Monasticism

Another way the Buddha attempts to maintain the principle of Buddhism was to place “eight chief rules” as a condition of accepting women to enter the monastic life. Although these rules stressed the superiority of monks over nuns, their development actually empowered women’s image in the society. The “eight chief rules” placed nuns in a subordinate position. For instance, nuns were not allowed to spend in the district without a monk during rainy season and they cannot provide advice or disregard…

The first monastery of the Benedictine order was first ever founded in Italy, in a town called Subiaco. The monastery was then established by Saint Benedict who was born around the year 480AD in Nursia, Italy. The gender permitted to join the Benedictine order is male.The Benedictine order all started from a vision. The unexpected vision was a reflection of ‘The world’s desperate need for meditation and prayer for humanity.’ The change of life for the learning Benedictine monks was difficult.…

All of the great works of philosophy from Socrates to Martin Buber have utilized the tool of dialogue as a method of explaining their teachings. Philosophical dialogue is primarily a conversation between two people on the topic of a particular philosophy, generally the dialogue is between a younger inexperienced but inquisitive person and an older wiser master who in some cases is the founder of the philosophy being discussed. Many times the conversation is based on the questions posed by the…

The life of a Benedictine monk is based on one thing necessary: quaerere Deum which means to seek God. Some of the first Benedictine monks where living in Monte Cassino in the middle of the 6th century, living under the Rule of St. Benedict himself. By the end of the 10th century, the Rule of Benedict was used mainly through England. The Benedictine monks where also called the black monks. A typical here day begins at 3:10 a.m. with the wake-up bell and after a small cup of coffee, we make our…

Traditionally, monastic rules were written to regulate the lives of monks living in a coenobium (community). The kind of monks that live in communities are called cenobites which are the focus of RB. Their regulation is its purpose. To clarify why RB is written for cenobites, Benedict discusses four types of monks with descriptions of each. The four kinds of monks being: the cenobites, that is those who belong to a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot; anchorites (or…

created new ways to challenge themselves for the sake of their faith. All of the other Christians did not have solid practices of faith until the monks came and changed their perspective of how dedicated they can be to serving their God. Christian monasticism was first developed in Egypt based on the lifestyle of a hermit. People like Saint Anthony were willing to give their lives up to God. He was a peasant in Egypt and gave away the 300 acres of land he owned to the poor and went off conduct…

Through the rise Monasticism, both secular and religious advancements were made. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, Monasticism rose out of a desire to leave civilization, which had been overtaken by the brutal Germanic Tribes, and devote oneself entirely to prayer and asceticism, in order to imitate Christ. Though the Monastic life of prayer and asceticism gave a new life to the faith and also evangelized the Germanic Tribes. Because of this rapid conversion of the…

Benedictines spread across Europe and my teachings influenced the development of monasticism. This makes me a great innovator since not only my teachings spread wide across Europe but I also changed the rules of how monasticism is performed and followed, which leads to my next important achievement. Another one of my accomplishments is my idea in the variation in monasticism. Unlike the rules in eastern monasticism, where monks live in solitary and strict lives, my ideas involved life in a…

One of the most important events of the early church is the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine. While many still debate his conversion or the sincerity of his faith, what cannot be argued, is the impact this had on the church. The emergence of the Constantinian era in both world and church history is still evident today. The recent visit of Pope Francis to the United States demonstrates the still present impact. In summary, the conversion of Constantine and the subsequent policies…

today in the modern day priest and nuns. Monasticism was born from Origen wanting to live a simpler life. The book, The Story of Christianity states “monasticism was inspired by Paul’s words, that those who chose not to marry had greater freedom to serve the Lord.” It was believed that monasticism was a great service to God and some took it to the point of castration which was addressed at the Council of Nicaea 325. It was out of the Pachomian monasticism that the naming of a successor for…