Simeon (or Symeon) the Theodidact (or Theologian) lived a dissolute, immoral life in Constantinople (in what is now known as Turkey). Eventually, he entered a monastery and was elected abbot. He practiced "hesychasm", the process of retiring inward by ceasing to register the senses, in order to achieve an experiential knowledge of God, not necessarily with the help of clerical guidance. This view antagonized monks and other church leaders, and Simeon was banned from Constantinople and died a recluse.

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