Asceticism is an ancient practice where people abstained from various worldly pleasures often for spiritual purposes.1 The practices have been practiced since ancient times, and even today some people practice for similar reasons it has been practiced since ancient times.
Some of the worldly pleasures that people practicing asceticism abstained from include but are not limited to sexual acts, indulgence in alcohol, and primitive accumulation of wealth among others. These worldly pleasures were considered an impediment to the practice of religion, and often, against their spiritual beliefs. That was widely used to justify the practice. However, the practice of asceticism was not regarded as virtuous; rather it was regarded as a way of transforming the mind and body, or the purification of the body which established the connection with divine powers. The practice was also considered a way of making inner peace with oneself, and with the faith, one believed. The practice was purposely designed to achieve freedom from worldly pleasures and the temptations that come with them, and in the process, bring peace of mind and body.
The practice has been around since the ancient times, practice by people with diverse religious backgrounds around the world. In fact, the majority of the founders of religions, right from Christianity, Islam, Hindu and other affiliations practiced asceticism, intentionally refraining from things like sexual pleasures and consumption of alcohol, and even refraining from accumulating wealth.[1] To date, most of these religious denominations still have traces of asceticism, particularly among their leaders.
The Hindu Sadhus, also termed as holy men are known to have, for a long time, to be practicing asceticism.[2] Theirs includes extremes forms of self-denial, which include vowing never to use one leg or raise their arm in the air for months, or even years. Similarly, in the same period, the sadhus do not engage in sexual acts, drink alcohol or do any such other things which are against their religious beliefs. These are people who have been initiated into an ascetic religious order, and have accepted the fate thus must practice the asceticism as outlined by their denomination. Sadhus or the holy men mandated to practice asceticism may live together in monasteries, or wander throughout the country either lonely or as a group. Part of their practice also include not accumulating any wealth, and solely depend on the people they visit for food, shelter and any other needs. That has been the practice, and for those still living, they still practice the same.
Asceticism is even more widespread among the faithful members of the Catholic Church, and other Christian denominations.[3] Ascetic tendencies among the Christian faithful are prompted by the will to serve God. Anything that comes in the way, in pursuit of their self-satisfaction which may compromise their faithful is avoided. They believe every early thing is subordinate to the dictates of their reason and the laws of God. The will of God is implicitly expressed by human reason, and to a larger extent is laid down in the Christian writings, for instance as expressed in the Ten Commandments. These laws guide human beings to avoid some earthly things, either to serve God or to avoid temptations. Overall, in fulfillment of those strong religious beliefs, Christian members may find themselves practicing asceticism. Some may last for long, like refraining from taking meat products, to fasting in a different period of the month or year. At least every Christian denomination practices some form of self-denial, from avoiding eating, drinking, to abstaining from sexual activities among other things. This is not limited to Christians alone; Muslims from around the world go into long fasting at certain times of the year. During these times they refrain from taking meals at specific times of the day and refrain from other things like sexual intercourse, unnecessary interactions. Instead, they join other members of the religion to visit the underprivileged, the sick and needy members of the society. They may also converge in central laces to pray and hold special sessions in which they reflect on their relationship with their Supreme Being. Asceticism may be widely known among members of different faithfuls, but leaders in those religions often express some forms of extreme asceticism. For example, the Catholic Church is run by leaders who have avoided marriage and any sexual interaction with members of the opposite sex. That has been the case for extensively a long period. Other religious leaders, from different religions, may also practice some forms of extreme ascetic purely by leading their adherents in living a spiritual life. They avoid accumulating wealth; avoid specific foods among many other things.
Asceticism can be traced back to the start of religion when people engaged in self-denial to fulfill specific spiritual or religious goals.[4] The practice has outlived time, and even today is largely practiced. Some religions still take it very seriously and refrain from things ranging from sexual acts, accumulation of wealth, specific foods, and many other earthly pleasures. However, some other groups have relaxed the practice, and go against what has been traditional in their background. He spearheaded the wars and aggressions that existed, pursuing successful campaigns against tribes that threatened the empire including Goths, Franks, and others. In his military assault, Constantine restored even the territories that had been abandoned in the previous battles.