many holy men at this time were "ascetics". they hurt their bodies for religious reasons. they abstain from certain pleasures so they can get rid of desire. one group of ascetics were called the jains. they practiced self-denial and made themselves suffer very much. they believed this would free the ātman (soul) from pain and sadness. there were many types of ascetic mendicants (wanderers) throughout the region which would become known as india. siddhartha tried these ascetic practices and meditation techniques, and eventually became better than his teachers. he still found no answer, so he left his teachers and friends to discover another way. he decided to eat only six grains of rice a day. he tried holding his breath. his body became very thin, like skin and bones, and he nearly died. still, he had no answer.