The Ascetic Non-Ideal

Many world religions and philosophies hold the ascetic lifestyle as an ideal to which its followers must strive. Control, discipline, and self-mastery. Growing up as a Hindu, we had a staggering number of ascetics from whom we were told to learn principles. There are books upon books depicting the life and thoughts of such people, so aloof from modern society that their mysticism seems spontaneously derived from fantasy alone. Even some western philosophies have asceticism in their ultimate goal, so it seems to be a universal concept.

I have recently struggled with the idolatry associated with the ascetic ideal. To me, perhaps due to my reading of Nietzsche, the ascetic ideal seems to be a form of self-flagellation rather than self-mastery. The priests who starve themselves in the name of God(s), are they forgoing food because their intrinsic principle structure demands it, or because they simply lack the money, power, or passion required to obtain it? Do they avoid pleasure because they seek to dominate their spirit or because they lack the skills necessary to obtain pleasurable things? Asceticism troubles me, especially when portrayed as an ideal. Further problems ensue when looking at the larger scheme of asceticism around the world, where we can see that many ascetics are bound to some form of "higher-thought" in which the material world, the present, the self, becomes only a stepping-stone to a world beyond.

For Christians, the obvious duality of heaven and hell arises. Many of Christianity's main tenets speak of denying oneself of pleasure, of assertion, of power, effectively willing oneself to nothing in the material world in hopes of attaining "everything" in the next world. However Christianity's principle structure was formed, be it through slave morality or some ethereal word of God, the ideal Christian, of which there may only ever have been one, strives towards a fairly ascetic lifestyle.

But this ascetic ideal cannot be confined by religion. Even philosophers like Kant hold in their theories some beyond-world to which we should strive. For him, the infamous "thing in itself" holds transcendental power over the simple world of phenomena. Furthermore, Plato's "world of forms" sublimes to perfection over the imperfect world in which we live. As pointed out to me in a fantastic video essay on the subject, I learned that Schopenhaur even has a "beyond-world" - the "world of will", and here he forms his own branch of asceticism. 

Now, my answer to the universality of the ascetic ideal lies again in complexity, the old demon that I cannot help but speak of in every one of my essays. In concept, the simplest way to reduce the complexity of the modern world and the self is to deny it entirely. I cannot help but appreciate and admire the willpower to will oneself into such nothingness, of course, but it cannot be denied that the object of asceticism in large part introduces a comforting simplicity into the psyche. In fact, after reading some Buddhist texts, I have observed first hand the power of such simplicity, and its pull has an inexpressible gravity.

So ascetics are striving to simplicity in the best way they can - by willing themselves to nothingness, denying the "self", and instituting a barrier between themselves and the layperson. Another explanation of their lives comes directly from the Nietzschien interpretation of the ascetic ideal as depicted in On the Genealogy of Morals. A person who lacks the ability to outwardly manifest a Will to Power and who instead exhibits extraordinary meekness and fragility could instead begin manifesting the Will to Power inwardly. Rather than be assertive about their wants and needs, they deny even the basic existence of such a thing as a "want", or a "need". The ascetic priest, who cannot bear any minute power otherwise, will instead proclaim that their lack must be the pinnacle of the human condition. They will be confident only in pushing out the knowledge that the world in which the layperson lives, the world of pleasure, material form, and the present, sits several steps below that which the priest will occupy beyond this life. Whether that be heaven, Nirvana, or a fundamental understanding of phenomenology, the ascetic priest wields their Will to Power in a subversive manner.

I should take some time now to make the clarification that not all ascetics are a part of this "ascetic ideal". We have so far looked at ascetic priests and philosophical scholars, but asceticism can be found even in the scientist who sacrifices the material world, the self, and some metaphysics in search of a phenomenological understanding which will transcend all of those things. There are also ascetic artists who similarly cast aside the world in search of ultimate beauty.

We also need to be careful in the definition of ascetic qualities. In classical complex fashion, the way we define asceticism and who we put in that box can drastically change the argument. If, for instance, we put someone like myself in the box of "ascetic artist" just because I, on some occasions, choose to forgo pleasurable ventures to take time for my craft, then half the world will be lumped into the tribe of ascetics. As such, I'll take the time to clarify now that this essay strictly analyzes the ascetic ideal. All of us who have some passion we chase without promise of worldly gain may exhibit some ascetic qualities, but to posit that such menial pursuits can be compared to denying all of the world and the self, even if the transcendent belief remains the same, dilutes the meaning, power, subversion, and simplicity of the ascetic.

In performing this exercise, I have of course not meant to discredit or demean ascetics. I can only say that I am wary of those who claim themselves to live the ascetic lifestyle and yet appear in media to spread some sort of message. I am similarly cautious of any who claim the ascetic lifestyle to be an ideal way in which to live. It answers the problem of complexity, certainly, but it does so in a manner non-congruent with societal living and one which glorifies specific transcendental thoughts to do so. I cannot help but look at an ascetic and wonder if they really sit for days without food and with minimal water because their minds are bent to a supreme task, or because they compensate for some other lack in their personalities.

There have also been too many ascetics who claim to live a life of purity but in actuality are made wealthy by preaching their philosophies to masses of eager people. As such, I find it difficult to believe that I have ever known or seen a true sage, a true ascetic. If one exists, they will not be found publishing books or in the media. They will be reclusive beyond measure, likely eeking out some meager yet fruitful existence in a cave or monastery. Teaching their ways will be abhorrent to them, for the way to asceticism is unique and should require intrinsic belief in the transcendent absolute; it cannot be indoctrinated into a person. I will never meet such an ascetic, so for now I believe the ascetic ideal to be simply another dogma. From it, I will take the importance of discipline, mindfulness, and introspection, but I'll leave my interpretation at that.