The monk is a person who has decided to retire from social life to focus on religious service. Many of the major religions have a monastic tradition, including Christianity and Buddhism. Becoming a monk requires study, devotion, years of preparation and transition. The life of a monk is simple, devoted entirely to devotion, respect for celibacy and the rejection of material goods.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing for Monastic Life
Step 1. Devote yourself to religion
Being a monk means living your faith with spiritual, physical and philosophical devotion. Begin your journey by engaging deeply in your daily spiritual path. Start studying every day and dedicate several times a day to prayer. Let faith permeate every aspect of your life.
Step 2. Research the various monastic orders
While a monk's daily routine is not too different from one order to another, there are differences that should be considered.
- The monks who belong to the contemplative orders spend most of their time inside the walls of the monastery in prayer, while those of the active orders leave the monastery to help others. In this second case, they can also be sent very far.
- In religious congregations, monks spend time with their brethren working, praying and eating together. The hermit orders, on the other hand, discourage contacts between the members, who spend most of the day in their own cell.
- Monastic orders were generally created by important religious figures, who devoted their lives to maintaining traditions and working for the cause established by the founder himself.
Step 3. Commit to celibacy
Regardless of religion or order, practically every monastic community enforces celibacy. Start your monastic journey by giving up the idea of getting married; in this way, you will be able to understand if it is a vote that you are able to keep. Furthermore, the idea of leaving the life of a couple and not having a family shows the strength of your devotion when you ask to be part of an order.
Step 4. Live in a community
Another aspect of most orders is community life, which means sharing meals, lodgings and in some cases even all material goods with the confreres. You can start trying this lifestyle by joining another community association. Look for a municipality in your area.
Step 5. Abandon material possessions
In addition to living together, monks of all religions abandon their possessions and possessions. In some cases, they donate everything they have to the church. You can get a "taste" of this lifestyle and get closer to the monastic one by giving away what you have and trying to lead a simpler existence.
Part 2 of 3: Becoming a Christian Monk
Step 1. Go visit a monastery
If you are interested in becoming a monk, you must first see for yourself the place where you will spend the rest of your life. Most monasteries allow access to potential devotees. In some it is even possible to stay for a few days. On this occasion you will have the opportunity to understand how daily life takes place inside a monastery and what is expected of the confreres.
- Some monasteries provide a guesthouse or guesthouse for visitors who agree to respect certain rules, such as curfews and hours of silence.
- You can also consider a spiritual retreat inside a monastery, during which you will live just like a monk.
Step 2. Become a postulant
After visiting the monastery and deciding that you would like to lead this life, you can express your interest in becoming a postulant and moving into the community. This step, called "postulancy", is the first necessary to become a Christian monk. You will have to learn all aspects of monastic life and, in the meantime, the confreres will observe you to decide if your personality possesses all the necessary requisites.
- Depending on the order, there may be multiple levels of postulancy.
- This is a process that can take up to a year, again according to the order regulation you have chosen.
Step 3. Become a novice
After passing the postulancy, you can ask to become a novice, that is, a future monk. You will be assigned more responsibilities and, as a result, there will be higher expectations from other monks towards you. You will have the opportunity to live the experience of the monastery in a deeper way and you will be able to decide if the vocation is for you, as well as demonstrating it to the confreres.
Step 4. Take the temporary vows
As a novice, you will be asked to take these vows to commit to living according to monastic rules and faith for as long as you stay inside the monastery. These grades vary by order; however, generally speaking, they involve deep devotion to God, celibacy, and the refusal to possess material possessions.
Step 5. Take final vows and become a monk
After the novitiate period, you will eventually be invited to join the monastery permanently. You will be ordained a Christian monk and take permanent vows.
Part 3 of 3: Becoming a Buddhist Monk
Step 1. Learn Buddhist teachings
Before approaching a teacher with the intention of becoming a monk, you must know the tradition of Buddhism well enough, read the teachings of the Buddha and become an expert in the thought of this religion. Begin your journey towards monastic life by engaging in study.
Step 2. Find a teacher
This step can be very complex if you don't already belong to or don't attend any Buddhist community. However, to become a monk you need a teacher who gives you permission to be ordained. Look for some Buddhist temple in the area where you live or move to an area of the world where this religion is the predominant one. Open your heart and allow it to lead you to the master you are looking for.
You can also try writing letters or emails to Buddhist masters living in your area and setting up correspondence
Step 3. Structure a meditation practice
A fundamental pillar of the Buddhist monastic tradition is deep and constant meditation. Some orders even prefer a strong meditation practice to knowledge of Buddhist teachings. To become a monk it is essential to be able to demonstrate this ability of yours.
Step 4. Spend time at the monastery
After you have reached a good knowledge of religion, its traditions, its teachings and have found a teacher who has helped you to increase it, you must find a monastery and attend it. If you adapt well, you will be invited to take the "lay vows", that is, the vows expressed by a lay person who is committed to the path towards monastic life. By spending time inside the monastery you will be able to understand if this life is suitable for you.
Step 5. Take the bodhisattva vow
After spending time in the community, you will be invited to stay, take final vows, and you will be ordained a monk. You will have to commit to celibacy and to renounce material goods.
Step 6. Stay in the monastery for five years
When an individual is ordained a Buddhist monk, he traditionally stays in the monastery for five years. Becoming a monk means joining a religious community, the Sangha. The purpose of this community is to study and practice the teachings of the Buddha and share them. As a monk you will form a strong bond with the Sangha over the course of five (or more) years.
