Asceticism is a mysterious word that many associate with self-torture and discipline, bringing to mind images of monks, spiritual practitioners and other adherents of religious teachings and “secret sciences.”
However, in our daily life there is much more asceticism than it might seem at first glance.
Let's think about it: after all, each of us every day, sometimes without realizing it, routinely performs the same actions, forcing ourselves to do something, limiting and forcing ourselves in something.
- Someone “gets himself out of bed” every morning to go to work to receive a monetary reward;
- Someone limits their “trips” to the refrigerator or scrupulously calculates kilocalories at each meal in the name of the treasured number on the scales;
- Someone regularly “takes” their body to a fitness club for the sake of a beautiful, toned figure;
- Some people spend a lot of time reading scientific literature and studying useful information in order to increase their IQ and mental development;
- And some spend hours meditating and controlling their thoughts for the sake of self-knowledge and self-improvement.
Why are we doing all this? Yes, because a good salary, a beautiful figure and ideal weight, a high intellectual level and spiritual growth are nothing more than our desires and dreams! How do we bring them to life? It’s very simple - by practicing daily asceticism.
And asceticism in this case acts as a technique for fulfilling desires - accessible and effective.
You will find another simple step-by-step plan for fulfilling your desire here >>>
In order to purposefully use asceticism to fulfill your desires, I suggest you better understand this technique and also try to apply it in practice.
Interesting? Then read on.
Types of asceticism
Spiritual practices based on strict control of one's thoughts and actions exist in all religions of the world. Conventionally, they can be divided into three types:
Asceticism of the body
A person observes fasts and consciously limits himself in food, making choices in favor of simple foods. All that is necessary is feasible physical activity, participation in pilgrimage tours, keeping the body and clothing clean, taming various kinds of bodily passions and excessive desires. It is important to remember that the main goal of this asceticism is not physical torment for the sake of a spiritual idea or glory, but the development of willpower and self-control skills. Exhaustive diets, which are often abused by women for the sake of a slim figure and men's passion for exercise equipment only for the purpose of pumping up muscles, also have nothing to do with asceticism.
Asceticism of speech
Be truthful, refrain from criticism and condemnation, neither slander nor whisper behind someone else’s back, patiently listen to interlocutors and opponents. Performing ascetic speech means learning to avoid scandals and disputes, and also not bothering with your moral teachings and the habit of imposing a conversation on those who are not ready to listen and accept what is said. It is especially worth refraining from the desire to convert the interlocutor to your faith, emphasizing personal advantage or the acquisition of higher spirituality.
Avoiding excessive verbosity is an important lesson for a woman.
Asceticism of the mind
Asceticism of the mind strengthens control in the emotional sphere, pacification of pride. Analysis of personal actions and their transformation helps to perform this asceticism. An unsurpassed tool for this purpose is the Turbo-Suslik system. It's possible. This system environmentally cleanses the practitioner’s mental space, eliminating everything unnecessary, old and disturbing.
For example, it gets rid of: negative emotions and conditions, limiting beliefs, emotional trauma, complexes, harmful attitudes and much more. This cleaning has a positive effect on the inside
The Importance of Proper Constraints
The main problem of the exchange, which was mentioned above, lies in the human consciousness, which does not want to accept the fact of its lack of spirituality. An individual would like to think that life itself forces him to do wrong, and there is no other way, due to the imperfection of the world. In fact, all three existing self-restraints do not conflict with human nature and do not require great sacrifices from him.
What is the essence of asceticism in each of the blessings? Let's take a closer look.
- Corporeal. Physiological asceticism requires a person to respect the one Lord, the older generation and spiritual mentors. Among the restrictions must be included: violence against the flesh and spirit of oneself and one’s neighbor, bodily uncleanliness, uncontrolled carnal pleasures.
- Speech asceticism is an obligation to speak only the truth and not cause disturbances in people with your verbiage. Gossip, pressure on self-pity with eloquence are also taboos of this tapasya.
- Mental asceticism is simplicity, purity of thoughts, sincerity of actions and satisfaction with one’s reality without regard to what others have.
According to advanced spiritual practitioners, by sacrificing the vices inherent in false values as a sacrifice to rational self-purification, a person opens himself to the benefits of not only the present, but also the future life.
How are austerities performed?
- Respect for parents and elders is the first condition of goodness.
Ancient spiritual practices say that a person who violates this law will find it difficult to achieve success in society. Established relationships play a huge role here. A mother cannot expect her daughter to treat her well if she treated her mother badly. Women will not achieve the proper attention of men if they do not honor their father. The way a son treated his mother is exactly how his wife will treat him. Dislike for the father leads to problems with the authorities.
- Maintaining external and internal cleanliness is another facet of ascetic life.
The first condition is easy to fulfill. To do this, it is enough to take a cool shower every day, which puts your thoughts in order and monitor the neatness of your clothes. At the same time, ice baths and all forms of long-term hardening can lead to gradual exhaustion of the body.
Maintaining internal purity at the proper level is not an easy task, since getting rid of various kinds of condemnation and slander is very difficult. This asceticism should be performed by freeing oneself from negative thoughts concerning both specific people and life situations in general. If a person lacks the desire or willpower to consciously get rid of this kind of filth, then a heavy sediment remains in his soul, which will constantly push him to talk about bad things.
A simple workout can help solve this problem. The desire to speak negatively about someone should be postponed until tomorrow. And so on until the temptation disappears completely. Failure to perform asceticism will lead to loss of reputation in society, even if the person outwardly seems well-behaved.
- Positive forms of manifestation of asceticism also include such a quality as simplicity.
It is a special blessing when a wise, educated person remains accessible and does not flaunt his knowledge, emphasizing his advantage over others. Only accessibility allows us to see our shortcomings, the accumulation of which contributes to the degradation of the individual. Acquired knowledge is nullified by the lack of simplicity, because the mind in ignorance is based on pride and false ego.
It is also worth remembering that the simplicity of a smart person and the primitivism of a fool are two different things. If a person is intrusive, behaves pompously in a friendly company or frivolously in a business setting, then such behavior can hardly be called positive.
- Chastity, which excludes sexual life outside of marriage, is also an important aspect of asceticism.
Its violation leads to lack of will. By entering into a sexual relationship with someone, we automatically accept part of their fate and karma. It is possible to cleanse yourself of an unbecoming act, but this will require a lot of effort and time. Knowing the consequences cools down such thoughts.
- Non-use of violence is the path to spiritual life.
There are three types of manifestation of this kind of negativity - in action, in word and in thoughts. All of them lead to a loss of freedom of choice. That is, a person falls within certain restrictions and cannot break out of them, becoming driven by fate. To perform this kind of asceticism means to easily, without offense and with love, give freedom of action to another person. This is the only way to positively influence his mind, pushing him to reconsider his personal behavior and life position. Moreover, this process is mutual. By allowing another to be free to choose, we purify our hearts, becoming a more authoritative adviser to someone who previously did not share our position.
Famous ascetics
History is rich in the names of outstanding people who chose the path of asceticism both in the world and in religion. Let's name some of the most famous of them. These are Pythagoras, initiated into the depths of the ancient mysteries, and a prominent representative of the Cynic school, Diogenes, who lived in a clay barrel, the healer Hippocrates and the philosopher Kant, the military genius Alexander Suvorov and the billionaire Henry Ford, academicians Nikolai Amosov and Dmitry Likhachev.
The number of all those who strive for this feat in world religions and spiritual movements will be countless. Let us limit ourselves to examples of some well-known ones, most often heard in Christianity and Buddhism.
In Christianity
The ascetics of Christianity, through constant prayer and a series of severe tests and self-restraints, climbed the steps of knowledge of God, at the first of which they were freed from perceiving the world through the senses in order to achieve deep humility and dispassion. On the second, they already had the opportunity to contemplate the spiritual world in all its unearthly beauty and even enter into it. The highest level implied an elevation above everything conditional and limited by material frameworks, comprehending the essence of divine creations, reaching the depths of awareness of existence.
On this difficult path of spiritual ascent, for their own purposes, they used the limitation or suppression of sensual desires, voluntary enduring of physical pain, loneliness was their indispensable companion. The main feats of monks, hermits, and hermits were fasting and vigil, deprivation of shelter and nakedness, bows and chains.
Let us give examples from the description of the lives of the holy fathers. One of them is evidence of the feat of Blessed Jonah, who, being a monastery gardener in one of the monasteries of Pachomius the Great, lived to the age of eighty-five years and never slept a wink. After performing his daily duties in the garden, he went to his cell and kept vigil, praying and weaving ropes until dawn.
The Monk Ephraim the Syrian, a religious hermit who spent his life in strict abstinence, slept on bare ground, and the Syrian ascetic Savin ate moldy flour, barely moistened with water.
A week-long fast was something ordinary for ascetics, and some, in imitation of Christ, did not eat or drink for up to forty days.
Venerable Seraphim
But as a more striking example of serving God and people, let us briefly describe the life of the legendary Russian ascetic, wonderworker, St. Seraphim of Sarov.
He was born on July 20, 1754 in the family of the pious merchant Isidor Moshnin and his wife Agafya. At baptism he was named Prokhor. Three years later, the father who was building a church in Kursk died, and Agafya, while raising her son herself, loaded the unfinished work of her husband and raising her son onto her shoulders.
When Prokhor was seven years old, he carelessly fell from a bell tower, but turned out to be unharmed. For loved ones, this was a sign that the child was under the protection of the Lord.
Once, during a serious illness, the Mother of God appeared to the boy in a miraculous radiance, consoled him and said that he would soon be healthy.
Prokhor differed from his peers in his tendency to retire to read scriptures and attend church services. Gradually, through prayer, the unknown spiritual world began to open up to him in all its glory.
At the age of 17, he went to Kyiv to visit the Lavra to the relics of Saints Anthony and Theodosius. The elder, reclusive monk Dosifei blessed him to go to the Sarov monastery, where Prokhor, after passing the most difficult monastic trials, retired into the wilderness of the monastery forest, where he performed his solitary feat of prayer. Having gone through severe trials of hardship and illness, having established himself in the strength of his faith and love for God, the Lord granted St. Seraphim the power, thanks to which he was able to heal the sick and foresee the future.
With his feat of prayer, he cleansed his soul from all filth, got rid of lack of faith and pride, and when he turned 32 years old, he was tonsured a monk, giving him a new spiritual name, Seraphim, which means “fiery.”
Once on Maundy Thursday during the Liturgy, Christ appeared to him, accompanied by an angelic army. The monk's face changed, and after that his exploits became even more severe. Now he kept vigil all night in prayer for the whole world.
When at the age of 39 the Monk Seraphim was ordained a hieromonk, he left the monastery and began to live in a wooden cell five miles from the monastery in a dense forest on the banks of Sarovka. Here he subjected himself to the most difficult tests of carrying heavy loads, incredibly strict fasts, and eating forest grass - sap.
One day, robbers attacked him, wanting to rob him, thinking that for his help to people he had accumulated a lot of wealth. The ascetic did not resist violence when he was mutilated, his head was broken and he was severely beaten, as a result of which many ribs were broken. They thought he wouldn't survive. In a dream, the Mother of God again appeared to him with the apostles Peter and John, and the next morning the saint’s strength returned; that day he began to get up, but his back remained bent for the rest of his life.
The robbers were caught, but at the urgent request of the victim they were released. They were overtaken by the highest punishment, destroying their property with fire, after which they came to the elder, repenting of what they had done and asking for forgiveness.
Trials followed one after another, his holiness was tested by dark forces in order to frighten and lead the righteous astray. After this, the elder began his hardest feat - standing on stones, which lasted 1000 days and nights. From morning until dawn, Seraphim stood on a stone in his cell, and from dark until dawn - on a block in a deep forest. In cold and heat, under pouring rain and burning snow, he said a prayer, raising his hands to heaven.
The news of the great ascetic spread throughout Rus'. Thousands of people from all over the Russian land sought to at least see the miracle worker or touch him. Thanks to his great feat, the spirit of the elder reached unprecedented heights and acquired an extraordinary degree of freedom. The elder became perspicacious; he could see not only the thoughts of people coming to him, but also their entire inner nature. The future of Russia, its difficult lot and difficult trials for the Russian people were revealed to him. The Mother of God appeared to the saint twelve times, the last time she appeared before him shortly before her death.
St. Seraphim left this world on January 2, 1833, but for another 70 years people came to his grave, being healed of ailments of body and soul.
In Buddhism
When a person wants to change himself by resorting to some practice, but has not deeply realized the essence of the method, following other people's instructions, he does not know the possibilities of his nature. If he is tough and categorical and, with the fanaticism inherent in this type of people, tries to achieve what he wants, then it is possible that in the end what he expected will have an absolutely opposite result. And in the case when you decide to test the limits of your capabilities by resorting to severe self-restraints, it would not be amiss to remember one very ancient story of an enlightened person very famous throughout the planet.
Buddhism has a slightly different view of the practice of strict abstinence, and the founder of this approach was the Buddha himself.
He was born in the state of Magatha in the Shakya clan from the Kshatriya caste. This country was located on the territory of modern Nepal. His life took place in a period that is not precisely established, but approximately from 563 to 483, since the tradition of ancient Indian scriptures was more tied not to chronology, but to philosophical speculations. His father was Raja Shuddhodana and his mother was Queen Mahamaya, who died a few days after giving birth.
On the fifth day after birth, a naming ceremony was held, where he received the name Siddhartha - “the one who achieves the goal.” Eight invited Brahmin sages confirmed with their predictions that his future was dual. The last, the youngest of them, the seer Asita, having found 32 signs of a great man on his body, said that the child would either be a mighty king or the greatest saint.
The prince grew up in luxury, learning all the necessary state wisdom, ahead of all his peers in development. At the age of 16, he was married to Princess Yashodhara, his cousin and the same age.
One day, having got out of the palace, he saw something that changed his entire subsequent life: an old mendicant, a very sick man, a corpse that stank and decomposed, and a wandering hermit. Taking them as symbolic signs, he realized how harsh life is. After all, no amount of wealth, power and authority can protect against torment, illness, withering and inevitable death.
While still Prince Gautama Siddhartha, as soon as he turned 29 years old, he left the royal palace in the clothes of a monk, neglecting luxury and power in the world in order to find enlightenment. Buddha mortified his flesh, choosing the path of asceticism. For six whole years he indulged in severe self-restraint and might have died of exhaustion if he had not realized that this method was not suitable for him to achieve an extremely high degree of consciousness. He realized that to achieve enlightenment it is useless to severely torture one's flesh. This led him to the practice of reflection and meditation.
Having pushed himself to the extreme, he had to admit to himself that his path was different, namely: in expanding the boundaries of his consciousness by deeply immersing himself in himself and finding inside the source of all meanings and the root cause of all things manifested in this world. He achieved enlightenment in a different way: after 49 days of meditation at the age of 35, showing the world another way to gain integrity, harmony, and also the realization that the source of the Absolute Truth is one, but there are many ways to achieve it.
In Buddhism, self-restraint for the body is not so important, since the main thing for an ascetic Buddhist is control over consciousness, first of all, over thoughts, because only this can ultimately lead to Nirvana.
Asceticism intended for women
Astrologers say that the Moon has a noticeable influence on a woman’s life, and the Sun has a significant influence on the behavior of men. Hence their difference. In the first case we are talking about the emotional and mental sphere, in the second – about the active energy of the physical plane, where action, passion, and brute force are clearly manifested. When performing austerities intended for men, women are unlikely to feel comfortable. Conversely, strengthening the refined feminine nature through certain restrictions will bring them great benefit.
Women should approach asceticism with caution. Prolonged fasting can lead not only to loss of external attractiveness, but also health, because there is a risk of hormonal disruption. Excessive physical activity, including strength training and dousing with cold water, also leads to a similar effect. Moderation in everything is the main condition of asceticism for a woman.
Taking care of your family and parents, helping those who need it, keeping the house clean and tidy is women’s daily work. But it can only be classified as asceticism if women perform all these actions with pleasure and love.
Chastity is one of the main manifestations of female goodness.
Do you always have to pay for pleasure?
Pleasures and pleasures have a downside - this is suffering. For example, when you enjoy your family life, it may turn into difficult experiences if you have to separate from your spouse. Moreover, pleasure turns into suffering of the same level. If you lived in a family without much joy - there is a person nearby, and okay - then there is no special suffering when parting. And if, for example, you have been nurturing an interesting idea for work for a year, planning, dreaming about how you were about to create something, and someone stole this idea from you and implemented it themselves, or they abandoned it altogether, the suffering will be of a different order - thinner, more touching to the soul. When the ideological concept of happiness collapses, it is always very painful.
Do pleasures necessarily follow pain?
Let's say you work and you have some income, for example, thirty thousand a month. You can spend this money on different things - food, entertainment, travel. But you have, for example, pets, and they bring you pleasure. To enjoy communication with your beloved dog, you need to spend part of your income on caring for it - food, veterinarian services, etc. - you have to pay for the pleasure. You have pleasure - you perform asceticism.
Asceticism establishes a balance between pleasure and its opposite. If you don't do austerities, suffering comes. If you perform austerities and do not seek pleasure, nature begins to look for ways to compensate you for this.
Life is a balanced system. If you constantly work, toil, give, perform austerities and ask nothing from life, it begins to look for ways to compensate you for this. For example, if you dig the ground or make other physical efforts, but do not seek physical pleasure or ask for money, nature may return this to you in another form - for example, in the form of spiritual insight or the gratitude of people that will nourish you. Life finds this balance on different levels - it is not flat, not single-layered, it is a multidimensional balance.
How to perform men's austerities?
Asceticism for men is aimed at character formation. They periodically need to practice sleeping on the floor, a strict daily routine, and fasting. It is useful to force yourself to an ascetic lifestyle and fight with yourself if you lack willpower. Asceticism for men includes pouring ice water on the street in any weather, getting up early, and strength exercise.
The habit of walking, voluntary deprivation of various kinds of material things, and constant work are considered favorable for men. You can also direct asceticism towards your activities in general. It is advisable to supplement men’s physical work with morning exercises, and intellectual exercises are well combined with breathing exercises that promote concentration of the mind.
True and false goals of self-restraint
Asceticism is a means by which a person recognizes the Divine principle within himself. However, not all forms of voluntary restraint are beneficial. There is an opinion that a certain amount of suffering, within the framework of the laws of karma, can be compensated for by an equal share of happiness. Men, for example, often have a desire for career and material growth, while women subconsciously count on a profitable marriage.
Pride often pushes a person to perform asceticism. The main danger here is that having developed their abilities and skills to the highest level, practitioners can feel like possessors of the power and energy of a deity. As a result, overwhelmed by passion, they perform ascetic deeds for the sake of narcissism, fame and false heroism. Pride and ego take over, making you forget the main purpose of spiritual growth.
To avoid such problems, all achieved results should be dedicated to God. And also consciously approach the understanding that austerities performed for one’s own purification will sooner or later benefit many. A state of bliss is always attractive and serves as an example for other people. Therefore, it is not at all necessary to discuss your achievements with anyone, because the end result of spiritual and physical cleansing will be visible anyway.
Having decided to observe asceticism, a person must determine its time frame in advance. This is very important, because the desire to prolong it may indicate a strengthening of the ego, and the temptation to complete it before the originally allotted time may indicate a lack of willpower. Obsessive fanaticism, like indulgence in weakness, is a clear indicator of asceticism not in goodness.
What does asceticism give in practice?
If you perform asceticism regularly, then over time you can achieve impressive results. Experts say:
- Moderation is a reliable mechanism for burning karma. People who have committed sins get a chance to cleanse themselves through conscious self-restraint and deep repentance;
- Asceticism in goodness helps to accumulate the energy of the subtle plane, which leads to the development of our capabilities in the broad sense of the word;
- A direct consequence of internal discipline is the receipt of various benefits - a good family, wealth, successful career, respect, power, etc.
The best asceticism is constant observance of the Higher Laws and the establishment of harmonious relationships with God. Everyone chooses the form of manifestation of this kind of goodness independently. The main thing is that such a practice should not become a one-time “action”, but a way of life. Only in this case will ascetic deeds bring positive results and lead to a higher level of spiritual development.
