this or that?

[adrienmundi]

this:

practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline

that:

the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort

(in the intereests of fair and accurate reporting, that was modified by "mental")

Comments

[fairyhead.livejournal.com]

What is the context of this?

When I read it, my first thought was anorexia/cutting, so neither, though I know the first is supposed to be an admirable thing.

[grendel317.livejournal.com]

What are you seeing as the difference between the two? The first seems to have some spiritual context, the second includes mention of self-inflicted pain, but otherwise they look pretty similar at first glance....