Spirituality and denial of pleasure--what's the deal?

Question

I'd like to become less materialistic, and I wonder how the whole giving up earthly pleasures thing works, like with monks/nuns, priestly types, saints in the desert and all. So they give up earthly delights--money, sex, meat, possessions, whatever they're supposed to give up. Do they eventually stop wanting earthly stuff quite as much, or do they always want stuff and the idea is to build up their resistance to temptation? Does the desire get weaker the longer you avoid something, or does the resistance get stronger?

Not that I'm becoming a nun or anything, but I'm interested in how those principles can be used in daily life for regular folk.

Answer 1

"to unify your life unify your desires to spiritualize your life spiritualize your desires to spiritualize your desires desire to be without desire"Thomas Merton
Coming to terms with what I need and what I want. Being happy with what I have. If you spiritualize your life it isnt about things any more. The idea is being at peace with what you have. Eventualy one does not think about what he does not have anymore.
I used to want a mansion and Yacht and all those things on ocasion I still do. I find myself more and more being happy with what I need. I have everything I need.
I see a mansion I used to imagine me in it. Today I imagine alot of space being wasted on one person energy to heat it the expense and I think of the starving kids who have no home the impact that has on the earth. The same with everything else once I tried to spiritualize my life my attitude towards selfish wants changed. I dont even try very hard. I can imagine a monk who is actualy trying hard. I can imagine it working for him too.
I think God wants us to be reasoably happy in this life. I think its not about things its about motives. Nothing is more spiritual than lovemaking, Nothing more demeaning than using another as an object not as a human. It when we take God given instincts and abuse them that we are in trouble. I think thats the point. That is why monks give up things to make the point all that much more in there lives.
Am I acting with compasion and thinking of others and the earth thats the question I try and ask.

Answer 2

I am A Celtic Pagan Priest.

we do not really give up anything. but we still attempt to live a humble life. i happen to be lucky enough to have a diecent job and
a wife that works. so we have several nice things. we are not driving any new cars or anything like that (my car is over 10 years old) i have a nice sized TV and, a diecent stereo. and some things that would seem extravegant to some, (2000 dollar paintball gun)

here is the deal though.

my family is taken care of. my bills are paid.
i work a fulltime job and run a small business part time so that i can have the money to do the things that i enjoy (paintball)

my grove does not pay me for any services and i would not allow them to do so even if they wanted to. i do not charge for any religious services (house blessings, marriages, funerals etc)

i give to charity anytime that i can. and often am volunteering for one charity or another.

having material posessions is not wrong if you work hard for them. it is when the possessions become more importent to you than the people in your life and community that it becomes a problem.

a good example would be if you had 2000 dollars to go on a shopping spree,,just cash that you had saved for a long time so that you could go have fun with it. and while you were at the mall you met a friend that told you that another friend's car had broken down and that they do not have the 700 dollars needed to fix it and may loose their job for lack of transportation.

would you cut your shopping short to help the friend. or pretend like you did not have the cash to spare because there is a sale at JC Penny and you really need new shoes?

and you need to ask yourself when you see a charity donation box. do i really need that 72 cents that i got for change?

some people do need that small of an ammount of money.
i can remember when my budget was down to the penny.

just take tome and think about what you want and what you need and what the 2 really mean to you.

being non-materialistic is doing wothout some things that you may want so that others can have what they need.

Answer 3

I am not for monks/nuns i am also not for repression too. One thing is certain, that you can TRANSCEND these earthly pleasures. Thats the only way; other than that you would be supressing these desires nothing more.

Soo its not about giving up at all, in my opinion, most of these nuns/monks are just pretenders. Not only nuns and monks, all religions have such beleifs; Christianity, Islam, Buddhism..etc..

Soo the whole secret here is to transcend these pleasures and for that to happen you have to observe. Other than that you would be suppressing. Either suppressing sexuality and becoming more perverted or suppressing food and become more obssessed with food...etc..

Transcend not suppress!!

Answer 4

When we give up anything for a long period of time we eventually are able to psychologically separate ourselves from it. We really don`t need all the things in life that we have access to and most of it is pointless. Once we realize that and only engage in what is necessary for life and afterlife it all gets quite easy. Take TV as an example. If you stopped all together and filled that time with other things soon you would find no real desire to watch tv.

Answer 5

Earthly things will never truly satisfy our souls. We are spiritual beings and we need spiritual nourishment.

If you live your life for material things you will never have enough. Look at these CEOs who get busted for corruption. They already have more money than they could ever spend, but they crave more and more. No satisfaction. Maybe Jagger was right.

Look at the rock-n-rollers who get fame, fortune, women, etc...and then kill themselves or OD. No satisfaction.

Check out John 8:31-32. If you want to know the truth and be set free, put his words into practice.

Answer 6

That is Gnosticism, not what is required for true spirituality.

True spirituality can only be found in Jesus Christ alone. It is the gift of grace, by faith alone.

There are 2 ways to live.

Answer 7

They do not neccessarily give it up they just recognise it for what it is -- a tool. They do not let themselves become so enamored of anything that it clouds their judgement in things. St. Paul even tells us that he has known wealth and poverty and he counts them both as nothing.