Sentence:  The preposterous altruism too!...Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as <WSD>fakirs</WSD> stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An ascetic mendicant, especially one who performs feats of endurance or apparent magic.