Monasticism is a special form of asceticism accepted in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and some other areas of Christianity. The adoption of monasticism (tonsure) is an important and crucial step in life. A person who decides to take this step must be prepared for him.
Instruction manual
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Ideally, monasticism is a solution for life. The Russian Orthodox Church in some cases allows the dissolution of church marriage, but she has no idea about the abolition of monastic vows. A monk who has gone from the monastery to the world is considered to have broken his vows and is under church ban.
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The reasons for taking tonsure can be different. 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 the service of God.
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It is categorically not recommended to leave the monastery for hopelessness or inability to get married (get married) and start a family. People who became monks for such reasons, as a rule, get used to monastic life with great difficulty and cannot always sustain it.
4
According to the canons of the Russian Orthodox Church, only a monk has the right to become a bishop. Since 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 the adoption of tonsure can contribute to a church career.
However, this opinion is erroneous. Having become monks for ambitious reasons, they rarely achieve their goal.
5
It is unacceptable to become a monk by someone else’s order, against one’s own will. A spiritual mentor can bless for tonsure, but only if his ward asks for it 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.
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Immediately shearing a person who came to the monastery is prohibited. Before taking monastic vows, there follows a more or less long preparatory period - obedience. Sometimes it is divided into several stages: a worker (lives and works in a monastery), a caftan (adopted as a monastic brotherhood, wears special clothes), a novice (lives among monks and prepares for tonsure).
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Obedience can last 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 fraught with additional difficulties, since the charters of these monasteries equate novices in duties with the monks and do not allow them to abandon their intention.
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Not every person who has received tonsure is obliged to live in the monastery walls. Sometimes the confessor blesses on "monasticism in the world" - strict observance of vows without isolation from the outside world. However, such cases are rare, exceptional, and require a monk's special inner determination.
