Is an ascetic a voluntary or forced hermit?

Various types of self-restraints can be classified into three main groups:

1. Bodies.
2. Language.
3. Uma.

Body restrictions

The most important thing here is to remember that your goal is to master control of feelings and desires and in no way harm your body. There is no need to be like the yogis and ascetics of the past, who tortured and killed their bodies, because what is an inconvenience for you was completely normal and natural for them.

Self-limitations of the body include:

• dietary restrictions: non-consumption of unnatural and harmful foods, fasting, vegetarianism;
• in movements and actions: performing gentle and moderate loads;
• in location: performing pilgrimages, staying in secluded and blissful places;
• in appearance: simplicity of dress and manners;
• complete cessation of bad habits;
• abstinence from sexual intercourse.

Language restrictions

This is restraint in speech, the quality of linguistic communication. What comes out of our mouth can either ennoble and elevate us, or defile us, humiliating and nullifying our human dignity.

Language restriction practice:

• absence of slander;
• avoiding judgment and criticism;
• the ability to listen to the end without interrupting;
• always be truthful;
• refrain from arguing and shouting;
• do not impose your opinion;
• do not talk idle talk and do not put pressure with words.

Limitations of the mind

Self-limitations of the mind can most of all instruct a person in humility, bringing him closer to spiritual heights, and help him see hidden meanings in simple things.

Among the self-limitations of the mind are the following:

• the ability to control your emotions and feelings;
• working with pride, pacifying it;
• studying and reading the scriptures;
• reflections, self-immersion;
• repentance for what he has done;
• nonviolence;
• respect and love not only for neighbors.

Female and male asceticism

For both men and women, reasonable, correct self-restraints are an important condition for further spiritual development. What they have in common is that they lead to the disclosure of internal potentials, improvement of not only physical and mental health, but also a change in the quality of life in general, including in material terms. The difference is that each of the sexes must perform the corresponding practices inherent in the masculine or feminine nature, respectively, since there is a difference not only in physiology, but also in the duties assigned to each.

Men's

Ascetic practices related to the body are important for a man, as they strengthen and strengthen masculine qualities of character.

These include:

• fasting or restricting food intake;
• early rises before dawn;
• sleeping on a hard surface;
• dousing or cold shower;
• contentment with little;
• complex endurance training;
• performing heavy physical work;
• walking barefoot.

Women's

A woman’s excessive passion for masculine practices can lead to the withering of her feminine qualities and the flourishing of masculine ones. This will lead to a hardening of the heart and lead away from its natural purpose. Its practices are self-restraint of the work of language and the activity of the mind. If they are carried out in goodness in relation to all aspects of the life of her family, not only the woman, but also all household members will find happiness.

Let's name the following:

• cooking should only take place in a state of love;
• she is always happy with what she has;
• her thoughts never concern another man, and she thinks about her husband with love;
• she always performs all household duties in a state of love;
• attention and care for household members, feeding them and treating guests;
• not only ask for help, but also help others;
• do handicrafts, create amulets, charging them with your power of thought;
• try to create positive relationships with other people and maintain it.

If each spouse periodically turns to these practices, then the initial result will be the key to a strong, harmonious family, its health and the competent upbringing of their children.

Where to start practicing self-discipline?

In psychoanalysis, asceticism is a personal defense mechanism, which manifests itself in the denial and suppression of instincts, and the renunciation of pleasures. The phenomenon is associated with the characteristics of adolescence, when sexual experiences are “extinguished” by self-restraint.

But in adulthood, we get so accustomed to pleasures that we lose the skills of self-discipline. And then we complain about a dozen extra kilos or a “hole” in the budget due to a spontaneous shopping trip. You can make hundreds of promises to yourself to “live in a new way,” but without conscious effort they will lead nowhere.

Self-discipline, like any skill, is a matter of education and practice. So the first thing you can do for yourself right now is to start following the advice of motivational trainers and coaches.

Tip 1. Remember that self-discipline does not make life boring.

It is not restrictions that lead to boredom and dissatisfaction, but extremes. A complete renunciation of pleasure does not lead to happiness in the same way as the every second satisfaction of all desires. The ability to delay gratification for later gain is a trait of a psychologically adult person. So every time you choose a difficult decision instead of an easy one, you strengthen your self-discipline.

Choose one thing that you have the self-discipline to do and do it every day for a month. This way you will decide to gradually plunge into discomfort and begin to enjoy the discomfort.

Take a psychological age test

Tip 2: Establish good financial habits.

Changing your financial behavior, like bad habits, is difficult. If you can’t master financial literacy on your own, you can find a financial mentor. This could be the site of a financier, accountant, or other financial expert. This could be the help of a friend who skillfully balances his income with his expenses.

To get started, install a financial accounting application on your smartphone. In the first two to three months, you can see detailed spending statistics and find out exactly where the money is going.

Tip 3: Practice self-control.

Self-control is like athletics - the more time you spend in training, the more you can do. In order not to go astray, you need to set a goal for yourself and move towards it every day, gradually complicating the tasks. At the same time, you will have to carefully monitor your impulses, which do not help you achieve success. Track but don't follow them.

The best way to self-control is to set a timer for 10-20-30 minutes, during which you will practice (write an article, record a video, blog, meditate).

Tip 4. Approve and accept yourself.

Without a real assessment of your current state, it is impossible to begin to practice self-discipline. At best, you will simply mark time; at worst, you will lose any remaining motivation. For example, if you want to lose weight, you need to start with simple weighing. If you are planning to learn English, take the test and find out what level you are at now.

When you accept yourself, you don't expect instant results. Then, for safe weight loss, for example, set for yourself a realistic period of 6-8 months instead of two weeks.

Tip 5. Don't neglect rest.

Self-control is like a muscle - if you use it constantly, your willpower reserves will quickly become depleted. But if you put an internal taboo on pleasure, rest becomes a duty. The result is even greater fatigue and complete burnout. Psychologists emphasize: rest is a self-sufficient value, a personal resource that needs to be used to your advantage.

Accept the attitude: “to work well, you need to rest well.” Try to rest before you get tired, plan to relax on weekends and on vacation. Decisively change your plans if you have a chance to have a better time than planned.

conclusions:

• Asceticism is the teaching of practicing abstinence, self-control and self-discipline.
• Asceticism was originally a sports term, later transferred into philosophy, religion and general usage.
• To practice secular asceticism you do not need to go to extremes. It’s enough to put your finances in order and improve your self-discipline skills.

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Ascetic lifestyle

What is it needed for

And yet, let us summarize why such a way of life is needed in relation to those living today. What are the reasons for modern people to turn to such practices? The fact is that what has been valuable to a person for thousands of years is important to him now: health, family values, the desire to know oneself and God, the development of internal abilities, the desire to make the world a better place.

In today's society, an ascetic person is a person who has decided to cleanse himself of what is unnecessary and disturbing, be it material objects, old connections, connections and the environment. This is a daredevil who decided to throw off the no longer relevant, unnecessary burden of the previous way of thinking and life in general. In other words, the one who has chosen the path of liberation from everything imposed and artificial in the name of his natural integrity.

Behavior rules

Anyone who chooses this path will most likely have to adhere to some rules so that in their personal and spiritual development and upward movement they do not stumble, falling several steps, or even downwards.

Let's define them:

1. First of all, it is respect for the chosen path without looking back, not paying attention to the annoying grumbling from the outside, trying to lead you astray.
2. Reasonable liberation from excesses, contentment with little.
3. The main priority is the development of your inner world and expanding the boundaries of consciousness.
4. Humane treatment of living beings and respect for nature.
5. The priority in literature is the spiritual and health direction.
6. Acceptance of life as it is, tolerance and humility.
7. Striving for naturalness (clothing, housing and utensils, relationships with people).

From the presented video you will learn about the ascetic lifestyle of the founder of IKEA.

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.

Works and projects on asceticism

Since we live in a cultural field where our philosophy, psychology, and worldview are closely intertwined with Orthodox Christianity, it would be useful at the end of the article to briefly familiarize ourselves with the works of some modern priests and theologians of the not-so-distant past.

Orthodox asceticism outlined for the laity by Pavel Gumerov

In his book “Orthodox asceticism, outlined for the laity,” Father Pavel Gumerov tries to help a modern Orthodox person emerge victorious in the struggle for spiritual purity against temptations, how a layman can fight passions in order to get rid of sinful habits. How can a modern person live and be saved? The author proposes a path oriented towards the teachings of the Holy Fathers, who, in turn, rely on the Holy Scriptures and their own modest priestly experience.

The book says that the main goal and meaning of Christian life is love for God, as well as for people. Well, what is considered liberation from passions is only a means of liberation, similar to fasting, prayer and worship. And while sinful passions and inclinations prevail in a person, it is simply impossible to keep the two most important Christian commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The author in the book asks the question whether asceticism is necessary for today's layman, and through the chapters of the book he gives the answer to its necessity, and also indicates methods for saving the soul.

Here it would be appropriate to recall the words of the venerable elder we mentioned above:

“My joy, it’s not time for us to lose heart! Christ is Risen!!! Acquire a peaceful spirit and thousands around you will be saved!”

Seraphim of Sarov

Asceticism according to the Orthodox Christian teachings of Sergei Zarin

The main fundamental work of theology of the twentieth century in relation to ascetic experience with the aim of generalizing and systematizing it, based on the doctrine of human salvation, is the theological master's thesis “Asceticism according to Orthodox Christian teaching” by Sergei Zarin (1875-1936) - Russian, Soviet theologian, professor St. Petersburg Theological Academy, ideologist of the church renovation movement.

His dissertation consisted of two books published in 1907, the first of which was devoted to a detailed, sometimes critical review of literary works, articles, and studies by theological authors of different times concerning this topic. Referring to the writings of more than 65 Church Fathers and the works of more than a hundred theologians and researchers, he made an attempt to analyze the huge layer that is ascetic teaching, systematize it and show its significance in the science of salvation. The second book was a theological and ethical study.

Much attention in the work of Sergei Mikhailovich was paid to the works of St. Theophan the Recluse, who created a theological-ascetic system that was organically tied to life, and not with abstract formal reasoning in justifying church dogmatism, and which preached that the main thing for a believer is the deep assimilation of the great feat of self-sacrifice for the salvation of mankind, accomplished by Jesus Christ.

In his work, the author defined the phenomenon of voluntary self-restraint under consideration as the conscious use of means for a Christian to acquire virtue to achieve moral purity and religious perfection, in which he uses hard work, the tension of his spiritual and physical efforts to combat obstacles. Here we meant asceticism with methods of its implementation in whole or separately, including bodily exploits and hardships, illuminated by prayerful grace.

Asceticism for the laity by Sergei Maslennikov

A lot of useful things for those who have decided to change something in their lives, embarking on the path of spiritual purification through restrictive voluntary practices, can be gleaned from lectures on the topic “Asceticism for the laity” by Sergei Maslennikov, who is the author of the series of conversations “On the Path to Salvation” and series of books about passions and Christian virtues.

Teacher of the School of Repentance, Laureate of the All-Russian Literary Prize, Sergei Mikhailovich Maslennikov gives recommendations on how to prepare for general confession. To do this, he recommends using a penitent’s diary to determine sins, in which sins corresponding to certain passions are divided into categories. A repentant person, correlating his sins with those described in detail by Maslennikov in his diary, noting them, subsequently carries out spiritual work to eradicate them. After a while, crossing out sin after sin, he observes how close he is to the main confession.

This method has its supporters and opponents, mainly from among the clergy, who believe that Maslennikov’s method distorts the Orthodox teaching on repentance and introduces gags into it. In any case, those who want to get closer to the truth, who turn with a pure heart in prayer to God, will sooner or later figure it out, separating the wheat from the chaff.

For it is said:

“Seek and you will find.”

Jesus Christ

Religious asceticism.

The main sources of the practice of religious asceticism in the 1st century were the texts of the New Testament, grouped around two basic themes: service to Christ and obedience to the Spirit. In the Gospel, following Christ is possible only by abandoning the usual way of life and self-denial, even to the point of martyrdom. However, this does not mean that a believer in the world is obliged to starve himself or give up marriage. Because complete self-denial from society is an extreme not required by the New Testament.

The word “asceticism” has a Russian analogue – “asceticism”, and hermits and Christian ascetic fathers led an ascetic lifestyle. Asceticism reached its wide development in life and literary works in the 4th-6th centuries. The image of John the Baptist was taken as a role model, and the most famous ascetic hermits were Onuphrius the Great, Seraphim of Sarov, Sergius of Radonezh.

Some cults and religious teachings today idealize all or certain aspects of asceticism. According to the teachings of the Buddha, only ascetics who have lost passions are worthy of the opportunity to achieve enlightenment and knowledge. The spiritual discipline of yoga is also aimed at overcoming ordinary consciousness. For the practice of voluntary self-denial, self-effort and self-discipline, the word “tapas” is used in yoga. Tapas is usually practiced by maintaining chastity and controlling the senses.