The state of stillness is the foundation for states of love and gratitude, but even that state of stillness is based on a certain degree of asceticism. While complete asceticism is difficult in modern times, a certain level of asceticism can help achieve the state of stillness.

Here, I am referring to lower-level asceticism. However, once one has achieved the state of stillness, the original asceticism can be easily achieved as it is, and one can transition to a higher level of desire, which can be considered a higher-dimensional desire based on feelings of love and gratitude. This may seem like a life of desire, but it may be something that people at a lower level cannot understand. Although the behavior has changed, it may appear to be a life of desire.

For example, eating delicious food or enjoying meals are things that, from the perspective of those who aim for an ascetic life, especially Buddhists, are generally considered things to avoid. In reality, there are not many people who live such an ascetic life, but even so, for a few people who are serious about it, enjoying meals is considered undesirable from the perspective of an ascetic life.

Such an ascetic life is often associated with "conscious living." In reality, ascetic life and conscious living are not necessarily linked, but culturally and habitually, the two are often linked. Stories about staying at a temple and living an ascetic life while consciously living are often heard, especially in Zen temples.

As mentioned above, ascetic life is often associated with conscious living, but this is because asceticism is the foundation for the state of stillness, and before reaching the state of stillness, asceticism helps achieve it.

Once the state of stillness is reached and the next stage of love and gratitude is achieved, the state of stillness is deeply integrated into the state of stillness, so one can live an ascetic life without particularly being aware of it.

Lower-level asceticism is overcome in this way, and at the stage of a life of love and gratitude, a natural higher-level desire awakens. It may sometimes seem like one has slightly returned to a life of desire from the past, but at this stage, "higher-level desire" and "conscious living" coexist, and one lives naturally.

It seems that, unlike the previous stages, the concept of abstinence is no longer discussed as much. However, it could be said that even this stage requires a form of abstinence in order to move on to the next stage. Nevertheless, the word "abstinence" is no longer used, and instead, love and gratitude are accepted as they are, while recognizing that there is a world beyond them.