Rejection of the World

Both Jainism and Buddhism are offshoots of the Sramana Movement, which is a countercultural movement in India around the sixth century, BCE. It opposed the mainstream Vedic religion of the time. The Sramanas, commonly known as monks, are members of the movement who “left home” (i.e. renounced married and domestic life). Not only did they reject the worldly lifestyle, but they also rejected the authority of the Brahmins and practiced an ascetic lifestyle in pursuit of spiritual liberation. Their ascetic practice often involved self-mortification — the subjugation of appetites or desires by self-denial or self-discipline as an aspect of religious devotion.

Because Buddhism arose as a branch of the Sramana Movement, it retains many aspects of asceticism. Sramanas practiced severe self-discipline and abstention from worldly pleasures as a way of seeking spiritual enlightenment and freedom. The early Buddhists generally adopted this ascetic heritage, although they moderated the self-mortification practices. Gotama Buddha is said to have practiced extreme fasting, almost starving himself to death. It was only later that he discovered that self-mortification is not the right way. Thus, he started the Middle Path, avoiding extremes. Nevertheless, the belief that one needs to deny oneself of worldly pleasures, social ties and desires in order to achieve liberation remains firmly entrenched in Buddhist thoughts…