Asceticism

thumb|A glass of water on an empty plateFasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after complete digestion and absorption of a meal. Metabolic changes in the fasting state begin after absorption of a meal (typically 3–5 hours after eating).

thumb|264x264px A monk (; from , monachos, 'single, solitary', via ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions, and in philosophy, across numerous cultures.

Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world or continue to be part of their society, but typically adopt a frugal lifestyle, characterized by the renunciation of material possessions and physical pleasures, and also spend time fasting while concentrating on religion, prayer, or meditation. Some individuals have also attempted an ascetic lifestyle to free themselves from addictions to things such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex, porn, lavis

Ancient school of philosophy

thumb|325px|right|Jerome|Saint Jerome, who lived as a hermit near [[Bethlehem, depicted in his study being visited by two angels (by Cavarozzi, early 17th century)]]

The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, they are the oldest of all the religious orders in the Latin Church. The male religious are also sometimes called the Black Monks, especially in English speaking countries, after the colour of their habits, although some, like the Olivetans, wear white. They were founded by Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century Italian monk who laid the foundations of Benedictine mon

A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent. The term is often used interchangeably with religious sisters, who do take simple vows but live an active vocation of prayer and charitable work in the wider society.

thumb|upright=1.3|In Raphael's fresco [[The School of Athens, Pythagoras is shown writing in a book as a young man presents him with a tablet showing a diagrammatic representation of music theory on a lyre above a drawing of the sacred tetractys.]]

Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol, drugs, food, or other comforts.

Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially in the Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican traditions as well as in other faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. In other religions, monasticism is generally criticized and not practiced, as in Islam and Zoroastrianism; or plays a marginal role, as in modern Judaism.

thumb|Ashram of sage Kanva depicted on terracotta plaque, 2nd century BCE An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Hinduism.

Brahmacharya (; Sanskrit: Devanagari: ब्रह्मचर्य) is the concept within Indian religions that literally means "conduct consistent with Brahman" or "on the path of Brahman". Brahmacharya, a discipline of controlling the senses, is seen as a way to liberation. Though sexual restraint is a part of brahmacharya, brahmacharya encompasses all striving toward a passionless state.

book of precepts

act of refraining from sexual activity

Ajivika (, IAST: '''') is an ancient nāstika'', or 'heterodox,' Indian school of absolute fatalism or extreme determinism. The Ājīvika school is known for its Niyati ("Fate") doctrine and for the premise that there is no free will, that everything that has happened, is happening and will happen is entirely preordained and a function of cosmic principles.

in Christianity, a traditional list of seven virtues

thumb|A novice is at the left. The religious habit|habit of a novice often differs from that of the full professed sisters.|alt= The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian novice (or prospective) monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to vowed religious life. It often includes times of intense study, prayer, living in community, studying the vowed life, deepening one's relationship with God, and deepening one's self-awareness. In the Catholic Church,

heat, spiritual concept, asceticism in Indian religions

thumb|Bronze figure of a yogi in Dhyana in Hinduism|Dhyana (meditation) by [[Malvina Hoffman]]

monastic tradition that stresses community life

early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD

thumb|upright=1.35|Share of over-fifteen-year-old population that reportedly have never drunk alcohol (interactive version). Global average is 45%. thumb|upright=1.35|Data for 2010 showing share of over-fifteen-year-old population that did not consume alcohol in the preceding year (interactive version).

Christian devotional practice

distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order

small room used by a hermit, monk, anchorite or nun to live and as a devotional space

3 days set aside for fasting and prayer in each season

Item used in Christianity to assist prayer

promises made by members of religious communities

thumb|Alexander meets the Gymnosophists. [[Great Mongol Shahnameh, c. 1335. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery]] Gymnosophists (, gymnosophistaí, i.e. "naked philosophers" or "naked wise men" (from Greek γυμνός gymnós "naked" and σοφία sophía "wisdom")) were ancient Indian philosophers who pursued asceticism to the point of regarding food and clothing as detrimental to purity of thought. They are mentioned several times in Ancient Greek literature.

250px|thumb|Lake Mariout today The Therapeutae were a Jewish religious sect which existed in Alexandria and other parts of the ancient Greek world. The primary source concerning the Therapeutae is the De vita contemplativa ("The Contemplative Life"), traditionally ascribed to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria (c. 20 BCE – 50 CE). The author appears to have been personally acquainted with them. The author describes the Therapeutae as "philosophers" (cf. I.2) and mentions a group that lived on a low hill by Lake Mariout close to Alexandria in circumstances resembling lavrite life (cf. I

type of lifestyle advocated by the Catholic Church

The Dokkōdō (The Path of Aloneness, The Way to Go Forth Alone, or The Way of Walking Alone) is a short work on philosophy, written by the Japanese swordsman and strategist Miyamoto Musashi a week before he died in 1645. It consists of 21 precepts and was largely composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in preparation for death. The work was dedicated to his favorite disciple who took the precepts to heart, Terao Magonojō, and to whom his earlier Go rin no sho (The Book of Five Rings) had been dedicated. Dokkōdō expresses a stringent, honest, and ascetic view of life.

thumb|Cell of a recluse with hagioscope in [[Bro Church, Gotland, Sweden]] A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion and solitude. The word is from the Latin , which means 'to open' or 'disclose'.

early Christian ascetics, 3rd–5th centuries AD

Qalandar is a title given to a saint who is at a very high level of spirituality

thumb|right|A Japanese Buddhist pilgrim on alms round (during Shikoku Pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan)

Monastic rule followed by the Order of Friars Minor

Udasis (Gurmukhi: ਉਦਾਸੀ ਸੰਪਰਦਾ; udāsī saparadā) (Devanagari: उदासी संप्रदाय), also spelt as Udasins, also known as Nanak Putras (meaning "sons of Nanak"), are a religious sect of ascetic sadhus centred in northern India who follow a tradition known as Udasipanth. Becoming custodians of Sikh shrines in the 18th century, they were notable interpreters and spreaders of the Sikh philosophy during that time. However, their religious practices border on a syncretism of Sikhism and Hinduism, and they did not conform to the Khalsa standards as ordained by Guru Gobind Singh. When the Lahore Singh Sabha

Ajñāna (, (Vedic) IPA: /ɐd͡ʑ.ɲɑː.nɐ/; (Classical) IPA: /ɐd͡ʑˈɲɑː.n̪ɐ/) is an ancient nāstika, or 'heterodox,' Indian school of agnosticism that embraces radical skepticism. It emerged as a Śramaṇa movement and was a major rival of early Buddhism, Jainism and the Ājīvika school. They have been recorded in Buddhist and Jain texts. They held that it was impossible to obtain knowledge of metaphysical nature or ascertain the truth value of philosophical propositions; and even if knowledge was possible, it was useless and disadvantageous for final salvation. They specialized in refutation without pr

religious practice

oblong piece of wood, the size of a bed, with nails pointing upwards out of it

monastic rule for female anchoresses written in the early 13th century

The kaupinam, kovanam, kaupina, langot, or lungooty is a loincloth worn by men in the Indian subcontinent as underclothing. It is still commonly worn in South Asia by pehlwans (wrestlers) while exercising or sparring in a dangal. It is basically a rectangular strip of cloth used to cover the genitals, with strings connected to the four ends of the cloth, for binding it around the waist and between the legs. right|thumb|A pehlwan sports a langoti at an [[akhara]]

test of endurance

REDIRECT Hermitage (religious retreat)#Eastern Christian tradition

subculture

artist who focuses on their art above even their own well-being

Xerophagy ("dry eating", from Greek "dry" and "eat") is a form of ancient Christian fasting in which a believer fasts from food and water until sunset, as well as abstains from meat, alcohol and succulent fruits for the one meal that is consumed after sunset; the early Church's Apostolic Constitutions enjoin for the meal eaten after sundown: bread, salt, water, nuts, as well as vegetables cooked with water and salt. The early Christian apologist Tertullian references this manner of fasting in his works.

Jain monasticism

stages an Eastern Orthodox monk or nun passes through in their religious vocation

Sufi practice of penance and solitude

Hedonophobia is an excessive fear or aversion to obtaining pleasure. The purported background of some such associated feelings may be due to an egalitarian-related sentiment, whereby one feels a sense of solidarity with individuals in the lowest Human Development Index countries. For others, a recurring thought that some things are too good to be true has resulted in an ingrainedness that they are not entitled to feel too good. Sometimes, it can be triggered by a religious upbringing wherein asceticism is propounded.

day in which one is encouraged not to consume meat

kind of performance art involving hardship

any collection of desert father stories

spiritual practice