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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

Mary Small says:

August 4, 2024 at 4:25 pm

I’m excited to have found a group of people with spiritual values I either share or hope to share.

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Lisa Marie says:

August 3, 2024 at 8:28 pm

I joyfully and reverently join hands in this global circle of kindreds and agree with this beauty-full, mind-full, earth-full, and a soul-full way of living. I thank your journey and I thank my own for guiding me here.

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Charlotte Love says:

June 27, 2024 at 7:45 pm

I sensed a call into solitude last October. I started the journey with Soul of a Pilgrim as I transitioned from Texas to the Pacific Northwest. The Monk Manifesto is easy to embrace because it puts into words everything I am experiencing at this time
.

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Roxanne says:

June 25, 2024 at 1:32 pm

So awesome to find Abbey of the Arts and feel at one in becoming a Dancing Monk.

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PATRICIA GANT says:

June 14, 2024 at 7:48 pm

I whole heartedly agree and am blessed too join!

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1. Melissa Sallée says:
  
  July 12, 2024 at 4:18 pm
  
  Amen.
  
  Reply
Helen Hinde says:

June 11, 2024 at 8:29 am

With so much gratitude 🙏🏻 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Hello and wonderful to join you
Helen

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Bobbie Long says:

June 10, 2024 at 4:42 pm

So excited to be part of something so beautiful! Abbey of the Arts is truly what I need as I proceed on my journey through this amazing life.

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Melissa Sallée says:

June 5, 2024 at 4:42 pm

I join you, brothers and sisters, who have decided to let these rules take root in our lives. May this manifesto provide daily scaffolding and holy nudges as we live our calling of being love in the world. Joined palms, Melissa

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Cherry Hall says:

June 3, 2024 at 8:47 am

Delighted to have found and join Abbey of the Arts and the dancing monks.

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Ryma says:

June 3, 2024 at 8:08 am

This hits home. I have been feeling this calling for a while now. I knew I was doing something spiritual and responding to a call of duty by letting art express itself through me.
Blessings 🫶

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