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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. This feels like a joyous homecoming to me! Finally I have found a community of like minded journeyers. Thank-you so much for creating this opportunity. I desire to contribute with love and with grace.

    Reply

  3. The image of the dancing monk in the world resonates with me, and I gratefully sign this Monk Manifesto. I look forward to partnering with all of you as we mutually support one another in the way of contemplation, creativity, transformation, and collaboration with the movement of the Divine Lover within our entire beautiful expanding universe.

    Reply

  4. I agree to the things listed in the Monk Manifesto! Many of those things are already apart of my daily life! I will continue on that path!

    Reply

  5. Thank you! My body, mind and spirit crave monk love. I’m so excited to share this with many other sisters who also feel drawn to being and living as a monk in this world. With gratitude, I whole heartedly sign this manifesto!

    Reply

  6. the tingling in my soul from reading through this manifesto is similar to the first kiss i shared with my husband and the moment i first held my daughter. my creative bones are happy to be noticed again, and my solitude is validated. so looking forward to this journey, and to meeting some kindreds in the process.

    -l

    Reply

  8. It is blessing to sign this manifesto and to walk this road with others whose hearts yearn after the contemplative, compassionate and creative life. Thank you for this gift.

    Deep Peace,
    Stephanie

    Reply

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