Asceticism and culture

I argue that we best understand asceticism – as a Being-toward-death (Sein-zum-Tode) and a way of life – by having a close look at religious texts of ascetic traditions (especially Buddhist and Sufi sources in this case) and its social contexts. This leads to a certain way on how culture is thought in general and its differentiated spheres, such as religion and politics. The various social roles ascetics had in history (teachers, eremites, warriors etc.) have to be considered, showing us the at times deep and at times very subtle impact of asceticism on society, both on large and smaller scales.