Q&A for How to Become a Monk

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What's with the swastika under "Becoming a Buddhist Monk"?

Community Answer

Eastern religions had been using the swastika sign for thousands of years before the Nazis perverted its meaning. In Buddhism, it means "All is well."

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Will I ever be able to see my family again?

Community Answer

In most monastic orders, the answer is yes. Your family can visit you.

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Can one be a Jewish monk?

Carolyn Barratt

Community Answer

There are not that many known monastic groups in the Jewish religion today. Two thousand years ago, there was a monastic Jewish community known as the Essenes. However, they do not exist anymore.

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Are there monks in America?

Community Answer

Yes there are. There are Christian monks; Buddhist monks, etc.

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Is there an age after which a person can't become a monk?

Community Answer

Not that I know of. I've never heard of a monastic community with an upper age limit.

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Question

I want to learn how to meditate, how do I do it?

Community Answer

There are lots of tutorials online which can get you started, or you can join a meditation class. The main idea is to sit still and withdraw into your mind, focusing on nothing, allowing thoughts to pass through you and away.

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Question

Does it cost me anything to become a Christian monk?

Carolyn Barratt

Community Answer

If you are returning to school for a religious education, that may cost tuition.

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Question

Who can I talk to about becoming a Christian monk and get all the information I need?

Community Answer

Contact your local Christian monastery to find out about how to become a monk. In case you do not know where your local Christian monastery is, contact your Diocese, to get information.

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Question

Are there still two different types of Monk you can be now?

Community Answer

Yes, eremitic monks are solitary hermits, and cenobitic monks live together in community. Both still exist, although cenobitic monks are more common.

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Question

What do monks have to give up?

Community Answer

All material goods, as well as live a life of celibacy.

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Question

Can a girl become a monk, too?

Community Answer

Women can become nuns in many different spiritual traditions. Both are equivalent lives of service apart form small differences (depending on the religion).

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For a woman monk, is it necessary to shave the head?

Community Answer

Yes. Shaving off one's hair signifies that one is ready to give up worldly and materialistic things.

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Which monks wear black robes almost like a priest?

Community Answer

Zen Buddhism is the one that uses black robes (probably an influence from Taoism).

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Question

Where do Buddhist monks get food from? What is their source of income?

Colby Hardison

Community Answer

Most of the time a Buddhist monastery will have a large garden where they grow their own food. They are also supported by donations from members of the community. Remember, monks live a life of asceticism, they do not have a lot of material necessities.

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Question

Can women be Buddhist monks?

Community Answer

No, women can be Buddhist nuns though.

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Question

Can I still study to become a doctor if I am trying to be a monk?

Community Answer

It depends on what type of monk you want to be.

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Question

What are the permanent vows you say when you become a monk?

Community Answer

This differs from monastery to monastery and order to order. Likely, it will involve dedication to god, a life of celibacy, and the giving up of material possessions.

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Question

How do I become a Shaolin monk?

Community Answer

Try reading this article: http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Shaolin-Monk

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Can women become monks?

Community Answer

No, they become nuns.

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Question

Could I still become a monk if I have two little girls?

Community Answer

Yes. The people who will guide you on the way to becoming a monk, be they Christian or Buddhist, are aware that you, like everyone else, had a life before becoming a monk, and that that life may have included a family.

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Question

Can a monk be a priest?

Carolyn Barratt

Community Answer

Yes, it is quite possible for a Christian monk to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders, & thereby, become a priest.

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Question

Are there such persons as monks of the Protestant faith?

Community Answer

You might want to do some research on the "New Monasticism" movement.

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Question

Are there any monastic lifestyles that don't require celibacy?

Carolyn Barratt

Community Answer

No. The whole point of entering into the monastery or the priesthood is to dedicate yourself 100% to God and His church. One cannot balance a family life with the religious life.

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Question

Can a woman serve as a Buddhist monk?

Community Answer

Yes. According to Wikipedia, "Gautama Buddha first ordained women as nuns five years after his enlightenment and five years after first ordaining men into the sangha. The first Buddhist nun was his aunt and foster mother Mahapajapati Gotami."

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Question

What's the age to become a Catholic monk? What education?

Community Answer

Most orders accept men between the ages of 20 and 50, but it will vary somewhat by monastery. People come in for any and all educational backgrounds. There is seldom any limit here, although the monastery may send a monk out for education such as that which is needed to be ordained after he takes vows.

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Question

Can women become monks as well?

Community Answer

No. Women become nuns, the feminine equivalent to monks.

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Question

Do you need a college education to become a Catholic monk?

Spaceship

Community Answer

There is no educational requirement for joining a monastery. Monks come from all kinds of educational backgrounds, including high school dropouts and university graduates.

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Question

Does being a Christian monk require me to be a college graduate?

Spaceship

Community Answer

There is actually no educational requirement for becoming a monk. Monks come from all kinds of backgrounds including educated and uneducated.

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Question

Can I be a monk and still keep my night job as a radio shock jock who plays the best of 80s, 90s, and today all night long?

Spaceship

Community Answer

No, when you join a monastery you are expected to live in a monastery for the rest of your life, meaning you will have to give up your old life.

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Question

Will I get to eat food?

Spaceship

Community Answer

Yes, you will get to eat food when you join a monastery, but don't expect it to be luxurious. Also, you will eat communally with fellow monks and there are certain fast days when you cannot eat anything until a certain time.

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