Editing Monk (section)

====Eastern Orthodox====
[[File:07Athos St Dionysius02.jpg|thumb|left|[[Dionysiou monastery|Monastery of St. Dionysius]] on [[Mount Athos]]]]
[[File:Православни монах на путу на Свету Гору.jpg|thumb|left|Orthodox monk on his way to [[Mount Athos]]]]

In [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], monasticism holds a very special and important place: "Angels are a light for monks, monks are a light for laymen" ([[John Climacus|St. John Klimakos]]). Eastern Orthodox monastics separate themselves from the [[world (theology)|world]] in order to pray unceasingly for the world. They do not, in general, have as their primary purpose the running of social services, but instead are concerned with attaining [[Theosis (Eastern Orthodox theology)|theosis]], or union with God. However, care for the poor and needy has always been an obligation of monasticism,{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} so not all monasteries are "cloistered". The level of contact will vary from community to community. Hermits, on the other hand, have little or no contact with the outside world.

Eastern Orthodox monasticism does not have [[religious orders]] as are found in the West, nor do they have Rules in the same sense as the [[Rule of St. Benedict]]. Rather, Eastern monastics study and draw inspiration from the writings of the [[Desert Fathers]] as well as other [[Church Fathers]]; probably the most influential of which are the ''Greater Asketikon'' and ''Lesser Asketikon'' of St. Basil the Great and the ''[[Philokalia]]'', which was compiled by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth. [[Hesychasm]] is of primary importance in the ascetical theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

[[File:Макарьево Свято-Троице-Макарьево-Желтоводский монастырь N56 05.402 E45 03.647.jpg|thumb|General view of [[Makaryev Monastery|Holy Trinity-Makaryev Monastery]], on the [[Volga River]] in [[Nizhny Novgorod Oblast]], [[Russia]]]]
[[File:Saint Petersburg portrait of a monk, near Leningrad.jpg|thumb|Monk near [[Saint Petersburg]], Soviet Union (c. 1931) by a traveler, {{Ill|DeCou, Branson|cs|Branson DeCou}}<ref>{{Cite web|last=DeCou|first=Branson|title=Saint Petersburg: portrait of a monk, near Leningrad|url=https://digitalcollections.library.ucsc.edu/concern/works/df65vc58m?locale=en|access-date=2021-11-05|website=digitalcollections.library.ucsc.edu}}</ref>]]

Most communities are self-supporting, and the monastic's daily life is usually divided into three parts: (a) communal worship in the [[Katholikon|catholicon]] (the monastery's main church); (b) hard manual labour; and (c) private prayer, spiritual study, and rest when necessary. Meals are usually taken in common in a sizable dining hall known as a [[refectory|trapeza]] (refectory), at elongated [[refectory table]]s. Food is usually simple and is eaten in silence while one of the brethren reads aloud from the spiritual writings of the [[Church Fathers|Holy Fathers]]. The monastic lifestyle takes a great deal of serious commitment. Within the cenobitic community, all monks conform to a common way of living based on the traditions of that particular monastery. In struggling to attain this conformity, the monastic comes to realize his own shortcomings and is guided by his [[starets|spiritual father]] in how to deal honestly with them. For this same reason, [[Bishop#Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches|bishops]] are almost always chosen from the ranks of monks.

Eastern monasticism is found in three distinct forms: [[anchorites|anchoritic]] (a solitary living in isolation), [[cenobitic]] (a community living and worshiping together under the direct rule of an abbot or abbess), and the "middle way" between the two, known as the [[skete]] (a community of individuals living separately but in close proximity to one another, who come together only on Sundays and feast days, working and praying the rest of the time in solitude, but under the direction of an elder). One normally enters a cenobitic community first, and only after testing and spiritual growth would one go on to the skete or, for the most advanced, become a solitary anchorite. However, one is not necessarily expected to join a skete or become a solitary; most monastics remain in the cenobium the whole of their lives.

In general, Eastern Orthodox monastics have little or no contact with the outside world, including their own families. The purpose of the monastic life is union with God, the means is through leaving the world (i.e., the life of the passions). After tonsure, Eastern Orthodox monks and nuns are never permitted to cut their hair. The hair of the head and the beard remain uncut as a symbol of the vows they have taken, reminiscent of the [[Nazarite]]s from the [[Old Testament]]. The [[tonsure]] of monks is the token of a consecrated life, and symbolizes the cutting off of their self-will.