The 4 monastic traditions guide the structure and the behavior of life in a monastery. Monks do not possess money (poverty), engage in physically-intimate behavior (chastity), disobey their superiors or God (obedience), or do anything to disrupt the community (stability). Christian monasteries are typically Catholic, Anglican, or Lutheran. There are very few protestant monasteries.
You should feel called to serve at a monastery. Don’t force yourself to fall in love with a monastery if it isn’t right for you. When visiting, feel free to ask questions about what life is like there. Most lay people are extremely interested in monastic life and the monks won’t mind answering your questions.
Unfortunately, there are very few monasteries that allow women to join. If you’re a woman interested in monastic life, look for a convent or nunnery. The abbot is the person in charge of a monastery. However, there may be a bishop in charge of the monastery if you’re Catholic.
Your letters of recommendation should speak to your religiousness and your ability to follow directions. You may need to submit medical records or previous employment information. Applications to join a monastery are rarely completed on paper. They’re often interviews with the abbot or several monks. The process is commonly referred to as an application, though.
Discernment may be completed at the monastery, at home, or a mix of both. Every monastery is different. During discernment, you will have interviews with the abbot. They will ask you about your prayers, thoughts, feelings, and journey in faith as you determine whether or not this lifestyle is meant for you.
Observation is sort of like shadowing a school to see if it’s a good fit. You aren’t actually moving into the monastery though, so don’t break your lease or anything quite yet. In observation, you will do everything that the monks do. Do your best to follow directions, be honest, and participate in activities.
You will be given a short period of time to give up your apartment, donate or give away your possessions, settle debts, and close any accounts before starting as a postulate. You are not typically allowed to bring anything with you to the monastery. The time frame for going from a postulate to a monk is different for every person and monastery. You may spend 6 months as a postulate, or it may be 5 years before you become a novitiate. Some orders don’t have a novitiate position and simply ordain you as a monk.
Work positions at the monastery include the chamberlain, who looks after the housing, the hosteller, who looks after visitors and guests, and the sacrist, who is in charge of finances and relics. There are dozens of different positions at a monastery.
Theravada is the most orthodox form of Buddhism and focuses on the original teachings of Buddha. Mahayana is a more flexible form of Buddhism. It treats many of the Buddhist beliefs as guides rather than hard rules. Pure Land Buddhism is a popular and modernized version of Mahayana. It emphasizes a smaller set of religious texts and rebirth. Vajrayana Buddhism was developed in Tibet and the Himalayas and is what many people think of when they picture Buddhist monks. These monasteries tend to be the most isolated and private.
The term monastery, temple, and vihara are interchangeable in Buddhism. Some Buddhist monasteries have missions, some have part-time monks, and some require vows of silence. There is a wide range of beliefs and requirements when it comes to Buddhist temples.
In Buddhism, the term “monk” is usually used to refer to both men and women.
Ask the novice master about the guru. Since gurus are typically sheltered from the daily interactions with visitors, it can be difficult to get a sense for what they’re like without an insider’s perspective.
Postulates and monks wear different hairstyles to indicate their rank and position. Typically, monks shave their head while postulates clip their hair short. Some postulates are required to tie their hair up as well. In Buddhism, a postulate is basically a student. You will have to follow all of the principals of monkhood. You must become celibate, give up worldly pleasures, and live a healthy lifestyle.
You will be required to give up your possessions and move to the monastery permanently, although there are some paths and traditions that allow monks to maintain possession of an apartment, car, or personal belongings. Once you are a monk, you can study to become a novice master—a monk that guides other postulates.
In Hinduism, the term temple and monastery are often used interchangeably. The official name for a Hindu temple or monastery is a mandir. Many Hindu monks don’t permanently live at the temple where they’re a member.
Most temples and monasteries have public hours—even if members of the monastery live there permanently. These are hours for visitors to come and admire the architecture, talk to religious leaders, and meditate through mantras. Follow each temple’s dharma by adhering to the social rules of the monastery. Dharma is a complex Hindu concept. It is essentially the laws and regulations that dictate conduct, and maintaining it ensures that you grow closer to God. Maintain dharma by following the monastery’s rules. Every temple and monastery has its own order. An order is essentially a religious community with a unique structure.
A guru is a religious master in charge of a temple or monastery. Depending on the sect, the guru may be referred to as a sant, monk, yogi, or spiritual leader. You may need to complete an interview with a sanyāsī, sādhu, or swami (types of Hindu monks and priests) before you can become a member of the community.
You may be told that you need to wait at least 1-5 years before you can become a monastic member of the order.
Buddhism has 3 major religious texts, while Christianity has 1. Hinduism, on the other hand, has 5 key texts and dozens of minor holy books. These classes will often help you understand and work through the major holy books. The classes will cover key components of your specific Hindu path. Since every Hindu discipline has different beliefs, there is a lot of variation among the material that these classes will cover. Other topics in your classes will include darshan, the concept of karma, and reincarnation.
Initiates rarely live at the monastery they belong to. Premonastics may live at the monastery for a period of time, or they may be asked to move there permanently. The vows are going to be different depending on your particular order and brand of Hinduism. Typically, you will need to shave part of your head, abstain from meat or alcohol, become celibate, and continue to follow dharma.
Volunteer for as many opportunities as you can to prove yourself to the guru and the other monks at the monastery.
A sanyāsī is a female monk, while a sādhu is a male monk. A swami is a male monk that works as a teacher. A yogi is a monk that has mastered the religious practice of yoga.
