Ascesis

This monographic work will address as a central subject the spiritual exercises of the desert fathers. Therefore we will review Socrates and the stoic philosophy finding in it the start of the ascetic way. We will understand the relations between the ascetic life and the virtues, vices and sins, the apátheia, ataraxia and happiness (eudaimonia). At the end we will attend at some of the exercises in specific way.
Key words: Desert fathers; Exercises; Stoicism; Socrates; Ascetism.

In questo contributo si intende sostenere che lo sport incarna una forma di agonismo particolare, la cui struttura non è perfettamente congruente con quella della competizione capitalista, e che invece rappresenta la modalità in cui sono sopravvissute, metamorfizzate, alcune questioni tipicamente religiose. Nello specifico, mi concentrerò su una forma di surrogazione-la capacità dello sport di ritagliare un mondo ordinato-e due prestazioni apparentemente più eccentriche: incarnare senza risolvere due problematiche che tali rimangono, e che l'agonismo capitalista misconosce: il rapporto tra grazia e merito e quello tra il tutto e le parti.

“Voz no vento passando entre poeira” é talvez o verso de Daniel Faria (1971-1999) que exprime com mais eloquência a vocação de uma poesia que se conjuga intimamente com os elementos da Natureza e com a natureza de Deus e do Homem: natureza num sentido total, envolvendo o mineral, o animal e o vegetal, os astros, o ser humano e o ser divino, o pensamento, as palavras, os sentimentos, as emoções, a manhã, o dia, a noite, a água, o fogo, o ar, a terra.

Uno de los más reconocidos estudiosos de teología espiritual en el ámbito de lengua española, el P. José María Iraburu, indica que la teología espiritual «estudia la espiritualidad cristiana común, y ofrece su luz a todos los cristianos, sea cual fuere su condición o carisma propio». Tomando pie de esta definición, la experiencia cristiana no solamente ofrece luz, sino un tesoro invaluable a lo largo de todos los siglos a cada cristiano que se acerca a ella para beber de su contenido. En este trabajo de teología espiritual, comentaremos un texto que, no obstante su antigüedad y brevedad, nos ofrece una visión sintética de la experiencia espiritual. Se trata del tratado “Sobre los ocho espíritus malvados”2, escrito por Evagrio Póntico.

El 2 de Febrero del 2004, el siguiente documento comenzó a ser difundido exclusivamente a Obispos, Sacerdotes, Religiosos y Religiosas en España y Latinoamérica. Su difusión fue terminada el 15 de Junio del 2007, Solemnidad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, en deferencia a la suspensión general pedida por el Arzobispo de Trani en Italia. El 1ro de Julio del 2011, Solemnidad del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, la información relevante a la Causa de Beatificación y Canonización de esta alma, que murió en olor de Santidad en 1947, fue actualizada en este documento en vista al veredicto POSITIVO de los teólogos asignados por la Santa Sede para la revisión de sus escritos. Los escritos contenidos en este documento fueron hechos accesibles por primera vez por el Vaticano, el 2 de Febrero de 1996.-Muy queridos hermanos Obispos, Sacerdotes y Religiosos en nuestro Señor Jesucristo: Es con el amor y gozo de Dios que les envío aquí noticia del más grande Tesoro que el Señor nos quiere manifestar en este momento de la historia de la humanidad, pues el tiempo se ha cumplido para que finalmente Su Infinito valor sea conocido. Aunque este Tesoro es para todos, pues ha sido dado por Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y transmitido a través de nuestra Santa Madre Iglesia como podrán verificar más adelante, Él, en Sus Designios, puso en mi corazón la urgencia y responsabilidad de hacer llegar esta comunicación que he tenido el privilegio de recibir, solamente a Obispos, Sacerdotes y Religiosos. Es tan solo en mi confianza absoluta en Dios, que me atrevo a dirigirme a Vosotros. La importancia de lo que en este Tesoro se encierra es trascendental, y con la Gracia de Dios, les presento lo que en mi pobrísimo modo les puedo compartir como corta introducción y Noticia de Amor al respecto. Les adjunto a esta, el contenido total de este Tesoro. Les introduzco a todo lo que en este Tesoro se encierra, en sintonía y comunión con las siguientes citas de la Sagrada Escritura, orando "…para que sus corazones reciban ánimo y, unidos íntimamente en el amor, alcancen en toda su riqueza la plena inteligencia y perfecto conocimiento del Misterio de Dios, en el Cuál están ocultos todos los tesoros de la sabiduría y de la ciencia". Colosenses 2: 2, 3.

Anthropology Today, August 2017, Volume 33, Issue 4, pp. 13-17

Foucault’s conception of ethics as the self’s relation to itself and as the practices by which the individual attempts to constitute itself as a particular kind of ethical subject is briefly sketched, along with three corollaries that follow from this. It is then suggested that ethics so conceived provides a useful framework within which to describe the activities at a yoga school in southern India.

Please visit the journal website to read:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-8322

After addressing some introductory questions – how are we to comprehend Plato’s conception of desire? What is its relation to reason? And is the position defensible? – the  Author responds to some familiar objections to Plato’s view, and argues that there are good reasons for taking his idea – that desire is a mode of cognition – seriously. In the second part of the essay, she draws out some implications for an understanding of the
«ladder of love» and the nature of the envisaged spiritual ascent.

In a recent work entitled 'You must change your life", Peter Sloterdijk explores the practising nature of philosophy and predicts the return of the “immunological”. There is currently a growing demand for anthropotechnics able to strengthen our immune-symbolic system (i.e. mental and physical methods that protect us against uncertainty,
anguish, and death). The anthropotechnics that are being practiced worldwide, such as Yoga or Mindfulness, come originally from Indian philosophies and not from ancient Greek or Roman philosophy. Despite the work of historians of philosophy such as Pierre Hadot, the spiritual exercises of ancient Greco-Roman philosophy continue to be studied as fossilized specimens inside university classrooms. This could be due to the pact of indifference, the tacit agreement that lies behind the functioning of contemporary Institutional Philosophy. Thanks to this pact there is no longer any possible contradiction between life and work, because there is, to begin with, no vital commitment to the genuine exercise of philosophy. We assume that philosophy is an exclusively rhetorical exercise and that the task of the professional philosopher is to
publish as many papers as possible in prestigious journals that tend to privatize knowledge. Following a different daimon, this essay was conceived as an exercise in thinking outside the academic standards of professional philosophy. The resulting literary experiment has been intentionally kept as natural as possible, without disguising the crossroads of ideas, thinkers, doubts and new problems that arose spontaneously during the exercise.

Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts verbreitete sich unter englischen Adeligen eine geradezu exzentrische Mode: Sie bezahlten Eremiten, damit diese in ihren Gärten in eigens eingerichteten Einsiedeleien als »lebender Schmuck« wohnten. Die Tradition hat diese sonderbaren und zugleich faszinierenden Figuren als »Schmuckeremiten« bezeichnet. Die Einsiedler verpflichteten sich dazu, strenge ästhetische Regeln und Verhaltensregeln einzuhalten: Sie durften jahrelang weder Haar noch Bart und Nägel schneiden, mussten in vollkommener Abschottung leben und gelegentlich die Gäste ihrer Arbeitgeber unterhalten.

Wie kam es aber dazu, dass es plötzlich vorstellbar wurde, einen Anachoreten für den eigenen Landschaftsgarten anzuheuern? Welche Rolle spielten die Schmuckeremiten im Kontext der europäischen Säkularisierung? Waren sie einsame Weise, Performer oder etwa die leibhaftigen Vorgänger der heutigen Gartenzwerge?

Dieses Buch rekonstruiert die historischen und kulturellen Wurzeln, die politischen und ästhetischen Spannungen und nicht zuletzt den religiösen Stellenwert dieser einzigartigen und oft verkannten »Berufsasketen«.

Κρίσεις-Αναφορές

• Nikos Kazantzakis, “Ascetica o I Salvatori di Dio”, a cura di Filippomaria Pontani, Crocetti Editore, Μιλάνο 2017, σ. 27-28
• Γιάννης Μπασκόζος, «18 μη λογοτεχνικά βιβλία για να προσέξουμε», ηλ. περ. «Ο Αναγνώστης» [https://goo.gl/9GBvUD]
• Γιώργης Γιατρομανωλάκης, «Ο Καρυωτάκης διαβάζει Καζαντζάκη», εφ. «Το Βήμα της Κυριακής», Ένθετο: Βιβλία, 11 Φεβρουαρίου 2018 [https://goo.gl/q3JjQ8]
• Άλκηστις Σουλογιάννη, «Μάρα Ψάλτη, “Νίκος Καζαντζάκης – Κ.Γ. Καρυωτάκης. Η ‘Αισιοδοξία’ ως αντεστραμμένη ‘Ασκητική’”, εκδόσεις Μικρή Άρκτος, Αθήνα 2017», περ. «Ποιητικά», τχ. 29 (Μάρτιος 2018), σ. 19
• Δημήτρης Κόκορης, «Καζαντζάκης-Καρυωτάκης: μία ουσιώδης σύνδεση», περ. «The books’ journal», τχ. 87 (Μάιος 2018), σ. 68-69
• Λογοτεχνικά βραβεία «Αναγνώστη» 2018: Μικρές λίστες υποψηφίων βιβλίων [shortlisted στην κατηγορία «Δοκίμια-Μελέτες», https://goo.gl/UbgSYy]
• Σταύρος Τσαρμπόπουλος, «Ένα αποκαλυπτικό βιβλίο», περ. «Νέα Ευθύνη», τχ. 40-41 (Ιανουάριος-Ιούνιος 2018), σ. 195-197
• Παναγιώτης Νούτσος, «Οι “κοινωνικοί νόμοι”», εφ. «Η Αυγή της Κυριακής», Ένθετο: Αναγνώσεις, 14 Οκτωβρίου 2018 [https://goo.gl/AMDkSZ]
• Λάμπρος Βαρελάς, «Δείγμα φιλολογικής αξιοσύνης», περ. «Ποιητική», τχ. 22 (φθινόπωρο-χειμώνας 2018), σ. 278-283
• Μιχαήλ Πασχάλης, «Καζαντζάκης, Καρυωτάκης, Παπαδιαμάντης. Αναγνώσεις και παραναγνώσεις», εφ. «Τα Νέα Σαββατοκύριακο», Ένθετο: Βιβλιοδρόμιο, 16-17 Φεβρουαρίου 2019 [https://goo.gl/s9vjhi]
• Μιχαήλ Πασχάλης, «Νίκος Καζαντζάκης. Για τα 100 χρόνια της "Ασκητικής"», εφ. «Τα Νέα Σαββατοκύριακο», Ένθετο: Βιβλιοδρόμιο, 5-6 Αυγούστου 2023 [https://www.tanea.gr/print/2023/08/05/lifearts/gia-ta-100-xronia-tis-askitikis/]

Deception is one of the main features of the erotic dream in Petrarchist poetry. In this scenario, Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547) is a significant exception. Her poetical activity is entirely dedicated to the memory of her husband, Ferrante, Ferdinando Francesco D'Avalos, died in battle in 1525. In this context, the dream is a vital tool for the encounter with the beloved, that the poetess gradually identify with Christ, but also a moment of spiritual elevation, and, in some cases, a door to the neoplatonic ‘ascensus’ and the religious ecstasy.
Trying to shed light on this important issue for the poetess, but until now little studied, this paper will focus on ‘Rime amorose’ 14, 20, 84 and on the ‘Spirituale’ 36 of the Bullock’s edition (1982), considering the relationship between dream, memory and conjugal faith, the relationship between dream and religion, whereas Ferrante, after death, becomes a means to achieve the ‘True Good’ and, finally, the particular features that the dream acquires in the ‘Amorose’ and ‘Spirituali’ rhymes.
In this way we will attempt to demonstrate that the study of an ubiquitous theme in the Petrarchist 'system', that's erotic dream, it’s an opportunity to investigate the work of a poetess as Vittoria Colonna, for which the interplay between poetic and life, and between ‘reformed religion’ and Neoplatonic philosophy is a constitutive trait of her eccentricity into the Cinquecento’s lyrical canon.

À l'aune de la double ἄσκησις cynique, corporelle et intellectuelle, Diogène de Sinope apparaît comme le philosophe cosmopolite par excellence : οὐ μὴν ἐν ἀστει, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὁδóν (DL, VI, 23), il est heureux partout car son autarcie fonde et garantit son bonheur. Son humour joue le même rôle, mais est à destination d'autrui : il s'agit de convaincre son interlocuteur du bien fondé du Cynisme.

Nella Storia ecclesiastica Eusebio parla di alcune donne cristiane che persero la vita pur di preservare la propria castità. Traducendo questi passi, Rufino enfatizza la scelta di continenza o verginità nelle martiri che affrontarono la morte o si suicidarono al fine di evitare la corruzione sessuale e morale (per es. Potamiena, le martiri antiochene, Dorotea, Sofronia): in ciò egli fu evidentemente influenzato dalla scelta di vita ascetica che si stava diffondendo ai suoi tempi. L’articolo mette a confronto i racconti di Eusebio e Rufino, mostrando come il traduttore ha modificato il testo originale alla luce del modello ascetico che egli intendeva suggerire ai suoi lettori.

This books reframes the relation between economy and religion along an original genealogy spanning from the early Christian theology to the contemporary studies on debt. Contra Weber and Freud, the current governance of debt is not explained with the traditional schema of repression but as the exploitation of the positive capacity of ascesis. This book in fact criticises the typical conservatorism of political theology (including Agamben) and aims to liberate ascesis against capitalism. Such a philosophical program of agnostic asceticism follows closely the pagan ‘care of the self’ addressed also by the late works of Foucault.

To begin let’s say that asceticism means the same as the words renunciation or cross, which are the conditions for following Christ. Askéo (Ασκέο), in Greek, to exercise (one’s) self, take pains, labour, strive, acquires much broader meaning for the new purpose conferred by the Gospel. It does not seem to us then that it refers only to the ‘sports’ aspect of training, but that it extends further, to encompass the total dimension of surrender of the man in his search for God. All search is hard work, it is ardent, it has its part of more intense preparation and exercise, and it’s part of permanence and continuity, serene but constant. That is why the term ascesis (ἄσκησις áskesis) can be properly applied to a dedication, to a general disposition that makes the gestures and situations of life to be used for that purpose.The ultimate goal, let’s not forget, is charity.

The author presents the analysis of G.-K. Kaltenbrunner’s views on the aims and functions of education, shows that they are determined by the provisions of “realistic anthropology” and the polemics with “Promethean understanding of human essence”, conducts the systematization of these provisions, shows their connection with such principles of conservatism as Order, Heritage Finding, Authority, and for the first time introduces Kaltenbrunner’s historical-philosophical essays about M. Scheler, A. Gehlen, J. Görres and also the articles about him written by P. Meier (Switzerland) and J. Pichler (Austria) into scientific circulation.
В статье представлен анализ взглядов Г.-К. Кальтенбруннера на цели и функции образования. Они определяются положениями «реалистической антропологии» и полемикой с «прометеевым пониманием сущности человека». Проведена систематизация этих положений и показана их связь с такими принципами консерватизма, как Порядок, Обретение наследия, Авторитет. Впервые вводятся в научный оборот историко-философские эссе Кальтенбруннера о М. Шелере, А. Гелене, Й. Гёрресе, а также статьи о нем П. Майера (Швейцария) и Х. Пихлера (Австрия).

Il tema dell'estasi accomuna una serie di dipinti appartenenti al Comune di Carpi e alla Diocesi di Carpi: pale d'altare, tra cui una Maddalena di Lucio Massari, dipinti "da stanza" e piccoli rami per il culto privato. Collocabili tra la fine del Cinquecento e gli inizi del Settecento, recano - secondo la lettura che ne propone il saggio introduttivo - il riflesso del rinnovamento iconografico promosso dal Concilio di Trento.

“Getting rid of the I,” an expression I borrow from Sharath Jois, describes an effect of asana practice in which one’s identity and one’s sense of self temporarily dissipates and, ultimately, perhaps dissolves. Because our attachments (to others, to expectations, to goals and so on) are a function of ego, “getting rid of the I” also brings relief from those forms of suffering that are the product of these attachments. In what follows I consider how asana practice makes this possible. From Pushpam, #3, 2017