The Philosopher and The Theologian, Through Asceticism, Seekers of God provides readers with an in-depth look at asceticism, its resurgence, and the relevance of its practices. Why was this an important book for you to write?

As a man passionate about philosophy and religion, I was somehow irritated by the way the philosopher was viewed by the theologian, and the theologian by the philosopher.

I realized that in fact, the differences are not that big even if, superficially, the positions seem to be irreconcilable. The ascetic aspect of life has always intrigued me, especially through the character of “self-imposed sacrifice,” and I wondered what intimate springs make certain people seek to desire such a way of life. Studying the lives of the ascetics from early Christianity (Egyptian Patericul, Sinait Patericul, Mount Athos Patericul) as well as the asceticism performed by the Buddhist masters from the East, I realized that the differences are not so great. In fact, I noticed that the similarities are much more numerous. But in fact, the biggest surprise was to find that both the philosophers (starting with those from Greco-Roman antiquity) and the believers sought through asceticism to reach a deep knowledge of their own person.

Through this book, I tried to show and try to demonstrate the importance of an ascetic life (somehow adapted) even today in the somewhat impossible conditions of contemporary society. The existence of contemporary social currents that stimulate an ascetic life correlated with the protection of the environment and a life lived with moderation proves that such a book is necessary not so much by the application today of the ascetic practices of 1500 years ago but by the mental preparation of the members of society for another way of life much more responsible towards nature and towards us.

Today, people feel like they have lost their compass; they can’t find themselves, and they can’t be happy anymore. However, being happy does not necessarily mean having a mountain of money. Being happy means finding yourself, getting to know yourself, and loving yourself and those around you. Man is born with a purpose in life. Man gives meaning to his life as he “becomes” a person.

The common element found in Christian and Oriental asceticism, as well as in atheistic philosophers, was man’s obsessive desire to know himself. There is the key to the discovery of happiness and immortality: self-knowledge, the discovery of the God within us, deep within our Self. And asceticism can help us achieve this.

Can you share a little about the research process involved in putting this book together?

Writing the book involved a huge amount of research. In addition to the normal documentation activity that involved the research of philosophical currents starting from Greco-Roman antiquity to contemporary currents, an important role was also played by the study of the lives of the Ascetic Fathers from the beginning of Christianity. I tried to extract the common element of these thousands of Christians who dedicated their whole lives to an ascetic way of living in order to unite with their God. Studying Pateric was essential. Also, to realize the parallelism with the asceticism practiced by Buddhist monastics, I studied Buddhist asceticism. To properly understand the ascetic essences of Buddhism, I sought to go to the source, and the visit to Japan to the great Buddhist and Shinto Temples in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka was of great help to me.

What is one thing you hope readers can take away from The Philosopher and The Theologian?

I hope that by reading my book, the readers will understand only one thing: the importance of knowledge and self-discovery. This book is not about religion; it neither supports nor criticizes religion. It is an attempt to emphasize the importance of our self-discovery. We live in delicate times in which people have lost hope and resort more and more to different external stimuli in an attempt to “feel good about themselves.” This book wants to tell people that there is no need for anything external to be satisfied with yourself. Through the examples I gave, starting with those from antiquity, I wanted to show that man has always been preoccupied with discovering himself. We don’t need external stimuli not to be depressed. We will find – inside us – everything we need to be happy and discover our path in life.

Can readers look forward to more from you in the near future? What are you currently working on?

I want to start writing as soon as possible on my future book in which I want to treat the problem of “time.” However, I will have to finish the analysis and research phase of the “time” phenomenon. I’m not interested in “physical time,” but especially in the philosophical interpretation of time and how societies relate to “time.” I am interested in the transcendental aspect of “time.” I will start with a brief history of how philosophers have interpreted “time.” Then, I will present my vision of “time” in detail. I will also deal with the transcendental aspect, so there will be theological interpretations of “time and eternity.” I will try to discover if there is a connection between society, religion, and time. For that, I will have to deepen my analysis.

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