Aghori ascetics of India follow a deeply hardcore mystical path where they literally smear themselves in the ashes of the dead and use human skulls as drinking bowls to prove their spiritual superiority.

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Aghori ascetics of India follow a deeply hardcore mystical path where they literally smear themselves in the ashes of the dead and use human skulls as drinking bowls to prove their spiritual superiority. Their entire philosophical deal is based on the concept of non-dualism, meaning they believe that because God is in absolutely everything, there is no real difference between what society considers pure and what it considers completely disgusting. This justifies their extremely intense lifestyle choices, which frequently include meditating on top of corpses, consuming mind-altering substances, and allegedly eating human flesh pulled from the Ganges River just to prove they are totally over worldly attachments. You honestly have to respect the sheer, uncompromising dedication it takes to look at normal societal hygiene standards and enthusiastically sprint in the exact opposite direction just to achieve ultimate cosmic enlightenment!