unhindered development, but is carried out through an intense struggle with hostile forces that seek to suppress the sprout of eternal life. In this regard, a Christian must constantly be on guard, fully armed with all his powers strengthened by the grace of God, using all God-given means to resist the attacks of the spirit of “this world”, manifested in specifically worldly “customs” and “now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2, 2). That is why, according to St. Theophan the Recluse, on earth eternal life “is not visible, it is buried, sometimes by the disorder of external life, sometimes by internal struggles; but nevertheless it matures under the cover of this invisibility,” and only in the kingdom of glory will this eternal life “already shine in its lordship.” Only with the opening of the kingdom of glory will all favorable conditions arise for the religious and moral endless development of man, and, consequently, for achieving ever closer unity with God in Christ.

The blissful state of the righteous in the next century will stem from the complete satisfaction of all the true needs of spiritualized human nature. The rational side of the human spirit will find its highest satisfaction in the knowledge of God, which will be accomplished in the form of contemplation of Himself directly, as well as in the form of penetrating contemplation of Divine wisdom and providential power, revealed in the renewed created nature. The sensitive, emotional side of a person will be nourished by the communication of love with God, with angels and holy people. Volitional activity will consist of serving God and the host of perfect personal creatures according to the principles of pure holy love. The external, visibly observable difference of the righteous will be their luminous state: “then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

The normative requirements of Christianity are not something extraneous, alien, incommensurable with its own needs for the human spirit, but, on the contrary, only Christianity meets with all its requirements precisely all the most essential, ineradicable, deepest needs and demands of man. This completely refutes the opinion that a pessimistic color is assigned to Christianity. On the contrary, the internal state of a Christian in earthly life is primarily, and in the next century, entirely a state of sublime joy, complete peace in God, undisturbed peace. This state captures the entire area of ​​the human heart, penetrates all his thoughts so that no one can take away Christian joy from a person and by any means available to worldly power. Worldly pleasures and fun cannot bring true joy to a person. Worldly joy is short-lived, for it comes before “tears,” and worldly laughter comes before “weeping” (Luke 6:25). There is no true joy in the world and no inconsolable sadness in the Kingdom of Christ. The temporary, external suffering of Christians does not exclude their joy, which is the guarantee of their perfect joy in the kingdom of glory. Thus, Christianity, calling man to victory over the world and giving him real strength and means for this victory, develops in the believer a vigorous consciousness of the divine powerful power of Christ acting in him and through him, so that every true Christian, together with the Apostle, can exclaim: “ I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). At the same time, Christianity is alien to the fact that, neglecting the inherent desire for bliss in a person, usually thought of in the form of achieving happiness, preaching the need for a person to fulfill his Christian duty, denying the moment of individual bliss both in this earthly and in the future life. “Cold severity is moralizing,” wrote St. Theophan the Recluse, - to act according to the mere consciousness of duty is alien to Divine teaching. It surrounds man with impulses to which human nature responds sympathetically at all stages of its development.” Even at the highest stage of Christian development, the moment of bliss not only loses its essential meaning, but also reveals itself with increasing intensity, reaching the highest perfection in the life of the next century.

This bliss in itself is not the goal of human life. But it serves as a necessary and obligatory consequence of its true goal - communion with God, since God is the focus of all goods, and communication with Him makes a person a participant in all goods. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, “whoever sees God, in this vision already has everything that is among the blessings - endless life, eternal incorruptibility, immeasurable bliss, endless kingdom, unceasing joy, true light..., unapproachable glory, unceasing joy and all kinds of joy.” good". It is precisely the element of “amusement”, “joy”, according to patristic teaching that turns out to be, although secondary, a necessary companion of true holiness, an obligatory consequence of the dominance of virtue in the soul. The connection between virtue and joy is necessary - one cannot exist without the other, according to St. Gregory of Nyssa, virtue among the successful becomes spiritual joy. It goes without saying that Christian bliss, the essence of which is joy and peace in the Holy Spirit, is incommensurable with ordinary joy imbued with sensuality.

Christian teaching contains a fundamental, general proposition that external goods, in a form completely inaccessible to our current understanding, will also be included in future bliss in the sense that all external objective conditions of the eternal life of the righteous will be in complete harmony with the glorified state of man . “According to His promise, we look forward to new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13). According to the Apostle Paul, all creation “will be freed from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21). The righteous and those around them will contemplate the perfect revelation and complete implementation of the law of Divine Truth. One of the requirements of this law, which forms the basis of the creation of man, is the complete correspondence of man’s external position in the world with his religious and moral dignity, the essence of which lies in communion with God. It is when “God will be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28), that the Lord will bring all external conditions of human existence into full compliance with his spiritual state: the righteous “will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more crying, no crying, no sickness” (Apoc. 20:3-4). Similarly, in relation to sinners, external conditions will correspond to the gloomy, painful state of their personal spiritual life, the cruel torment of their conscience, so that the eternal torment of sinners will not be determined as its cause, but will only be supplemented by the external conditions of their environment in which they will be delivered. Thus, external conditions, being not the defining and producing moment of one or another state of a person in a future life, but only an accompanying and harmonious agreement with his internal state, actually cannot be called external in the precise sense, since they fully correspond to the internal religious and moral human condition. It should be noted that, according to the original purpose of the creation of man, he was the manager of all creation, called upon to spiritualize and comprehend its forces, laws and phenomena and to imprint in external nature the constructive, creative work of the spirit, so that not one human organism, but all nature had to serve an obedient instrument, like the body of the human spirit. This goal will be truly and completely realized in the kingdom of glory.

The blissful state of a person in the future century will exactly correspond for each righteous person to the degree of his ability to communicate with God, the degree of his receptivity to the spiritual benefits of communion with Christ, therefore, the degrees of bliss of the righteous will be different. However, this difference in the degree of bliss will not in any way harm the completeness of bliss of each of them individually. Everyone will have in its entirety the measure of bliss that he is able to perceive and assimilate due to the development of the god-like aspects of his nature. According to Rev. Ephraim the Syrian, the Lord called the monasteries many not according to the presence of places, but according to the degree of talent: just as everyone enjoys the rays of the sensual sun according to the purity of visual power and their own impressionability, so in the next century all the righteous will be inseparably settled in one joy, but each in his own measure will be illuminated by one mental sun and, according to the degree of dignity, will draw joy and joy, and no one will see the measure of the highest and the lowest.

Consequently, a person’s afterlife fate depends on his own religious and moral state, on the direction of his main life aspiration, which ultimately consists either in the desire for communion with God, or in a firmly defined mood of alienation from God. Bliss will be communicated from God to the righteous not in the form of external reward for labor, hardship and suffering, but eternal bliss in its main content will be determined by the basic character of human life, responding fully to the needs of his being. Moreover, a person’s own intense activity for the real participation of his eternal life is obligatory and essential. The significance of this activity is determined solely by the fact that without Christian achievement, without a person’s participation in the assimilation of the truth of Christ, accompanied by the exertion of all his forces, the grace of God itself cannot change a person’s personal life definition, force him to strive entirely towards God in Christ in order to achieve real sharing His eternal, blessed life.

In the same way, sinners are deprived of true life and bliss only because they themselves do not strive with their whole being for this blissful life, they are not capable of communion with God. Life in Christ is alien to their internal religious and moral structure, it is disgusting to them, and therefore it cannot give them the highest pleasure. They understand their bliss differently, placing it in self-indulgence, and not in love for God. According to the teachings of Sschmch. Irenaeus of Lyons, those who, through apostasy from God, have lost all real blessings, as deprived of them, find themselves in any kind of torment, not because God Himself subjected them to punishment in advance, but punishment befalls them precisely as a result of the deprivation of all goods; The blessings of God are eternal and infinite, and therefore their deprivation is eternal and infinite.

What is asceticism?

Asceticism in philosophy is the practice of renouncing physical or psychological desires, strict self-denial of worldly pleasures as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline. This is a strict control over the mind, body and feelings, caused by the desire to escape from excess consumption [Inquiries, 2014].

Asceticism has always been an integral part of Christian spirituality. The word itself comes from the Greek word askesis, meaning “exercise” or “training.” This term goes back to the Stoics, Cynics and Eastern religions, including Buddhism [Eureka street, 2007].

Ascetic practices are used for many purposes. Many religious traditions encourage the voluntary renunciation of habitual benefits at periodic or specific times in the religious calendar, usually to purify the individual's soul or to prepare for a significant ritual event [IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 2017].

Perhaps there is not a single religion in the world that can do without ascetic practices. The value of asceticism in strengthening a person's will and deeper spiritual powers has been part of many philosophical and religious movements throughout history. The 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, for example, advocated a type of asceticism that destroys the will to live. His compatriot and earlier contemporary, the philosopher Immanuel Kant, adhered to moral asceticism for the development of virtue [Britannica, 2021].

Athletic austerities (“training”) were designed to provide the highest possible degree of physical fitness for an athlete to achieve an ideal. Among the ancient Greeks, athletes preparing for competitions (such as the Olympic Games) disciplined their bodies by abstaining from ordinary pleasures and enduring severe physical tests. To achieve high skill in martial arts, many warriors also used various ascetic practices. For example, the ancient Israelites abstained from sexual intercourse before battle [Britannica, 2021].

As values ​​other than physical ability developed, the concept expressed by asceticism and related concepts was applied to other ideals, such as mental ability, moral vitality, and spiritual values.

The idea that one must deny one's lower desires (such as physiological needs) as opposed to spiritual desires has become a central tenet of ethical thought. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato believed that it was necessary to suppress bodily desires so that the soul could freely seek knowledge [Britannica, 2021].

the emergence and cultivation of religious asceticism :

• fear of the hostile influence of demons and dark forces;
• the belief that a person must be in a state of ritual purity to enter into communication with a higher mind;
• the desire to attract the attention of divine or sacred beings to the self-denial of their petitioners;
• an attempt to earn pity, compassion and salvation on merit due to selfless actions;
• a sense of guilt and sin that motivates redemption.

Factors influencing the increased popularity of asceticism in many religions (for example, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity) also include awareness of the transitory nature of earthly life, which causes a desire to consolidate hope for a better life in the other world [Britannica, 2021].

Asceticism is divided into two types:

1. Natural asceticism, consisting of a way of life in which material aspects are reduced to the utmost simplicity and minimum, but without the mutilation and severe austerities from which the human body suffers.
2. Unnatural asceticism is a practice that involves inflicting pain on oneself, such as sleeping on nails or self-mutilation [IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 2017].

Asceticism also includes the development of moral qualities that require self-restraint and discipline, such as patience and forbearance. It is seen as an important component of spiritual growth, including a wide range of practices aimed at identifying vices and cultivating virtues.

Asceticism is beneficial

Asceticism as a way of life has been adopted by today's generation of youth. People who have taken the path of self-restraint ask questions about the appropriateness of asceticism. Reasonable asceticism really brings tangible benefits to a person, corresponding to the meaning for which asceticism is performed. Practical results of asceticism:

• strengthening the connection with your Soul;
• strengthening the spirit and will;
• clarity of thinking and consciousness;
• improving the moral qualities of the individual;
• development of intuition, clairvoyance, foresight;
• getting rid of diseases;
• fulfillment of true desires;
• transformation of the personality as a whole.

Forms of religious asceticism

In traditional religion there is no universally acceptable form of asceticism that would be suitable for other religious traditions. To maintain a connection with higher powers, a person must observe certain taboos [IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 2017].

Most religions have at least some practices that can be considered ascetic: fasting, celibacy, seclusion, voluntary or complete abstinence from intoxicants, renunciation of worldly goods and possessions, and in some cases even religious suicide.

In the early church and during the Roman persecutions, martyrdom was the ideal form of asceticism, which later transformed into a cult of abstinence and then into hermitage.

This principle of asceticism is often demonstrated in Africa as a rite of passage. Most rites of passage or life cycle require some form of self-denial and self-discipline on the part of the person performing the rituals [IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 2017].

In some cases, ascetic practices are used as a kind of ritual to attract magical or divine powers. In other situations, voluntary renunciation is perceived as a way to ensure a happy afterlife or rebirth.

In all strictly ascetic movements, celibacy was considered the first and fundamental commandment. Chastity occupied a prominent place in the first Christian communities. In some religions, only celibates were allowed to become priests (for example, the Aztec religion and Catholicism).

Renunciation of worldly goods is another fundamental principle of asceticism. It manifests itself especially clearly in monastic communities. In Christian monasticism, this ideal was proclaimed in its most radical form by Alexander Akoimetos, the founder of monasteries in Mesopotamia [Britannica, 2021].

Alexander doomed himself to poverty and, through his students, expanded his own influence in Eastern Christian monasteries. The monks lived off the alms they asked, but did not allow the gifts to accumulate and create problems with the household. In the East, wandering Hindu ascetics and Buddhist monks also live according to rules that prescribe the denial of worldly goods [Britannica, 2021].

Abstaining from food and fasting are the most common of all ascetic practices. Among primitive peoples, fasting arose in part from the belief that eating food was dangerous, since demonic forces could enter the body while eating.

Fasting associated with religious holidays has very ancient roots. In ancient Greek religion, refusal of meat was especially common among the Orphics, a mystical vegetarian cult. Among a number of churches, the most important period of fasting in the liturgical year is the 40 days before Easter (Lent), and for Muslims the most important period is the holy month of Ramadan.

However, regular fasting cycles did not satisfy the needs of ascetics, so they created their own traditions. The Syrian ascetics tried everything that could reduce sleep and make short-term rest as unpleasant as possible. In their monasteries, they tied ropes to their stomachs and then suspended themselves in an awkward position, and some were tied to standing poles.

Personal hygiene was also condemned among ascetics. Among the deserts and the scorching sun, refusing water was considered a serious form of asceticism. Another ascetic practice - restriction of movements - was especially popular among Syrian monks who loved complete solitude in their cells.

The practice of limiting human contact culminated in solitary confinement in the desert, on cliffs, in desert border areas and in the mountains. In general, any settled dwelling was unacceptable for ascetic thinking, as noted in the ascetic movements of many religions.

In addition to physical forms, psychological forms of asceticism are also very popular. The technique of painful self-examination was used by Buddhist ascetics in connection with their meditation practices. The Syrian monks, striving for higher goals, created a psychological atmosphere in which fear and anxiety were systematically cultivated.

Morbid asceticism manifested itself in many forms. It was a common custom to perform certain physically exhausting or painful exercises. A striking example of ascetic people who prefer this format were Hindu fakirs. According to some sources, ascetics stared at the sun until they went blind, or raised their hands above their heads until they lost sensitivity [Britannica, 2021].

Painful forms of asceticism include self-harm such as cutting, spanking, and even castration. It originated as a mass movement in Italy and Germany during the Middle Ages and is still practiced in parts of Mexico and the southwestern United States.

Syrian Christian monasticism also showed ingenuity in its forms of self-torture. The highly regarded custom included the use of iron devices such as belts or chains, which were placed around the lower back, neck, arms and legs and often hidden under clothing.

Pros and cons of asceticism

Through asceticism, integration into culture occurs at all levels of human existence: consciously and unconsciously, voluntarily or forcibly, physiologically and psychologically, emotionally and rationally.

According to many philosophers, asceticism promotes:

• spiritual healing, cleansing and rejuvenation;
• maintaining a virtuous life;
• preparing for a meeting with higher powers;
• achieving enlightenment and self-realization;
• improving the moral and spiritual content of a person;
• determining goals in life;
• the emergence of a desire for the future [IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 2017].

The first type of danger to which asceticism is susceptible is excessiveness. For example, prolonged fasting can lead to excessive pride in your achievements, which will ultimately be counterproductive. Almost anyone who has tried to follow a long and exhausting diet knows that such fasting quickly gives way to overeating.

Excessive refusal can lead to the other negative extreme. For example, a prolonged period of dieting is sometimes a catalyst for an anxiety disorder such as anorexia.

It is clear that both cultural and religious views influenced the eating habits of medieval women, much in the same way that popular culture or social archetypes influence women's consumption today. Thus, it seems quite clear that asceticism has survived into modern times and certainly has a place in it. But it is still unclear whether it is identical to Antiquity or represents something new [Inquiries, 2014].

The traditional remedy for excessive fasting is the doctrine of the "mean." Saint Thomas Aquinas said that one should not fast to such an extent as to harm one’s health or weaken the body too much. He recommended a gradual approach: starting small and gradually building up to medium [Thinking Faith, 2011].

The second way of distorting asceticism is more subtle and therefore more insidious. In Catholic spirituality, those ascetics who seek progress in the spiritual life often encourage the “mortification” of their own flesh, literally putting it to death.

The risk is that some ascetic practices unconsciously convey a disregard for the body. The meaning of true asceticism is not to free the soul from the body and not even to suppress physical impulses, but to raise them to a truly spiritual level. In simple words, the big disadvantage of asceticism is the risk of dualism, which implies the emergence of double standards [IAFOR Journal of Ethics, Religion & Philosophy, 2017].

The main idea of ​​asceticism is to live in sufficient isolation so that one can understand the true nature of man. Since no being can be completely separated or isolated from the surrounding reality, ascetic practices are a kind of formal way of creating space and time for the practice of self-knowledge.

Now, to better understand your feelings, emotions and desires, you do not have to become a hermit or spend several hours a day in meditation. To better understand yourself, you can, for example, take the online Self-Knowledge program. We have selected the most effective and useful techniques that you can master in just a few lessons a week. From them you will learn a lot of new things about your leadership styles, type of self-motivation, role in the team, creative features and much more, which will add bonuses to your knowledge about yourself.

How do ascetics live?

In modern society, an ascetic is a person who has decided to follow the path of liberation in order to rid himself of unnecessary consumerism and everything outdated: things, connections, thinking, the old way of life. The word ascetic itself means stern, strict, Spartan. Today, people who have chosen the path of asceticism live by adhering to the following rules:

1. Contentment with little, without the feeling of inferiority imposed by marketers. Good books are better than expensive household appliances and furniture.
2. A minimum of things.
3. Great importance is attached to the development of inner peace.
4. Respect for nature (plastic bags and bottles are absent from the everyday life of ascetics due to the cluttering of the planet with these oil products).
5. Charity.