Book description
Asceticism is founded on the possibility that human beings can profoundly transform themselves through training and discipline. In particular, asceticism in the Eastern monastic tradition is based on the assumption that individuals are not slaves to the habitual and automatic but can be improved by ascetic practice and, with theā¦
Why read it?
1 author picked Asceticism of the Mind as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Early Christian monks in the eastern Mediterranean chalked up many of their mental struggles to demonic interferenceāand yet their approaches to the problem of attention share some striking similarities to modern psychology.
Graiver makes the case that monksā talk of demons was not a superstitious diagnosis but a pragmatic one: it helped monks try to strike a balance between monitoring their thoughts and thinking too hard about them, deal with unwanted thoughts before they became all-consuming, and figure how to keep it together when their thoughts were all over the place.
I love that this book takes early monks andā¦
From Jamie's list on medieval brainiacs.
If you love Asceticism of the Mind...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancĆ©, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Heddaā¦
Want books like Asceticism of the Mind?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Asceticism of the Mind.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,366
readers submitted
so far, will you?
š If you like Asceticism of the Mind, you might also like...
Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS
When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies ā admittedly, that is a catchy title, but thatās not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly moreā¦
A Forgivable Indecision
In 1913, a 15-year-old pregnant girl was found dead of apparent suicide. Dr. James Wilson, a new graduate and the first doctor ever to start a practice in this rural town, feels guilty over her death because of his delayed intervention.
He knows Bessie was raped by one of herā¦
