Answer: Human life typically requires the support of companions to ease the burdens of life and a certain level of material comfort to reduce hardships. Therefore, solitude and material deprivation are generally seen as forms of suffering for people. Some ascetics, after attaining certain spiritual abilities, demonstrate a greater capacity to endure hardships than ordinary … Continue reading Question 77: THERE ARE HERMITS WHO PRACTICE IN SOLITUDE, AND ASCETICS WHO SUBJECT THEMSELVES TO A LIFE OF DEPRIVATION (AUSTERITY). WHAT VALUE DOES THIS HAVE FOR ENLIGHTENMENT?