To Be a Monk |
In Eastern, non-Christian monasticism, the perfection of the individual monk is the goal. And the basic unit in the process is the individual person. Communal perfection, union of all individuals in one Body, is not envisioned.
The Christian phenomenon contrasts with this. For the Western monk, the call to be "alone with the Alone" is equally and simultaneously a call to be united with all men. While the relationship of the young Eastern monk to a community, a guru or a roshi is a necessary condition for his progress, it is not an essential part of his goal. But the Christian monk realizes that his personal perfection in contemplation is identical with the most complete gift of himself to his community. Therefore, all his life long he tries to grow in love for his community no less than he strives to advance in personal contemplation. The measure of a Christian's prayer and contemplation is the measure of his love for his friends. His friends are all mankind, beginning with the monks of his community and the other people in his life.