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Monk 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.
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Watch the visual meditation version.
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Join the Holy Disorder of Dancing Monks!

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I commit to a lifetime of ongoing conversion and transformation, recognizing that I am always on a journey with both gifts and limitations.
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

1,595 Responses

Pam Meyers says:

June 1, 2024 at 6:03 am

I love the celebration of dancing with the messiness of life Dancing with all the messy parts of ourselves and the messiness of others. I love the celebration of not knowing and trying to live the mystery. I love being playful and dancing with the “God mischief “ we can bring to the world.

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Cat says:

May 27, 2024 at 3:55 pm

I could not have expressed it better. I commit to all of the above.

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Jim McCarthy says:

May 25, 2024 at 2:13 am

The timing of this invitation was impeccable. Much needed.

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Maureen Smith says:

May 21, 2024 at 6:09 pm

I have been so happy to find this community! In the mid 2000’s I had a journal piece and did an art installation about creating the Holy Church for the ( messy, mistake- prone, distracted and fumbling) Human Beings, ( vs the church of my girlhood where it seemed you had to achieved perfection to be in good standing! I wrote that my church would be headed by the “ABBESS of the Holy Order of the Sisters of Joy”….. so I feel as if I was drawn to this in my cells long before I found it! Yes to Dancing Monks!

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David Long-Higgins says:

May 19, 2024 at 9:16 am

I am delighted to join in this current of Love alongside others. What a blessing!

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Elbina Rafizadeh says:

May 16, 2024 at 5:51 pm

I have been living as a monk(ess) in the world since 2007. I carry the Silence with me wherever I am. I commit to the monk manifesto here on this forum.

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Matthew Montgomery says:

May 15, 2024 at 11:30 pm

I commit to living the Monk Manifesto in my day to day life to the best of my ability.

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Charlene Billard says:

May 14, 2024 at 3:38 pm

I commit to the Monk Manifesto. I picked up a paint brush for the first time in 2021 at age 63 and read The Artist’s Rule last year, a book that resonated with me so deeply. I am now ready to re-read taking part in all of the exercises. Thank-you for welcoming me!

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Jean Runacres says:

May 14, 2024 at 5:29 am

I commit to following the Monk Manifesto and endeavour to live this out in my daily life.

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Karen Aubrey-Garrett says:

May 11, 2024 at 3:41 pm

I commit to the monk manifesto.

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