Asceticism of the Mind: Forms of Attention and Self-Transformation in Late Antique Monasticism

by Inbar Graiver

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 the cooperation of divine grace, transform their entire character and cultivate special powers and skills. Asceticism of the Mind explores the strategies that enabled Christian ascetics in the Egyptian, Gazan, and Sinaitic monastic traditions of late antiquity to cultivate a new form of existence. At the book's center is a particular model of ascetic discipline that involves a systematic effort to train the mind and purify attention. Drawing on contemporary cognitive and neuroscientific research, this study underscores the beneficial potential and self-formative role of the monastic system of mental training, thereby confuting older views that emphasized the negative and repressive aspects of asceticism. At the same time, it sheds new light on the challenges that Christian ascetics encountered in their attempts to transform themselves, thereby lending insight into aspects of their daily lives that would otherwise remain inaccessible. Asceticism of the Mind brings rigorously historical and cognitive perspectives into conjunction across a range of themes, and in so doing opens up new ways of exploring asceticism and Christian monasticism. By working across the traditional divide between the humanities and the cognitive sciences, it offers new possibilities for a constructive dialogue across these fields.

Genres: Religion, Psychology, Philosophy

248 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2021

Reviews

[Brian Hohmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal study, easily summarized for those who may wish to skim for her few major points but well-worth the time for those sufficiently interested in the thoroughness of her research and a beautifully crafted journey.

[Eggtown · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enlightening study by scholar Inbar Graiver that contextualizes the ascetic practices of the Egyptian desert fathers (some of the first Christian monks in the Egyptian desert around 3rd-5th c.) by viewing their concept of mind through the lens of modern cognitive research.

For me personally this book intersects two of my personal interests: early Christian asceticism/monasticism and cognitive psychology - so I'm of course highly bias when I say that her study spoke directly to me.

In her introduction she mentions that a lot of previous research on early Christian asceticism has been emphasizing the transformation of the "ascetic body" and the renunciation of the body (giving up worldly possessions, one's previous life), the physical side of it and the harsh ascetic practices the monks subjugated their bodies to.

When in fact it's the interior struggle, the struggle with thoughts (often attributed to demons) in the mind that's really in the center of it. For "the renunciation of the mind", they were required to purify the mind through systematic mental training of one's attention to be able to transform themselves to reach union with God and be saved. The goals and motivations are pretty clear here, however, the path is a difficult one which Graiver shows us most monks failed in their efforts to train and control attention, resulting in obsessions, and some cases even leading to madness.

Hence, self-control is at the heart of the issue in order for the self-transformation the monks so much sought was to gradually take shape they needed to gain control over automatic thinking patterns in order to renounce them... everything needed to start with mental training to purify their attention.

However, self-control failure was part of the process, it was built in as demonic siege/warfare where demons assaulted monks with evil thoughts making it a "training ground" for the monks to build up resistance in the form of mental control. Relabeling their unwanted thoughts by making them external to oneself like "the demon of pride" you could diminish the negative effects and gradually overcome them by refocusing one's attention from one's own will, desires, and thoughts to the one thought of God.

In many ways we can say that the Egyptian desert fathers were the world's first psychologists by seriously looking inwards in form of prayer/meditation/contemplation, and also developed confessional (therapeutic) procedures by opening up and laying one’s burden on a spiritual abba/father.

This new and escalating interest in self-knowledge and self-control in late antiquity were, paradoxically, needed to train attention to refocus it from the desires of one's own will (self-denial) to ultimately be able to do the will of God.

If you have an interest in early Christian asceticism, the Egyptian desert fathers and their demonology, and want to understand some of the psychological mechanisms affecting their thinking I deeply recommend this book.

It was so much that made sense when Graiver traced and overlapped monastic accounts describing their challenges and strategies with research from cognitive neuropsychology. Both sides could mutually inform and benefit our understanding regarding the wealth of knowledge in these ancient attention strategies from Evagrius, Cassian, Mark the Monk and alike that can lead to surprising insight into both ancient and modern minds construction of reality.