Who are monks? Origin and types of monasticism

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

In most religious teachings and beliefs, there is a category of initiates who spend their days devoting their entire time to religious practice. To do this, they give up marriage, secular careers and the usual entertainment for the laity. They call such people monks from the Greek word "monos", which means "one". They will be discussed further.

The origin of monasticism

It is difficult to say when and where monasticism first appeared. And first of all, this difficulty is connected with the question of who are the monks? Are they ordinary hermits devoting themselves to spiritual issues that have always been in human society? Or can one become a monk only after passing through a certain initiation associated with making specific vows? Is it possible to call a monk a religious fanatic who has lived all his life in the desert of his own free will, without the sanction of spiritual teachers? Depending on how you approach this question, there will be an answer to the question of who the monks are.

As an institutional form, monasticism was already knownfour thousand years ago and was associated with the cult of the god Shiva, whose admirers left the world and led a wandering lifestyle, meditating and preaching, living on alms. Thus, it can be stated that the most ancient forms of this model of spirituality are associated with the religion of the Proto-Indo-European tribes. But was monasticism born within them, or was it borrowed from someone else? Was there something similar in other nations? When did this phenomenon first appear? There are no answers to these questions. If you look at monasticism more broadly as a behavioral model, that is, as a psychological type of dispensation of a human being, then it probably exists as long as humanity itself.

Monasticism in Hinduism

The cult of Shiva, which was mentioned above, became the cradle from which the modern diverse face of Hinduism developed. It includes many directions and schools, most of which involve some form of monasticism. Who are monks in Hinduism? They are called sannyasins. The vows they take vary in different Hindu schools. And they can live as lonely outcasts or in organized communities in monasteries called ashrams. Their robes are saffron. And, like any monks, they are forbidden to own property and have intimate relationships with women. The meaning of such a life is the achievement of moksha, that is, liberation from the chain of rebirth and dissolution in the absolute.

Monasticism in Buddhism

Buddhist monasticismgrew out of the bowels of Hinduism and by and large does not differ from it. It should be said that, unlike Hinduism, in most Buddhist denominations only unmarried monks can be clergy, so their role is somewhat more important. In addition, it is believed that only in this capacity a person can achieve nirvana - the highest religious goal in the teachings of Gautama. It is quite easy to recognize them, although they differ significantly from each other in their vestments. However, every Buddhist monk shaves his head. Lifestyle again depends on the particular school. In some of them, the monks take several hundred vows. Another interesting point is that sometimes in Buddhist schools monasticism can be temporary.

Christian monasticism

As for Christian monasticism, it arose in the 2nd century in the deserts of Egypt. Since then, it has developed and acquired its own characteristics in the East and in the West. But before we cover this issue, let's clarify who the monks are in Christianity. Obviously, their role is somewhat different from their Hindu and Buddhist "colleagues", because unlike these creeds in Christianity, monasticism is not a prerequisite for the ultimate religious goal - salvation. However, there have always been people who gave up everything in order to devote themselves entirely to the church. Initially, their motivation was the desire to fully fulfill the gospel and perfect their soul and life in accordance with it. Initially, the monks really left the world and spent days and nights in prayer. Soover time, everything became more complicated, but as before, they all take three vows - celibacy, poverty and obedience to the church.

Western monasticism

In the countries of Europe, where the Roman system of law dominates, everyone has always tried to differentiate. Therefore, over time, monasticism was divided into separate orders, which are based on different ideals and set themselves different tasks. There are two main categories - active orders and contemplative orders. The first of them try to show their faith in service and active social activities - preaching, charity, and so on. Contemplators, on the contrary, retire to cells and devote time to prayer. On the ratio of these two vectors of spiritual life and on their specific organization in the rhythm of the day, on the degree of ascetic rigor, different forms of Western monasticism are built.

Therefore, answering the question of who a monk is in the Western Church is very easy if you know what order he belongs to. In the Middle Ages, there were even monastic orders of knights who, being monks, fought wars and participated in battles. Today, only memories remain about who the warrior monk is.

Eastern monasticism

Historically, in the Eastern Church, the monastic movement has always tried to unify. Therefore, they all wear the same clothes and live according to the same rule in all parts of the world. Both "activists" and hermits coexist under the same roof. What does a monk mean in Orthodoxy? This is first of alla person who strives to live like an angel. Therefore, tonsure is called - the adoption of the angelic rank. Why and how they become monks in modern Orthodoxy is hard to say for sure. Some go to the monastery from religious maximalism, others from failures in their personal lives, others run away from their problems in the world, others for the sake of a career, because only monks can occupy the highest positions in the church. There are also ideological monks for whom monasticism is the most acceptable and comfortable way of life. In any case, this phenomenon is quite complex and, worst of all, very poorly understood.