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The Path of the Ascetic: What It Means to Be a Modern Renunciate
Not all spiritual paths lead to organized religions, strict doctrines, or spiritual practices like prayer, yoga, or meditation. If you’ve spent some time traveling, you’ve probably come across some interesting characters who don’t just live off the map, but renounce the map completely.
Having spent the past few months in India, I’ve dug into various philosophies and seen a large number of people who take a different, yet arguably more practical approach to spirituality. Instead of following the rules, these people go to extremes to pursue spirituality in its rawest, unadulterated way. Yes, I’m talking about the ascetics, the infamous Sadhus (South Asian renunciates), Avadhootas (Hindu mystics), and Fakirs (Sufi mystics)
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not an ascetic. I quite like having stuff and value a healthy balance with the material world. With that said, my time in India has inspired me to write an article about the ascetic path because it’s something that has really captured my curiosity over the last few months.
Here we’re going to look at the ascetic path, especially as you might see in places like India or Pakistan. This isn’t to copy the wandering ascetics, but to understand this unique spiritual pathway a little more and incorporate some of the key lessons into our lives.
