I do find it striking that the Christian tradition links spiritual excellence so closely with self-denial. I know that this is the case for some others as well - the heroes of the Ramayana are forever performing feats of asceticism - but now that I have read Rumi, it is pretty clear to me that this is a policy choice rather than a necessity for spirituality. Christianity missed out by not balancing the ascetic school with institutionalised pleasure.
August Books 21) Early Christian Lives, ed. Carolinne White
I do find it striking that the Christian tradition links spiritual excellence so closely with self-denial. I know that this is the case for some others as well - the heroes of the Ramayana are forever performing feats of asceticism - but now that I have read Rumi, it is pretty clear to me that this is a policy choice rather than a necessity for spirituality. Christianity missed out by not balancing the ascetic school with institutionalised pleasure.
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