Do you have some recommended resources? Please email me. There’s not a lot out there about secular monasticism per se, but much wisdom can be gleaned from other forms.
Web Resources
- Raven’s Bread Ministries. Two former hermits offer information and wisdom and support to hermits worldwide.
- Lindisfarne Community
- Mons Domus, my secular monastery
- A Curated List of Books about and by monks and nuns
- Article on monastic tendencies among the digital elite.
Persons
Thomas Merton. A prolific, versed, brilliant, and compassionate contemporary monk who spanned the East and West.
The thoughtful blog of a modern urban monk.
Books on Monasticism and Eremitism
Non-Fiction
The New Monasticism*, Bucko and McEntee. A flexible monasticism, steeped in world religion and spirituality. It was a bit heavy on the god stuff for me, but it is a thoughtful step in monastic life for a broader people.
*a note on “new” monasticisms. There are several self-styled new monasticisms out there, this Secular Monastic approach included! They are wildly varied, but all are a reflection of the noisiness of the age. Evaluate each individually on their merits and drawbacks. On their principles and their challenges. Know that they aren’t all the same. Mostly, from what I can tell, they are developed by thoughtful people. I would imagine there are pearls of good, transferrable thought in each of them.
Consider the Ravens: On Contemporary Hermit Life, by the Fredettes of Raven’s Bread Ministries. Compiling years of personal experience and information gleaned from hermits around the world, this is a great book if you are considering solitary life.
Why Buddhism is True, Robert Wright. A journalist, writer, and thinker documents his experience with meditation, and backs his commentary up with some good science. I’m a big fan of Robert Wright, he’s written a lot of very well-considered and researched books on Humanity.
Fiction- heady stuff for the monk fans!
- Anathema, Neal Stephenson
- In the Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
Rules
On Franciscan Rule, and how it has been adapted by Protestants.
Rule in Pre-Modern Tibetan Buddhist Monasteries. (also as free eBook)
Mons Domus Rule (my personal monastic rule)