Monasticism is a special form of asceticism, adopted in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and some other areas of Christianity. Taking monastic vows (tonsure) is an important and responsible step in life. A person who decides to take this step must approach him prepared.
Instructions
Step 1
Ideally, monasticism is a lifelong decision. The Russian Orthodox Church admits in a number of cases the dissolution of church marriage, but she has no idea about the abolition of monastic vows. A monk who has left the monastery for the world is considered to have broken vows and is under a church ban.
Step 2
The reasons for taking vows can vary. However, the general church opinion says that the only worthy reason is the willingness to sacrifice everything in order to devote his whole life to serving God.
Step 3
It is strongly discouraged to go to a monastery out of despair or inability to marry (get married) and start a family. People who become monks for such reasons, as a rule, get used to monastic life with great difficulty and cannot always endure it.
Step 4
According to the canons of the Russian Orthodox Church, only a monk has the right to become a bishop. Since the metropolitans and the patriarch are elected from among the bishops, monasticism is at the top of the church hierarchy. In this regard, it is widely believed that taking the tonsure can contribute to a church career.
However, this opinion is erroneous. Those who become monks for ambitious reasons very rarely achieve their goal.
Step 5
It is unacceptable to become a monk by someone else's order, against your own will. A spiritual mentor can bless for tonsure, but only if his ward himself asks for this and, from the point of view of the confessor, is ready for such a change in his life. Otherwise, such a blessing cannot be considered a guide to action.
Step 6
It is forbidden to tonsure a person who comes to the monastery immediately. Before taking monastic vows, there follows a more or less lengthy preparatory period - obedience. Sometimes he is divided into several stages: a laborer (lives and works in a monastery), a caftan (accepted among the monastic brethren, wears special clothes), a novice (lives among the monks and prepares for tonsure).
Step 7
A novice can last for several years. Throughout this period, the novice has the right to leave the monastery if he decided that he could not become a monk. However, in some monasteries this can be complicated, since the statutes of these monasteries equate novices in duties with monks and do not allow them to give up their intention.
Step 8
Not every person who has taken the tonsure is obliged to live within the monastery walls. Sometimes the confessor blesses for "monasticism in the world" - strict observance of vows without isolation from the outside world. However, such cases are rare, exceptional and require special inner determination from the monk.