Only if practiced with understanding.
The clearer the goal,
The greater the result.
We must distinguish between discipline with a purpose and blind discipline. Discipline with a purpose is merely a means to an end and is healthy. Blind discipline does not have a true purpose and so becomes fanaticism. In the past, there were many spiritual people who believed in harsh asceticism. They would flog themselves, live in cold and damp caves, twist themselves into uncomfortable postures, fast for dangerous periods of time. All too often, these people lost sight of their goals. We must be strongly disciplined, but we must not lose sight of our inner meaning.Austere living with a clear understanding of why and how we are doing things does not require esoteric practices. Few of us mind going through extra effort and even hardship if we know that we will gain something better for it. That is all that discipline and austerity are about : You make extra efforts to gain a better life.
Personal Interpretation
Fanaticism has its roots in blind discipline. When we have no end goal in mind, we cannot properly direct our energies and soon find ourselves at the mercy of practices that lack purpose. Some of these practices are little more than punishment, for they serve no greater objective. We should work to understand why we do what we do. Austerity is a laudable quality to possess, but it must be understood to be embraced in a way that is meaningful and beneficial to our spiritual growth. Most of us will endure intense hardship if we sense that we may benefit from the experience. That should be the goal of discipline and austerity-to gain a better life. While the good life will mean different things to different people, one thing is for certain-the better life is the life that embraces the quest for understands, formulates healthy goals, and proceeds to attempt to fulfill those aims by seeing beyond the veil of the world.
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