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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 was led here after a day of rest and studying the Word. I hear God calling in this, so I will definitely try to apply the seven principles of being a monk in the world.

    Reply

  2. I am currently in the process of cultivating my inner artist which has been neglected for a long time. In this process I have become aware that, for me, a connection to the divine is essential so that my artistic connection has real meaning. Being led to this website and the concept of being a “monk” in the world is helping me to see the divine connections in my life and to develop this side of my artistic self.

    Reply

  3. I once made a commitment to a religious order as an associate of the community (like an oblate). I left the order when I was no longer able to truly be in community with them. This online community is just what I’ve been praying for, as I still feel the need to continue the spiritual practices that I learned with the order, and I commit myself to being a monk in the world and pursuing a more contemplative life.

    Reply

  4. I’m so excited that I’ve been led (guided) to this wonderful resource and online community. I wholeheartedly commit myself to being a monk in the world; expressing my creativity, compassion and approaching life in a contemplative manner.

    Reply

  5. I commit to being a monk in the world. I am a seeker with a longing to find a closeness to the Divine. I feel this is how I should live everyday of my life. I believe I was meant to find this site, and I am thankful to have found like-minded people who are searching along the same path.

    Reply

  6. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I was a member of a religious order earlier in life for a number of years. Am so pleased to be a monk in the world now and agree with all my brothers and sisters that this is the way we should all live daily in or out of a formal religious order.

    Reply

  7. After spending two years in intense study and practice of classic spiritual disciplines, I commiy myself to this online community and the monastic way.

    Reply

  8. I am thrilled to have found this community of fellow monks in the world. Long may we journey, care for the earth, and create together! Blessings, fellow monastics…Kate

    Reply

  10. This Way, reinforces chosen life style in progress. I am grateful to have found it. Looking forward to more nourishment for the journey.

    Blessings to all .

    Reply

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