Thinking about Asceticism

Thinking about Asceticism

7 November 2023

Asceticism is a difficult topic to discuss at this time, in this culture.  It runs counter to the temper of the times.  And there is a strongly held view among many that it is possible to be spiritual but not ascetic; in fact most people tend to see asceticism as irrelevant to their spiritual lives.

I think there is a simple way of looking at this topic that points to the foundational nature of asceticism.  Put simply, for the vast majority of people who have some kind of spiritual practice, the time they spend on that practice produces no discernible material benefit.  It is unlikely, for example, that someone going to their boss for a raise will tell the boss that they practice some kind of spirituality and that this information would convince the boss that a raise is due. 

In fact, spiritual practices are often considered to be a ‘waste of time’ because of their negligible or nonexistent material results.  Concerned family members and friends might suggest, strongly or mildly, that they should spend their time in a more useful way than on their spiritual practice.  This is true for spirituality in general; it applies to those studying the tarot, to those going to a Church or Temple, to those reading spiritual books, to those practicing contemplation, and so forth.  The time spent on spiritual activities is, I would suggest, a type of asceticism because it is not focused on material attainments and is focused on other dimensions than the material. 

Granted there are a few people who make a living from their spiritual insights and practices.  They have followers, an organization built up around them, and they usually lead retreats which are paid for by the participants.  But the number of people who do make a living from spirituality is a tiny sliver of those who have a spiritual practice. 

Those for whom spiritual practice has an important place in their lives have to figure out some kind of balance between their spiritual practice and earning enough to meet their material obligations.  I have observed many people in this situation and it is a kind of juggling act that sometimes becomes precarious, while at other times, when just the right balance is achieved, it works out smoothly.

In Platonism there is the added example of Platonist teachers who refused to charge for their teachings; Socrates was famous for this.  Socrates differentiated himself from the Sophists in a number of ways, but significantly the most immediately observable one for an ordinary person was that Socrates did not charge while the Sophists did; and it seems that some of the Sophists charged significant amounts.  I know that in some cases this example inspires contemporary Platonists to follow in the footsteps of Socrates and not charge a fee for spiritual instruction.  This necessitates finding a balance between their spiritual life and their material obligations, but it seems to be worth it for those I have observed following this commitment.

I suspect that most people don’t think of this situation of balancing material and spiritual concerns as asceticism.  But I think it is because the essence of asceticism is to not base your life on sensory stimulation.  Living a life of simplicity is a natural consequence of having this kind of balance and this leads naturally to asceticism.

Ideally this could lead to consciously engaging with the Ascetic Ideal, the path that leads to the Good and the One.