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.
Ancient Greek athletes and Christian mystics used the same word for their training—both saw the body as something to be disciplined for a higher goal! Some ascetics took it so far they lived on top of pillars for decades, becoming tourist attractions in the ancient world.
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