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Monk Manifesto

Sign the manifesto!

Want to join us in starting a monk revolution?

For a PDF version of the Monk Manifesto click the link to download a printable file.

The Monk Manifesto is also available in Spanish, German, and Norwegian translations.  Click here for PDFs of Manifesto del Monje, Mönchs Manifest, and Munkemanifestet.

We invite you to sign the Monk Manifesto below (scroll all the way to the bottom for the comment box). State your solidarity with others who want to express their inner monk in everyday life.

Monk: from the Greek monachos meaning single or solitary, a monk in the world does not live apart but immersed in the everyday with a single-hearted and undivided presence, always striving for greater wholeness and integrity

Manifesto: from the Latin for clear, means a public declaration of principles and intentions.

Monk Manifesto: A public expression of your commitment to live a compassionate, contemplative, and creative life.

  1. I commit to finding moments each day for silence and solitude, to make space for another voice to be heard, and to resist a culture of noise and constant stimulation.
  2. I commit to radical acts of hospitality by welcoming the stranger both without and within. I recognize that when I make space inside my heart for the unclaimed parts of myself, I cultivate compassion and the ability to accept those places in others.
  3. I commit to cultivating community by finding kindred spirits along the path, soul friends with whom I can share my deepest longings, and mentors who can offer guidance and wisdom for the journey.
  4. I commit to cultivating awareness of my kinship with creation and a healthy asceticism by discerning my use of energy and things, letting go of what does not help nature to flourish.
  5. I commit to bringing myself fully present to the work I do, whether paid or unpaid, holding a heart of gratitude for the ability to express my gifts in the world in meaningful ways.
  6. I commit to rhythms of rest and renewal through the regular practice of Sabbath and resist a culture of busyness that measures my worth by what I do.
  7. I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations.
  8. I commit to being a dancing monk, cultivating creative joy and letting my body and “heart overflow with the inexpressible delights of love.”*

*quote is from the Prologue of the Rule of Benedict

 

1,781 Responses

  1. I commit to this, especially to reclaim my joy as a musician as I cultivate my other spiritual gifts.

    Reply

  3. It is like this was written for the next paved stone just placed on the road where I am expanding. It is like a calling that I have heard and responded to before – familiar. But it is also new. I know it is not just for me; it is a movement widespread. So in solidarity, I embrace and commit to this journey.

    Reply

  7. I’ve been feeling this calling for sometime.
    I’m actually a dancer, a nature lover, an ecologist, a meditator, a contemplative and a lot of other things. Born in the USA As a child of an Irish Mother, Celtic mysticism runs deep in my soul.
    The Holy Order of the Dancing Monk resonates deeply and I’m thrilled to find this community.
    I heart fully sign THE MONK MANIFESTO

    Reply

  8. Since I already live by many of the tenets of the Monk Manifesto, it is a joy to embrace it by joining this creative and supportive online monastic community.

    Reply

  10. All the principles of the manifesto call to me. I will do my best to practice them wholeheartedly and mindfully.

    Reply

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