Monk is a man who has separated himself from ordinary ways of life to devote himself to his religion. Monks have played a prominent role in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Monks are also important in certain types of Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Hinduism.
Monks devote themselves to work, study, and prayer. To become a monk, a man must join a religious order. After a period of training, he is initiated into the order in a formal ceremony. As part of the initiation, a Christian monk takes vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, promising to own no property, to refrain from sexual activity, and to obey superiors. In many orders, monks live in communities called monasteries. Each order follows its own set of guidelines, called a rule.
