It may seem strange to many, but deprivation can make a person happy. Therefore, various oriental (and not only) traditions recommend periodically performing various austerities to restore mental balance and health.
What is asceticism?
Asceticism is voluntary restrictions that help a person to value their life more. The key word here is voluntary. Because if you are deprived or do not have any benefits as a result of wars or cataclysms, then this is not considered austerity, as it causes you pain and suffering all the time.
Pilgrimage is also an asceticism. * To the reverend *, Sergei Vinogradov, 1910.
A classic example of asceticism is given in the parable of the goat. Probably everyone knows and remembers her - a woman tired of her worries bought a goat on the advice of the sage. And she knew happiness and balance - when she got rid of her.
We very often get so used to our comfort and well-being that we stop appreciating them. Many people instinctively understand this and perform various austerities without even knowing it.
For example, a huge number of people are fond of extreme hiking or off-road sports. They voluntarily end up somewhere in the forest, pull cars or bicycles out of the mud, spend the night in tents, rain pours on them, mosquitoes bite, etc.
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Off-road sport is also austerity. The photo was taken by the author of the article at the trophy-raid * Vepsian forest *.
And often the greatest happiness these people experience not when they rowed in a kayak under the scorching sun or froze at night in a tent, but when they return home. Once in the city, in comfortable apartments, they experience bliss - from hot water, from a bath, from a warm toilet, from all the benefits of civilization.
And the more often a person performs such austerities, the longer he feels happy. As a result, a colossal release of energy occurs - after such a vacation, a person moves mountains, implements complex projects, defends dissertations, and so on. By the way, it is curious that if you spend your vacation in greater comfort than at home - in a luxury hotel with servants, in bliss, with food five times a day and in complete idleness, then after the vacation, on the contrary, very often depression and decline sets in. forces. I want to return to the lost paradise, but ordinary life seems too dull. That is, a person has a good rest for two weeks, but he will not experience a surge of energy and the folding of mountains, unlike a person who stormed the rapids of mountain rivers for these two weeks.
Don't eat and be silent
What other austerities are there? Of course, one of the main austerities is food restriction. It is no coincidence that these austerities occupy an important place in all world religions. Fasts help a person to unload both body and soul, to clear the mind. After we voluntarily restrict ourselves to food, we will enjoy the simplest food.
Eating austerities helps to appreciate the simplest food.
There is a parable about a man who was thirsty for a very long time. And then they brought him a magical drink of incredible taste, and when he asked - what is it, he was answered - this is ordinary water.
Restrictions in food rebuild the human body - the stomach becomes smaller, the need for excess food decreases, less energy is spent on digesting it, and as a result, a person becomes more active (unless, of course, he is starving to self-torture and fainting, this no longer has to asceticism relations).
In addition to restrictions on food, oriental practitioners quite often recommend austerities in speech. Saying unnecessary words, we literally spray energy into the air. And the vow of silence exists in many world religions. People are silent for some time, while their consciousness becomes clearer, and often after such a vow they make discoveries, write books or beautiful paintings.
There are also purely female austerities that awaken the female nature, help women to experience happiness. For women, it is more important not to those austerities that help to overcome themselves, but those that teach them to love others and give this love. These are cooking, helping the poor and hungry, volunteer projects in orphanages, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.
It is interesting that taking care of yourself, your appearance, clothes - this is also considered a woman's asceticism, and not the easiest to perform. And it must be performed constantly - for balance and happiness …
Author: Natalia Trubinovskaya
