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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

  2. Thank you for this amazing, life-saving, life-enhancing gift of the Abbey of the Arts.

    With daily prayers and sincere gratitude,
    michelle

    Reply

  3. I am constantly beginning the journey. Sometimes it feels like failure (“you’re not getting anywhere”). But this is affirming to think I am on the path.

    Reply

  4. Thank you for this wonderful resource! I commit to the Monk Manifesto, and to “always beginning again” each day! Blessings on all your endeavors!

    Reply

  5. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free.

    Thank you very much and looking forward for more informative articles in the future. Bookmarked!

    http://www.meditationdirectories.com

    Reply

  6. Unity of all creation is the reality – interdependent and interrelated on all levels of existence; micro, macro and quantum. No boundaries, no division, a unified whole sensed more than intellectualized; an understanding that emerges from the stillness that comes of silence.

    A beautiful thing! Peace, bliss, knowingness, and love

    I commit to the Monk Manifesto wholeheartedly!

    Reply

  7. Having been loosely linked with the Abbey of the Arts having done the Lectio Divina and Eyes of the Heart online courses, I now feel that my life has moved towards that of a Monk in the World. I therefore commit to following the seven principles of being Monk in the World in my daily living. Thank you Christine for all you help and guidance along the way.

    Reply

  8. What a delight to discover your website and to join an online community with contemplative values. Many thanks.

    Reply

  9. Thank you, Christine for your generosity in making all these wonderful resources available for free. I wholeheartedly support the Monk Manifesto and will share it with many other “monks in the world”.
    Cullen

    Reply

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