The Pros And Cons Of Monasticism

The speed, extent and tenacity of Cistercian expansion was by all accounts extraordinary, and one that seemed to differ greatly from the other monastic movements of the twelfth century. Their growth from one to seven foundations, to more than three hundred in the space of fifty years was almost entirely unexpected by contemporary standards. However, when one delves into the history of the order and looks at the factors that differentiated it from other similar monastic institutions of the same period one begins to see a number of portentous factors that undoubtedly contributed to such explosive growth.

It also gave some indication of the wealth and prosperity of the monastery and, inside, would probably commemorate patrons who provided sustained support to the community. The most precious human remains in a monastic church were the relics of saints preserved in shrines behind the high altar. The Church became a center for learning, with the monks becoming cultural carriers transmitting the written treasures of the past by preserving and copying ancient texts. An example of this would be Hrotsvit. Hrotsvit wrote books about Christian legends and wrote Roman dramas with an Christian spin to it. Often, the only literate members of society were the monks/priest. It was the monks who made and transmitted written copies of the Bible and other ancient works from generation to generation. They organized some of the first libraries. They conducted scientific and other research to benefit the surrounding communities. They were expert farmers who were able to pass on the benefits of their expertise to peasants on the large manors. Monasticism has played a vital role in the creation, preservation, and transmission of culture. This is especially true of the Christian Monasticism during the Middle Ages.

Catholicism served as a guide in everyone’s life and provided a basic knowledge how to live a life in faith. The western civilization also owes to the monks the libraries and school survival, preservation of books and literature. The monks have also invented the medicine. Contributed to the survival of the Bible since monks were the first teachers that passed out their knowledge from generation to another generation. Monks not only established schools, but they were thinkers and philosophers of the day and shaped the political and religious though. Among of the things that those monastics contributed to the Western civilizations were: preserved literacy, invented education system and taught medicine, metallurgy, pioneered technology, improved the European landscape, introduced new crops, copied ancient texts. Indeed, The Catholic Church was not only the indispensable builder of Western civilization, but also restored and advanced civilization after the Rome’s

Deep within the trees little hooded men walk along a path to meditate and pray dressed in brown robes tied with nautical rope. They dwell in silence and live a life of celibacy. This is what most of think of when we hear the word monk. Throughout the years, monks have always been people of intrigue. They live a different lifestyle than most. They live a life of seclusion far from the mores of modern society, which often makes people ponder who these people really are and why they choose to participate in such a foreign religious movement. This paper will attempt to unravel the mysteries of this peculiar movement of by researching it's origin, the true meaning of a silent lives, and how key leaders have helped to

The Sangha, the Buddhist monastic order, comprises Bhikku (monks), Bhikkuni (nuns), laymen, and laywomen. While the Bhikku and Bhikkuni depend upon the laywomen and men for economic support, the lay community depends on them for spiritual guidance and ritualistic practices. This well-rounded mutual relationship is clearly a division not only amongst religious status, but determined by gender as well. This is quite a contradiction with the Buddhist belief that your physical self is impermanent and ultimately attachment to your illusory self will cause you suffering. The second Noble Truth states that suffering originates from our ongoing desire, a clinging to possessions, attachments, and self. Why would a religion founded in the idea of shedding attachment focus so much on gender, which is an attachment? I feel that the Buddha’s hesitation in allowing women to be initially recognized in the Sangha originates from his early childhood convictions of women, fear of the Dharma becoming further compromised, and ultimately leading to the deterioration of Buddhism altogether. The Buddha’s hesitations regarding women becoming monastics seem to be questionable because of the way women have responded to this discrimination even during the Buddha’s lifetime. These women are evidently devoted to the ideals and teachings of Buddhism because of their ability to shed attachments and embody a fully monastic lifestyle. As they are shedding their attachments they give up their gender.

The Medieval monastery was established during the middle Ages, this was a place where people got together (mostly monks, nuns and other spiritual beings) and they spent their time praying, studying and most of all helping

Following the decay of the empire was followed by the decay of culture and civilization in Europe. The only institution that survived was the Christian Church who tried to prevent the complete degradation of Roman civilization. In the sixth century monks would collect books and other works by famous scholars such a Plato and Aristotle; they would lock themselves in monasteries studying the intellectual work (History). Eventually scholars realized that this idea of monasticism provided no benefit to society because it did not apply to the situations and culture of the Middle Ages. Therefore, the church established universities based on the idea of scholasticism; this method of instruction was to use the knowledge preserved by the monks and to apply it to the modern church and society. By the early fourteenth century there were multitudes of universities established across Europe that educated their students in scholasticism (History). Just like early colleges, only the rich nobles would be able to afford to attend these schools.

At the beginning of Henry VIII’s reign in 1509, there were over 800 monasteries in England, but by 1540 the majority of these ceased to exist and all that was left of most of them was a ruin. The monasteries were rich and powerful institutions which were loyal to the Pope. From 1536 to 1539, Henry VIII, and his advisor, Thomas Cromwell wanted to close down the monasteries. There were two real reasons why Henry VIII wanted to get rid of the monasteries, firstly because he wanted access to the wealth of the monastery and he wanted the treasures of the land owned by the Church. Secondly Henry VIII

Another criticism that Bernard brings up in his writing is the integration of the Cluniac monks into society. He mentions that the Cluniac monks are using luxury for the acquisition of more riches, as well as for the attraction of more wealthy benefactors. He asks the Cluniac monks what they are expecting to receive for their efforts, “Admiration from the foolish? Offering from the ignorant? Or scattered as we are among the gentiles, are we learning their tricks and serving their idols?”1 Bernard brings up a good point, which is that the Cluniac monks are becoming too worldly. They are becoming too focused on the contributions that they will receive from the world, in order to decorate their churches and monasteries. They are forgetting that they became monks to leave the world behind.

When thinking about a medieval monastery the first thing that comes to mind is the origin of the word monastery which comes from the Greek monos, meaning alone. Monasticism in itself is a way of life that is devoted to God in seclusion. A large part of monasticism is isolation, not only from the neighbors but from family. When taking the vows to be a monk one not only completely devotes ones life to God but all friends, family and earthly possessions are left behind. Taking the vows of monasticism takes brutal dedication and severe strength. What pushed Guibert of Nogent into monasticism is that his mother withdrew from the world after his father’s death. During that time he was left alone and

Monasticism was a way of life for those who thought everyday life too sinful, and decided to devote themselves to God, either communally in the monastery or lavriote, a life of solitude. St Benedict around five hundred and forty AD set down rules which were to become the basis for monastic life in the Catholic church; poverty, obedience, chastity, and work. In these monasteries theology was preserved. A different form of monasticism developed in Ireland due to the fact it was isolated from the rest of Europe. Monks were more like the hermits of Egypt rather those of Roman Christianity. Scholarship developed in these monasteries, also a new form of art called Hiberno-Saxon. These monasteries kept literacy skills alive. Monks would transcribe and decorate sacred texts by hand. Such texts include the Book of Kells and the Lindisfaire

Monasticism or monarchism is literally the act of "dwelling alone". The Rule of St Benedict played an important role in Europe during the middle ages, monks were able to preserve many classical works from both the Romans and the Greeks while acting as copiers that produced books, they were the most pious of the church and acted as a model for the average person to strive for. It dignified manual labor, the rule acted as a written constitution and rule of law for most monasteries, policies could be seen as harsh by some but the overall message is built around a positive spirit of reconciliation. The Rule of St. Benedict most significant role for the development of European civilization was education.

By the end of eleventh century, Western Europe had experienced a powerful cultural revival. The flourish of New towns provided a place for exchange of commerce and flow of knowledge and ideas. Universities, which replaced monasteries as centers of learning, poured urbanized knowledge into society. New technological advances and economics transformations provided the means for building magnificent architectures. These developments were representative of the mental and behavioral transformations that the medieval world underwent and the new relationships that were brought about between men, women and society in the twelfth century. As in technology, science, and scholasticism, Literature was also reborn with a new

Jean-Jacques Annaud, The Name of the Rose historical fiction murder mystery illustrates monastic life in the 14th century. This medieval film takes place in a remote Benedictine abbey in Northern Italy. Annaud is historically successful in recounting monastic life during the Middle Ages. The enriching backdrop of this film presents the culture of monastic life. The setting is beautifully examined and replicated to show the distinct and complicated architecture of the times. The characterization of the monks is distinct in their appearance common to medieval times. As well, through the plot and dialogue, the implication of religious, social and political aspects of monastic life is delivered. The combination of these three details

The five Benedictine Values are incorporated into every class as a way to better ourselves. Each is defined from the college website and includes topics that are important for continuing my education based upon what I have learned in class. The first one is community, which is creating an environment that promotes a sense of community by being responsible and supporting each other. To be a community we need to treat each other with love. Life chances is a part of being a community. Life Chances is where a person born into poverty stays in poverty. This is a phenomenon that refers to how families can never get out of poverty because it passes on to the next generation. Life chances are what each person is given to become something in life. Someone that has a lot of money has much better life chances than does someone born into poverty. A person born into poverty is more likely to remain in poverty. We can become a community by eliminating the lower, middle, and upper class in the United States. When we eliminate this monetary value we are just one big community that we are all open arms and willing to help anyone.