Ascesis

Why is ascesis so important for those who strive for self-development? Path of spiritual growth: it’s impossible without effort. For constant progress, practitioner needs to overcome his limits and work with himself. Progress is possible only after going out of comfort zone.

All the greatest personalities were going through ascesis. Let’s talk about the example of Buddha Shakyamuni. When he understood the importance of progress on the spiritual path and left the palace, where he, as a prince, was living with extraordinary luxury, Buddha (at that time his name was Siddhartha Gautama) joined a group of five ascets (hermits), who were making the hardest ascesis, tortures, in order to become enlightened and find Highest Truth. They were not protecting themselves from strong sun or rain or from insects. They were satisfied with a minimal amount of food.

Ancient text talks about it: “Ascet Gautama became a monk when he left his huge family. Ascet Gautama became a monk left a lot of gold in coins and bards that were in cellars and chambers. Ascet Gautama, a young man with black hair in happy youth, in young age left family for existence without relatives. Asket Gautama, despite the unwillingness of parents, who were crying for him, cut his hair and beard, put on yellow cloth, and went away from his homeland to homelessness.” (Quote from R. Pishel. “Life and Teaching of Buddha”)

In extreme lack and regular practice, Siddhartha lived for 6 years and made his body fully exhausted. His body became a skeleton with skin. Exactly that looks his statue in the cave of Mahakala, in the place where Buddha made this ascesis.

Extreme ascesis helped him in the period of the next few years to overcome all those limitations that he created in the time of living in the palace. In other words, allowed to overcome the law of karma, that for every action, word, and thought of humans (and other beings) should be certain consequences in the future, and after pleasures (first years of life Prince Siddhartha was living in a royal palace in huge luxury), suffering always follows.

We can find the same examples in different religious traditions, not only in Buddhism but also in Vedic and christianity. It is very well known about the spiritual deeds of Serafim Sarovski, who, for a thousand nights and days, stood on a huge stone in the forest and, in the time of the whole night, was praying with arms raised to the sky: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Exactly like that captured in traditional iconography: “Picture of Serafim that are the most popular are when he is praying on the stone. In the middle of the dark-green forest, he stands on stone-rock with an open head, with white balahon cloth, with a wooden cross <…> with raised hands to the sky. Near the stone on the ground often lies an axe and pouch with crackers. Those pictures of sage probably the most favorite for his admirers” (E. N. Poselianin). In the daytime, sage were not standing in prayer but in his cell, on the stone that he brought from the forest, going out only for short relaxation and to make his body stronger with poor food. About three years Serafin was eating only ground elder that was growing around.

Level of ascesis to do for yourself should be measured. Buddhism offers an understanding of the middle way. Buddha was in ascesis for six years. He make a conclusion that extreme torture does not lead to enlightenment, that there should be a middle way: “O brothers, there are two edges that everybody should avoid who passed away from the world. What are those two edges? One offers to live life full of desires, related to bodily pleasures. This life is low, dark, ungrateful, and useless. Another edge offers to live in extreme torture. This life, full of suffering, is ungrateful, useless. Avoid those two extremes. Tathagata, in the time of enlightenment, reached the Middle way – way that allows to reach, allows to understand, leads to peace, to highest knowledge, to enlightenment, to nirvana (“Mahavagga”).

It’s possible that by hearing the word “ascesis” a lot of people imagine a sage who is torturing his body, living in a cold cave, and eating ground elder only with a loincloth. For most modern people it’s impossible, and they don’t need it. In the beginning it’s enough to keep easy limitations for body, speech, and mind. For example, to do asanas a few times a week, to abstain from bad words, and to not think badly about personal parents. Level of ascesis everybody will choose for himself. It’s better to keep ascesis that would help to overcome personal limitations. A person with a distracted mind should do concentration practices. Those who have a weakly developed body do hatha yoga practices. It’s important to notice what qualities it’s important to develop and make an effort to this side.

From a young age, everybody knows that if you want something, you need to decline something or make an effort. There are quotes: “For everything you need to pay,” “There is nothing just like that,” and the most popular, “Beauty requires sacrifice” – it follows us every day. To say it in other words, the whole life person does various ascesis.

Ascesis allows to accumulate energy and direct it to reach a goal. Because of that, it’s important not only to ask about ascesis but also to to ask about the goal of doing that ascesis. In Ramayana there is an example of one demon – Ravana. In one of the versions, Ravana, a demon with ten heads, stood on his head for ten thousand years in the middle of five bonfires. At the end of every ten thousand year he was cutting off one of his heads. And when he wanted to cut the last, tenth head, Shiva appeared before him and asked what boon he wanted. One of the requirements – immortality. Demon made a wish that none of the Gods would be able to kill him. By having the blessing of Shiva, Ravana took over almost all the world by making his rules everywhere. Until on the earth born Rama, Vishnu avatar, eliminated the demon not in divine form but in human form.

When ascesis is performed to reach selfish goals, it raises egoism and makes human demonic creature, who get more and more power. But ascesis gives the possibility to refuse (decline) egoism. Person who doesn’t have experience of voluntary suffering can’t see that in other people. Only when you get experience it is possible to learn compassion.

It’s a pleasure to dedicate merits of ascesis to the goodness (benefit) of all living beings. It means to guide others to self-growth. The main goal of doing ascesis becomes transformation of energy and direction to the well-being of all world.

Material from website OUM.RU