asceticismashes of cremated bodies that they use to cover their bodies, which is
considered an act of purification and a necessity for obtaining a superhu-
man body devoid of negative karma. Many of these ascetics wander
naked or wear a single cloth. An advanced stage of their ascetic practice
includes acting mad in order to incur the censor of others, which is part
of their attempt to rid themselves of bad karma.
The emphasis on asceticism among Śaiva practitioners is also stressed
by Jainism for its monks, as part of a regimen to purify the soul of karmic
residues. It is essential for a monk to restrain himself and create a body
heat (tapas) that consumes negative karma by means of asceticism. The
pervasiveness of the spirit of asceticism within Jainism is embodied in its
five basic vows: non-violence, speaking the truth, not stealing, celibacy,
and detachment from the world. These five vows are obligatory for all
monks and nuns, whereas lay people strive to adhere to them to the best
of their ability.
Beginning with the call of Jesus to consider choosing a life of poverty
(Matt. 19.21) and the use of the verb askeō in Acts (24.16), there is a
long history of ascetic practice in Christian history that dates to St.
Anthony and the so-called “desert fathers,” men who lead a life of isola-
tion and eat only Eucharist wafers. The desert, a desolate and remote
location, is a place where God can be found, as demonstrated by Moses,
and simultaneously a place where demons dwell, making it a location
associated with danger. Later monastic affiliated nuns and monks also
lead lives of ascetic discipline because Christian asceticism is a sign of
sanctity. From the fourth century, voluntary abstinence for ascetic rea-
sons is completely legitimate from the perspective of the church,
whereas it is considered heretical to abstain because one hated the mate-
rial creation of God. It is perfectly permissible for a Christian to trans-
form their body and thereby make it an instrument of the spirit just as
God originally intends for it.
Early and medieval Christian asceticism is practiced within the context
of the expectation of the imminent end of the world for which those prac-
ticing asceticism are preparing themselves. Along with the eschatological
expectations, there is an anticipation and even embrace of martyrdom. It
is common for stories of martyrs to be read to crowds on the feast days for
martyrs, shaping the minds of potential ascetics who wish to become
heroic like a martyr. A number of medieval nuns, according to hagio-
graphical narratives, subsist on the Eucharist alone or fast for extended
periods, a pattern of practice that suggests anorexia nervosa to some
scholars, whereas some monks wear a spiked chain around their thighs or
some other type of devise to cause them pain as part of a regimen of self-
mortification. Female ascetics drastically renounce their identity as women