Arecluseis a person who lives in voluntaryseclusionandsolitude.The word is from theLatinrecludere,which means 'shut up' or 'sequester'.
Examples of recluses areSymeon of Trier,who lived within the great Roman gatePorta Nigrawith permission from theArchbishop of Trier,orTheophan the Recluse,a 19th-centuryOrthodox Christianmonk who was later venerated as asaint.Many celebrated figures of human history have spent significant portions of their lives as recluses.
In the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Church tradition, aPoustinikis a temporary hermit who has been called to pray and fast alone in a cabin for at least 24 hours. In ancient Chinese culture, scholars are encouraged to be a public servant in a scrupulous and well-run government but expected to go into reclusion as ayinshi( ẩn sĩ, 'gentleman-in-hiding') when the government is rife with corruption.[1]Others, likeDongfang Shuo,became hermits to practiceTaoism,or in later centuries,Chan Buddhism.
Notable recluses
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edit- ^Analects8:13 《 luận ngữ · thái bá 》: Thiên hạ có đạo tắc thấy, vô đạo tắc ẩn. Show you talents [through public service] in a well-governed world; go into hiding in dark times(in Japanese).
References
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Porter, Noah,ed. (1913). "Recluse".Webster's Dictionary.Springfield, Massachusetts: C. & G. Merriam Co.