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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 MonjeMönchs 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

1,669 Responses

  1. I have been enjoying the newsletter and this manifesto speaks to my heart as I have been engaged in many of this manifesto’s areas. This gives me much encouragement to continue and to engage in life more and to contemplate what it means to be in the spiritual life of Jesus Christ as a monk.

  2. I commit to listening with my heart and allowing myself to be recreated by the Great Artist. Content and grateful each day, especially when I begin again.

  3. I commit to all of the above. I have been living this for several years now, and I am glad to join in this group by agreeing to this publicly here!

  4. I commit to dancing with the desire to find God in all things, releasing love, creativity, joy, justice, peace, compassion and honoring the presence of God in all Creation daily.

  5. I commit to live a compassionate, contemplative and creative life. I am on a journey and it has taken many twists and turns so far. I feel blessed and inspired to find this community. I want to be a monk in the world and cultivate creative joy!

  6. I was in a convent for ten years and left because I couldn’t find the peace of soul I was searching for. My life has taken many twists and turns in my search. Grace has lead me here to Kitale, Kenya where I teach at a center that rescues and rehabilitates abandoned children. My work is both rewarding and draining. I need the spiritual resources and solidarity offered by your community. I LOVE the idea of being a monk in the world! Let the journey continue with more help along the way!

  7. Now, having finally acquired the wisdom that comes from embracing my old age, I commit myself to welcoming the peace of God which transcends all understanding, and to giving heartfelt thanks for the both the rainclouds and the silver linings.

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