The practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from worldly pleasures, often including fasting, celibacy, and physical hardship, pursued for spiritual purification. Found across many religious traditions as a path to enlightenment or divine union.
From Greek 'askesis' meaning 'exercise' or 'training,' originally referring to athletic discipline. Early Christian monks adopted the term to describe their spiritual training, viewing the body as needing discipline like an athlete's.
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