I am about to become a monk ama

Author: Mopac

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#1
Mopac
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Howdy ya'll.


The last year I have been pursuing monasticisim in the Orthodox Christian tradition. Since I have last been around, I have been coast to coast, as far east as Holy Cross in West Virginia, as far west as St Herman's in northern Cali. I have learned alot. I have matured a lot. It has been quite a trip.

Despite my expectations of ending up in an English speaking monastery, providence has lead me to a Greek monastery. 

The schedule here is very rigorous, I am using a small window of opportunity to post this topic. I won't likely be able to answer any questions until Sunday.

Schedule most days for meis like this.

10pm - 10:30 pm Pray together at church

10:30 pm - 1:30 am Pray alone or read

1:30 am - 3:30 am Liturgy

3:30 am - 4 am Optional light breakfast

4 am - 7 am Sleep

7 am - 8:30 am Cup of Coffee and reading

8:30 am - 11:15 am Obediences(work, mostly gardening for me)

11:30 am - 12 pm Lunch

12:30 pm - 3pm Obediences(more garden work)

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Vespers

4:30 pm - 5 pm Dinner

5 pm - 5:30 pm help clean up after dinner

6 pm - 9:50 Sleep



There are slight variations in the schedule depending on if it is a feast day or not.







#2
janesix
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@Mopac
I don't have any questions, just nice to see you are doing well
#3
Lemming
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@Mopac
If you believe it will bring meaning, fulfillment, happiness, right to your life, that it is a good path to live in life. Then I wish you well.
. . .
#4
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@Mopac
Good to see you again.

When you were traveling, what was your favorite place to see?
#5
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I was so going to make a .   MOPAC  would be starting grade 2 at monk collage one week ago.

First thing. 
Nice man FULL STOP 

Questions. 
How many meals have you prepared ? 

Andddddddd ,  

Can I get you thoughts on. 
THE ULTIMATE REALITY.   




 

#6
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The  10.30 pm to 1.30am pray alone or read. 

Pray alone or read means sneaky sleep time hey ? 
I bet you doze of at 11.30 ish, and wake up to your 1 am alarm. 
Nice.    



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#7
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@SirAnonymous
When you were traveling, what was your favorite place to see?
Holy Archangel Michaels in New Mexico was the most beautiful as far as environment is concerned.

St Anthony's in Arizona has the most beautiful landscaping and architecture. 

Holy Cross in West Virginia is easily the best English speaking monastery as far as discipline of the monks goes and respect towards doing things in a canonical manner. That was nice to see because a lot of English speaking monasteries are hurting in one or both of those areas! 



How many meals have you prepared ?


I haven't really cooked anything, so maybe none. Most I have done in that regard is maybe chop veggies for someone else to cook.


Can I get you thoughts on.
THE ULTIMATE REALITY.  
The Truth is Life. It is The Way to abide in. If you can't see The Way, purify your heart. Cleanse your nous.

The Truth is not an idea, it is a person. It is a way of life, not something to be grapsed intellectually. Love of God in Spirit and in Truth. In word and in deed. In belief and in practice. There is no orthodoxy without orthopraxis.

Those who know don't talk about it. Those who talk about it aren't living it. Many words can be written, but words can't communicate it. Surely, it is a great mystery.

The 10.30 pm to 1.30am pray alone or read.

Pray alone or read means sneaky sleep time hey ?
I bet you doze of at 11.30 ish, and wake up to your 1 am alarm.
Nice.   

This is the hardest part of the day. I can't go to sleep at 1030 and wake up before 130. It just doesn't work, I tried. I don't read at this time either. What do I do? Drink a cup of coffee, and keep vigil. I pray. I stay as far away from a bed as possible. Even then, this is still the hardest part of the day for me.
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@Mopac
This is the hardest part of the day. I can't go to sleep at 1030 and wake up before 130. It just doesn't work, I tried. I don't read at this time either. What do I do? Drink a cup of coffee, and keep vigil. I pray. I stay as far away from a bed as possible. Even then, this is still the hardest part of the day for me.
I can believe it. That sounds brutal.
#9
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#10
Mopac
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I have been living in monasteries since I last was around. No one has any questions? 

I still have some time left to answer questions. Eventually, I will be cancelling my cell service, and that will be that.

I'll be around to answer questions most of the day today. 

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#11
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I have been living in monasteries since I last was around. No one has any questions? 

I still have some time left to answer questions. Eventually, I will be cancelling my cell service, and that will be that.

I'll be around to answer questions most of the day today. 

#12
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@Mopac
No questions from me.
Just wish you well in life.
#13
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@Mopac
What kind of food do you get at monasteries?
#14
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Bread & wine maybe. 
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@SirAnonymous
They are all different, but consistently vegetarian.

Some monasteries eat more cheese than others.

Some monasteries eat fish on certain feast days. Some eat fish every Sunday.

During fast seasons everything is vegan. Monks do a partial fast over half the year(vegan), as do pious Orthodox Christians. Every Orthodox Christian is supposed to eat vegan on Wednesdays and Fridays. Monks also eat vegan on Mondays pretty consistently. 

We do a lot of manual labor at the monastery I am at now, so there is more cheese here, and there tends to be fish for dinner on Sundays. Truthfully, the most lenient place I have been as far as diet goes, but in everything else a great deal stricter and more rigorous.


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@Lemming
Thank you, I wish you well also.
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@Mopac
I see. So why are they generally vegetarian?
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@Stephen
Probably so.
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#19
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@SirAnonymous
I have heard it said that a full belly arouses the passions. Meat tends to sit in the belly longer. Besides that, it isn't healthy to eat a lot of meat. 

From my own reasoning, killing an animal to eat it doesn't really seem to go well with being a nonviolent monk either.

Truthfully, I have been a vegetarian for years, so it isn't really that much of an adjustment for me. I hadn't really asked about this. The first answer though I can remember reading in some monastic literature. People who struggle with sexual lust in particular benefit from a vegetarian diet and hard labor.










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@Mopac
I guess that makes sense.
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#21
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It is time for me to sleep and start my week over again.

I will try to be back next Sunday again to answer questions if I am able.
#22
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@Mopac
What do you find fulfilling about monastic life? What is it giving you that religion in the outside world wasn't giving you?
#23
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@Castin
What do you find fulfilling about monastic life? What is it giving you that religion in the outside world wasn't giving you?

 That's the problem though isn't it?  He hasn't quite left the outside world has he?
 
This idea of monastic life was to be free of outside influences. To allow themselves to be free of sensual pleasures in their search for spiritual enlightenment and goals.   Hence the perceived ' solitary life'; which we know can either be solitary or communal, and we  can see Mopac has chosen the latter, which blows the lid off any of his  perceived  asceticism, right away.


But also  in Mopac we have a "monk" that has full access to the world wide web and its influences. Maybe he is going to be a new, modern  type of ascetic monk, in the new age?   I have known hermits to lead a more ascetic life than Mopac, some by choice others by circumstances.


#24
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@Stephen
He mentioned he will eventually cancel his cell service, so perhaps this is only a brief reach-out to the outside world before he cuts himself off from it and commits fully to the monastery.
#25
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@Castin
so perhaps this is only a brief reach-out to the outside world before he cuts himself off from it and commits fully to the monastery.

 Well he has a foot in both camps at the moment. I just hope he removes the one foot in the right direction.
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#26
Mopac
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@Castin
In all truth, I could be fulfilled in either case.

It is easier to concentrate here without distraction though, and since the monks all have the same mission we can pick eachother up when we fall. We help eachother.

I enjoy the immersion.

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@Mopac
I can understand that a lot.

Do you plan to cut yourself off from the outside world completely at some point?
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#28
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@Stephen
This is a temporary situation for the edification or education of this community here. I am not sitting around browsing the web. I have been using my phone exclusively to arrange travel up until now, and like Castin said, I am going to cut that off soon. I have not been keeping up with the news at all. We have pilgrims, that is it.


The most common type of monasticism is cenobitic monasticism, that is, monasticism within a community. We Orthodox understand how easy it is for someone living in solitude to become delusional. That us why we train for it first in community. 


It is said that you can tell the maturity of the church in a region by the state of monasticism. You can tell the maturity of monasticism in a region by how many hermits there are.
Make no mistake though, all the monks here and even myself are practicing ascetics. I was an ascetic before I started pursuing monasticism. All orthodox Christians are supposed to practice asceticism.

Also, good nonks don't talk much, they tend to pray in their rooms.





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#29
Mopac
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@Castin
Up until now I was cut off from the outside world with the exception of travel between monasteries and meeting other pilgrims.

When I become a novice, my contact with the outside world will largely be confined to pilgrims. 
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#30
Mopac
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I skipped dinner to post here, but it is 15 minutes past my bedtime. I will stick around more on Sunday.