ascetic

An ascetic is a person who renounces physical pleasures and material comforts in order to pursue spiritual, moral, or religious goals. Asceticism, the practice itself, emphasizes self-discipline, restraint, and detachment from worldly desires. The term derives from the Greek askētikos, meaning "related to training or exercise," and from asēsis, "exercise" or "discipline."

Ascetic practices appear in many traditions. In Indian religions, Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism include forms of fasting, celibacy, and renunciation of possessions as paths to liberation or enlightenment. In Christianity, monks and hermits historically adopted ascetic disciplines such as solitude, prayer, fasting, and poverty; similar ideals appear in Sufi practice within Islam. In ancient Greece, Cynic and Stoic philosophers promoted self-control and austere living as a means of virtue. Across cultures, asceticism is often connected to purification, self-mastery, and moral seriousness rather than mere austerity.

Common practices range from fasting, abstinence from luxury, and voluntary poverty to silence, sleep restriction, and long meditation or prayer. Goals include purifying the soul, detaching from desire, gaining moral clarity, and achieving spiritual liberation, enlightenment, or closer communion with the divine. Ascetic disciplines may be undertaken within communities or as solitary commitments.

In modern usage, ascetic behavior can describe religious adherents as well as secular minimalists who prioritize discipline over comfort. Critics warn that extreme self-denial can cause harm or become dogmatic; defenders argue that disciplined restraint can foster focus, compassion, and inner freedom. The term remains a descriptive and historical label rather than a prescriptive ideology, applied to a range of practices from monastic vows to lifestyle choices aimed at self-mastery.