Monastery Life

>going to a retreat
>bring in shit from the outside world

dumbass

capitalism has found a way to profit from a common misconception about monastic life.
check out at http://www...

Take your bible.

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http://trappistabbey.org/?page_id=532
Friars wrote some literature.

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http://trappistabbey.org/?page_id=1447

>>9526929
>>9526940
Just my bible then?

A stand of Douglas fir trees,

planted by the first generation of monks.

They stand tall,

clothed in mossy cowls,

silent as the monks who planted them.

The robins in their copper and grey habits,

far out number the monks,

and sing their own Psalter from the tops of the trees.

We did a variety of work in the woods and around the monastery enterprises, my favorite days were spent repairing sections of several trails that lead to the shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe at the top of the monastery’s hill. Particularly muddy, slippery or steep sections of pathway became level, graveled trails. In some places we even installed railings and steps.
Not only did this work remind me of my time with the U.S. Forest Service, but it mirrored an inner treading, retreading and clearing of the messy, overgrown and contradictory pathways of my own soul.

what are some literary work by saints that /lit/ would recommend?

what should i read before going?

>>9527116
Why don't you contact them and ask?

You'll probably die before I ever become a monk. I don't know what I did so long ago to make you hate me, I just know you do. I don't want this, but your plan has failed. It pains me to think that this is the route everyone chose. So unjust, so unkind, so not becoming of a Catholic. He is a good man and a provider and you'll lie to him until the day you die. Think on that and make your peace with it. I wish I knew you better.

>>9526901
>What books should I take with me?
The willingness to clean toilets

>>9527119
because theyre dead anon.

>>9527127
i used to be a janitor, doesnt phase me desu

bible is fine
if you think you might get bored then just bring some fiction like tolkien or something similar
but dont spend all your time reading
you can do that alone in your house
try to enjoy the outside world, learn how to bake and about making wine and bookbinding
it would be a waste if you went to a monastery just to read
but dont ignore reading completely

>>9526901
So you're going to a monastery, I'm assuming you're going there for some solitude and silence.

I have to ask though, you're a /lit/ poster. Aren't you already living the monastery life just not within a religious context? When was the last time you left your room and when was the last time you actually spoke to another human being face to face?

Introspection doesn't need to occur in a designated centre. Recognise yourself in the here and now.

>>9527166
>I have to ask though, you're a /lit/ poster. Aren't you already living the monastery life?

No

>>9527166
I do this but can't stand my neighbors. The only time I see people is at work, and that's only a passing hello before I lock myself in my office. Most of my conversations are on 4chan.

I think it's very interesting how different a person is if they're not regularly around other people. It makes you very miserable,but at the same time, you feel more "yourself" than you ever would otherwise.

>>9527156
I didn't think of it like that, thanks for the post.
Definitely excited to do some work around the Monastery. I guess there's 1,000 acres of land they have, and lots of areas to hike.
The website says they make fruit-cake, date-cake and honey, i wonder if they have a beekeeper. That's something I'll have to ask when I email them.

>>9527131
Then you're perfect.

Besides the Bible you could bring a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you don't really need a physical copy, it's available on the Vatican's website for free in many languages:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

Are you going to be living as a monk? If so I can't imagine you're going to have a lot of free time.

>>9527193

Yeah this, monks work constantly, thats the whole point of a monastery.

>>9527192
Awesome, thank you. I think i'll bring my bible, this, and The Rule of St Benedict.


This guy is pretty interesting from what I've read so far.
He abandonded worldy affairs to live in a cave, and others went to him and asked him to be their Abbot.
He was so hardcore that they tried poisoning him.

>>9527218

You should just ask if they have a library. Also read Augustine.

>>9527225
I didn't even think of that. Thank you again for the help and recs

>>9527125
Nice writing. Got anything else?

Narcissus and Goldmund is definitely related.

>>9527218

My dude, you should read more about early Christianity, it is fascinating. The logic behind the extremes these "athletes of god" went to was a substitute for martyrdom. Martyrdom was your one way ticket to heaven, and once Constantine legitimised their faith, martyrdom was no longer an option, so they would go live in the desert, or even live on top of 20ft poles.

>>9526901
>going to any retreat
>ever
It's too late.
>>9527156
Anon you can do those things outside of a monastery. And if you're going to a monastery to learn how to make wine...
>>9527185
Are you kidding? You don't become "more you", you become unstable. It's like your whole world's been...tilted. Everything except yourself has been scoured away, and you don't gain anything in that process -- you don't become more you because everyone else is gone.

It's not good, anon. I had serious plans to join the Syrian civil war.

>>9527295
living with monks for a month isnt the same as joining a war

>>9526901
American Psycho so you have something to jerk off to.