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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.
  • Subscribe to the Abbey email newsletter and receive regular soul nourishment.
  • Watch the visual meditation version.
  • Share the monk love with others by sharing this page with others.
  • 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.

  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

 

1,705 Responses

  1. I commit to this wonderful manifesto of being a monk in the world and what that means! I believe
    that living this every day is what we are called to do! God Bless!

    Reply

  2. Thank you for the gift of this website, the podcasts and connections within it. Living in the way of the Monk Manifesto is a joy.

    Reply

  4. What a gift to be part of this inspired and inspiring community. I love having connections to walk the journey. I commit to be a monk in the world! thank you for helping me wrap words around a soul desire.

    Reply

    1. I am delighted to find this rich and open spiritual presence on the web. It points to all of the directions my own spiritual life has been heading. What a joy to begin living as a Monk in the World!

      Reply

  5. Christine,

    I wanted to state my solidarity to the Monk Manifesto; and try to employ, nuture,
    and preserve those aspects pertaining to Monk-dom and God.
    I discovered your site through your books. I like what your vision entails. I’m planning on sending you an email later just to say hello, etc.

    Thanks and blessings,
    Dave LaRocca

    Reply

  7. With gratitude I take my first steps among you. It is good to be here.

    Bowing to you all,
    M. Francis
    (Hilary Grace in Care for Creation Monastery at Monasteries of the Heart; Maria Francis is my ‘real’ name)

    Reply

  8. What a gift this journey is! I commit! Together, we begin again!

    Lenten blessings, joy and peace! With heartfelt thanks!

    Reply

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