Editing Monk (section)

==Real World Monks==
In the real world, a monk is a male (females are called nuns) who has taken a vow to live a life of celibacy, asceticism and religious devotion. 'Abandoning the world', and all that. Monasticism is most commonly associated with Christianity (the Catholic and Orthodox branches, anyway) and Buddhism, though monasticism exists in other religions as well (particularly Hinduism). Monks often live secluded in monasteries, but this isn't always the case - both the Dharmic religions and Catholicism also have mendicants, beggar-monks that don't seclude themselves from society. Sufis are often seen as Islamic monks, though this isn't entirely correct because sufis are usually not celibate (as Islam generally frowns upon celibacy). The word 'dervish' refers to a certain type of sufi.

Note that a monk is not the same thing as a priest. A priest is someone whose job it is to carry out religious rites that ordinary believers either aren't qualified to, or simply wouldn't have the training necessary to do. A monk is technically just a regular believer who took up asceticism. For example, a regular Catholic monk is not allowed to perform mass, because only an ordained priest can to do that. You ''can'' be both a monk and an ordained priest in Catholicism, but that's not necessary nor all that common, depending on the monastic order in question (of which there are hundreds, each with their own distinctive traditions regarding this and many other questions and practices, although the basics apply throughout; in the Christian tradition, this is the threefold vow of "poverty, chastity, and obedience.") Other religions can vary quite a bit; in general Eastern monks and priests are quite different and one might seek out one for one purpose and the other for another, although the same applies in the West, only to a lesser extent: any Christian monastic settlement of any size is likely to have at least one or a handful of monks ordained as priests.

For much of the [[Dark Age]], Catholic monks were a vital source of labor for the church.  They performed routine tasks such as farming and brewing, built and maintained facilities, and those who were literate copied and illuminated manuscripts prior to the invention of the printing press. Although this life was tough, it gave a certain amount of security from outside threats and made sure that you were kept warm and fed... most of the time. Being a monk was also pretty much the only way for a commoner to receive basic education.

Speaking of which, entirely contrary to what you may have been told by r/atheism, medieval monks were quite eager to learn as much about God's world as they could, under the logic that this would let them learn more about God. In fact it was the Vatican that founded and funded bigname universities like Oxford and Cambridge, meaning that monks were outright the closest thing they had to scientists back then. Which, thanks to the intentionally practical and un-flashy robes monks wore, is ultimately the reason wizards always wear robes in fantasy (as opposed to ordinary clothes).

An offshot (and the cultural reference when talking about Paladins) from monastic orders were the various knightly orders that sprung up in the wake of the Crusades, that monks and both Knights seeking to keep the Holy Land free of heathens belonged to. 

Also note that monks are male by default in real life. The female equivalent of a monk is a nun, and the term 'nun' is likewise applied to monastic women of any religion (so you've got Buddhist nuns, Orthodox nuns, etc.). 

Then there's monks as they appear in [[Dungeons & Dragons]]-style fantasy...