Meditation is an ascetical practice. Now, what is an ascetical practice? Not eating meat on Fridays, giving up things, denying ourselves simple pleasures – I don’t think that is really what ascetism is all about. It’s a rather negative view of ascetism. Ascetism, of course, doesn’t mean only denying ourselves in order to punish ourselves, it means to train ourselves. To exercise. The word ‘ascesis’ actually means, in Greek, ‘exercise.’ It is what athletes do, and love to do, and do freely in order to achieve the best possible performance and to keep in good condition. In that sense, meditation is an ascesis. It has to be freely chosen, no-one can force you to meditate. They might force you to go to church, but they can’t force you to meditate. And it is an ascesis because we are constantly exercising this capacity for attention, in a gentle way, but in a specific and faithful way. It is not just about relaxing. Relaxation is one of the fruits or side effects of meditation.
( Sources of Wisdom by Laurence Freeman OSB )
