How to become a monk is a question that every person who has firmly decided to take monastic vows asks himself. Having embarked on a path that involves saying goodbye to the blessings of life and leaving the world, it is impossible to go through it quickly. The priests advise not to rush, since life in a monastery is not suitable for everyone who dreams of it. What needs to be done in order to realize your desire?
How to become a monk: the beginning of the journey
Where to start for a person who has a desire to leave behind the bustle of worldly life and go to a monastery? When wondering how to become a monk, you must first understand what it means. Anyone who makes such a decision must prepare for dramatic changes in life. He will no longer have access to the benefits of civilization to which all residents of the 21st century are accustomed - cell phones, computers, televisions and other achievements of technological progress will remain a thing of the past.
It is important to realize that the life of a monk is dedicated to God, spent in work and prayer. People who have taken monastic vows will have to leave their usual entertainment behind the walls of the monastery. You will also have to give up contacts with the opposite sex. Finally, not every person is ready to accept the fact that he will rarely have to see close people - relatives and friends. It is separation from family that forces many to change their minds.
Communication with a confessor
It is great if someone who plans to enter a monastery has their own confessor. It is he who should be asked the question of how to become a monk. In the absence of a confessor, you can visit any church and discuss the decision made with the local priest. From him you can learn details about life in the monastery, which will help you strengthen your desire or change your mind in advance.
As a rule, priests recommend that people who want to say goodbye to worldly life attend church every day for a year. In addition, they must follow fasts, read prayers and make changes in their daily routine. We are talking about getting up early (about 5-6 in the morning), eating lean foods, refusing entertainment, including innocent ones like watching TV shows and using the Internet. Of course, the priest will advise you to give up intimate relationships with the opposite sex in advance.
In addition to all of the above, the future monk is shown reading the Holy Scriptures and becoming familiar with the works of worthy church fathers.
Laborer
The next stage is for the one who withstands all the tests of the previous stage with honor, which, as practice shows, few can do. Before becoming a monk, the candidate will have to go through the path of the laborer. This is the name of a person who serves as an assistant to clergy. The worker is required to permanently reside in the monastery, and strict adherence to all the rules accepted there is also necessary. In particular, future monks get up at five in the morning, observe fasts, and spend their days at work. They are forced to clean rooms, help in the kitchen or in the garden, and are assigned other tasks. Of course, a lot of time is devoted to prayers.
The workers live in the monastery for about three years, this is necessary in order to strengthen their decision. A person who wants to devote himself to serving God must understand that he will have to work hard physically. This is also true for those who in worldly life were primarily engaged in mental work, have a diploma of higher education, or worked in a leadership position.
Novice
How to become a monk in Russia? You cannot take monastic vows without also going through the novice stage. If, during the three years spent as a laborer, the candidate becomes stronger in his intention, he becomes a novice. To do this, you must submit a petition for admission to the brethren of the chosen monastery. The abbot will certainly grant the request if the future monk was able to demonstrate hard work and patience while living in the temple as a worker.
The novice also resides permanently in the monastery and is given a cassock. The length of the probationary period, during which a candidate for monasticism will have to confirm his readiness to devote his life to God, is determined individually. It is worth knowing that the novice is free to leave the monastery walls at any time, having realized his mistake.
Vows
How to become a monk in Russia? Having successfully completed the path of the novice, a person can finally say goodbye to worldly life. To do this, he will need to take vows that imply renunciation of the benefits of civilization. Traditionally, people who want to enter an Orthodox monastery take four ascetic vows.
- Celibacy. Monks are unable to have sexual contact with the opposite sex; they deliberately reject the opportunity to get married and have children, thereby dooming themselves to a lonely life. However, the walls of the monastery are also open to widowers with adult heirs who no longer need care.
- Obedience. You need to be aware that by entering a monastery, a person actually gives up his own will, the ability to manage his own life. He is required to obey his confessor unquestioningly. It is better not for freedom-loving and proud people who are not ready for humility and obedience to take this path.
- Non-covetousness. What does it take to become a monk, besides this? You will have to give up your property, whether it is an apartment, a dacha or a car. A person entering a monastery must make a donation in its favor. However, it can be symbolic; most of the property is allowed to be left to close people if desired.
- Constant prayer. Of course, certain hours are set aside for offering prayers. However, a person who has taken monastic vows must pray constantly, even while doing physical labor.
People who are not allowed to enter the monastery
The above describes how to become a monk in a monastery. However, not everyone can take this path. Every confessor will say that people cannot say goodbye to worldly life if they still have obligations to relatives and friends. In other words, a person can go to a monastery only after he has dealt with all his obligations towards other people.
For example, you cannot become a monk if you have elderly parents who have no one to take care of them. The same applies to close relatives who are unable to provide self-care due to disability. It is also prohibited to abandon small children or leave them in orphanages.
Finally, a person suffering from a serious illness cannot go to a monastery, since there will be no quality medical care within its walls. The same rule applies to disabled people who are unable to care for themselves on their own. In such situations, priests recommend that people pray for their recovery.
Buddhism
Above is the answer to the question of how to become an Orthodox monk. What should a person do if he is attracted to Buddhism - an ancient religion that appeared more than two thousand years ago, the main postulate of which sounds like “here and now”. If you dream of joining the ranks of Buddhist monks, you need to realize that their lives are devoted to helping other people, they live in deprivation, they live on donations, and observe a celibate meal.
How to become a Buddhist monk? First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the teachings of religion, acquire and prepare for entering a monastery. For example, with the help of a mentor, you need to master the art of meditation. scattered all over the world, they are also found in Russian cities. A person who wishes to accept this religion must become a regular at such a monastery.
Buddhist monk
How to become a Buddhist monk in Russia? A person who has firmly decided to become a monk of a particular monastery must find out its requirements. It is better to inquire about them in advance, as they are different. A person whose candidacy is approved undergoes training in a temple, the duration of which depends on the rules of a particular monastery and the degree of readiness of the candidate. This is followed by an initiation ceremony, which only an ordained monk can perform. At this stage, the transmission of the Five Commandments and the Three Jewels is carried out, and a Buddhist name is chosen.
The initiate has a teacher, usually the person who performed the ceremony. He is allowed to settle permanently in the monastery. Also, the newly minted monk takes the vow of a Bodhisattva - a legendary hero who dedicated his life to the development of Buddhist teachings and helping those suffering. By taking the vow, people promise to do good and seek enlightenment throughout their entire existence.
Wanting to devote himself to Buddhism, a monk will have to renounce worldly pleasures. Of course, relationships with the opposite sex, creating a family and having children will become inaccessible to him. However, there is also the opportunity to become a monk temporarily, devoting several months or years to developing one’s own spirituality and searching for the meaning of life.
Road to Tibet
How to become a monk in Theoretically, this path can be taken by a person living in any country in the world, if he is not afraid of numerous difficulties. Education in the temple is available to everyone who has reached the age of eight. Candidates who do not speak the language must devote a year or two to studying at a special school. If you wish, you can also find monasteries with a Russian community without wasting time getting to know the Tibetan language. For example, residents of the Russian Federation can recommend the communities of Goman and Namgyel, which accept Russian-speaking novices.
How to become a Tibetan monk? Having mastered the language, you need to find a teacher at the monastery (lama) who will agree to become a mentor. You need to understand that the number of applicants exceeds the number of places in the temples, so the search can take a lot of time. After completing training with the lama, you will need to pass a difficult exam in Buddhism. Having coped with this task, a person acquires the status of a monk-disciple.
On average, novices study for five years, the length of training may vary depending on which monastery is chosen, as well as on the student's success. During this time, future monks will have to live on their own money, so you need to take care of having the necessary amount in advance.
Tibetan monk
Not every applicant is able to endure the path from a monk-student to a certified teacher-lama. Studying in a monastery is difficult. Students have to refuse any activities of an entertaining nature. For example, a monk-disciple can be kicked out even for playing football. Monks lead an ascetic lifestyle and are allowed to have a minimum of personal belongings.
The main subject is philosophy; students also master logic, the concepts of Buddhism, metaphysics, and so on. There is always the danger of repeating a second year, since the performance requirements are extremely strict, and any manifestations of laziness are severely punished. Some monks are forced to study for twenty years or more if they wish to become Ph.D. In addition to study, the life of a monk also includes monastic work. He may be assigned kitchen work, cleaning rooms and other tasks. Novices have very little personal time left.
It is interesting that a person whose training is completed is not at all obliged to say goodbye to worldly life. Many monks become administrators and teachers of the temple in which they studied. Some turn into hermits, going to the mountains of their own free will.
Path to Shaolin
Shaolin is a famous Buddhist temple located in central China. How to become This is also possible if a person is not afraid of the difficulties that are inevitable. First of all, the applicant should learn to understand Buddhism and Shaolin philosophy. Followers of the teaching do not learn kung fu techniques for the sake of fighting, as it may seem to those who are familiar with the art only through feature films and television series. The goal they set for themselves is to develop self-discipline and achieve harmony with the world around them.
How to become a monk in a Shaolin monastery? For people who have such a desire, it is useful to attend kung fu sections for some time or practice on their own by finding appropriate video courses. It is also worth visiting the Shaolin Temple, which can be seen as a tourist. In addition to China, such monasteries can be found in the USA and a number of European countries.
Shaolin monk
What should someone who not only wants to acquire kung fu skills, but also undergo serious training, do? How to become theoretically ready to accept everyone who shares Buddhist doctrine. Age limit - from six years. However, this person is required to reside permanently in China. In addition, the candidate must be purposeful, hardworking and virtuous, demonstrate a willingness to live an ascetic lifestyle, and demonstrate humility. Less stringent requirements are imposed on those who wish to train in martial arts schools operating at the monastery.
Having become a novice, the applicant undergoes training, during which mentors observe him, assessing his readiness. Some are able to take monastic vows within a few months, others wait several years to do so.
When thinking about how to become, you need to assess your readiness. People who have been trained in the monastery acquire fantastic endurance, which is developed through grueling training. These are physical exercises, martial arts, meditation. All years of study are devoted to improving the mind and body, leaving no time for rest and entertainment. It is also worth knowing that the monks do not eat meat; their diet consists of vegetables, fruits, and grains. This life path is absolutely not suitable for those with poor health.
Instead of conclusions
A person who is thinking about becoming a monk must understand that this is not a profession, but a way of life. You should not make an impulsive decision under the influence of problems that seem insoluble, failures in your personal life or professional activities.
The Church, frankly speaking, shares such concepts as monasticism and life in the world. Until you take monasticism and become a monk, you are living in the world. Indeed, if you listen to the priests, you need to prepare for monasticism. There are several explanations for this. The fact is that you may want this out of inexperience, out of ignorance of the world. Another option is resentment towards the world, towards the environment. Many young and not so young people, both men and girls, want to convert to monasticism after quarrels with their families. Men most often come to church because they have small children and their life is not going well with their wife, sometimes with their unofficial wife. They, wanting to get away from problems, strive to become monks. There are also those who become monks because relationships with the opposite sex are not going well in life.
What I would like to say before you become a monk: you should think about your decision, because... you will have to get used to life in a monastery, it is very difficult. Test yourself in the world to see if you can cope with such a life. Any priest will advise you to try to prepare for becoming a monk under familiar conditions, and then, if everything works out, you can turn to the rector of the temple, to your confessor, to whom you regularly confess. To prepare for monasticism in the world, you need:
- keep fasts,
- constantly go to church, to the temple (several times a week),
- read prayers daily,
- study and reread the Holy Scriptures, as well as the works of the holy fathers,
- get up in the morning at 5 o'clock in the morning,
- try to eat only lean foods,
- stop watching TV and computer games,
- do not meet with friends and the opposite sex.
If none of the above bothers you, then you have already mentally prepared for monasticism. Now begin preparing for monasticism and do what you read above for at least one year. It will be difficult, but if you truly believe that you are made for this, you will cope with God's help.
Contact your temple, where you go regularly. You need to tell your priest about your decision. He has the power to understand you or talk you out of a mistake, if this is the case. You will learn thoroughly what monastic life is, why it is needed, how to accept it, how to get used to it and love it.
Next, the confessor will advise you on several monasteries where you should go with your decision, communicate with the monastery mentor, and see the monastery itself. You may be offered to live in a monastery, do not refuse this opportunity until you find out what it is, and you will never understand what fully awaits you.
If you are satisfied with everything, and you have only strengthened your faith and deepened the desire to become a monk, you will have a long preparation within the walls of the monastery for tonsure as a monk. To be tonsured, that's what they correctly call how to become a monk. But do not be upset if you are advised to go home and think about your decision. This means that the monastery mentor sees that you doubt your decision. Now, having known yourself better, having taken a break from the mortal world, you may understand it better, understand people and be able to.
In the event that the mentor considers you ready to become a monk, you will not become one immediately. You will have to live in a monastery for a long time, forget about human blessings, so that after some time (it is different for everyone, but often it is many years) you will become a monk.
What restrictions does a person accept in monasticism?
Monasticism is a serious decision; you cannot just want to become a monk and become one, and then change your mind and go into the world. You must understand that along with monasticism you humble yourself and accept such things as strict restrictions. What restrictions face those who want to become a monk:
Compliance with these restrictions is extremely difficult, but you can cope with anything if you have real faith, hope for the best and love in God!
Father Seraphim Rose described three types of monasticism, as he called,
"three types of monastic situation."
First situation
This is an already established old monastery. This is what is usually meant by the words “becoming a monk.” To become a monk - for many this means to enter a monastery. And Father Seraphim writes that spiritual fruit in such a monastery is achieved through the suffering associated with staying in such a place, as well as through continuous connection with the past. Such a monastery, as it were, pulls a thread from the past, people join it, and as a result of this they get spiritual fruit, plus the suffering associated with staying in such a monastery.
Here Father Seraphim speaks about monasteries in the tradition of the Church Abroad. In August of this year, just a month ago, Abbess Alexandra from ROCOR(A) gave a report on the monasteries of the Church Abroad. She visited all the historical monasteries of the ROCOR. She describes four convents of the Church Abroad and the main monastery of the ROCOR, Jordanville. Her report carefully examines the routine of life and worship in such monasteries, but nowhere in the entire report is it mentioned, even briefly, the main activity of a monk - the Jesus Prayer. Maybe she has her own opinion, of course, but I also heard from other eyewitnesses who visited these monasteries that the main efforts there are aimed at receiving pilgrims and maintaining ancient buildings. Usually these monasteries have quite large real estate, which is difficult to maintain; the monks work for this, and I have never heard of the Jesus Prayer in the monasteries of the Church Abroad.
Although there is a slightly different monastery, different in spirit, it is located in Boston. In the USA there are even several such monasteries in the Church that is friendly to us, where they have a completely different attitude towards the Jesus Prayer, but they are all English-speaking, in a slightly different, Greek, tradition, but such monasteries do exist.
The second type of "monastic situation"
about which Father Seraphim writes, arises when a person begins to strive himself, according to his understanding of the examples of the great ascetics of the past. Father Seraphim explains that this is the most dangerous of all the monastic paths open today. And it's clear why. Father Seraphim gives many reasons why this is dangerous, and explains what qualities a person must have - an almost impossible combination of qualities - in order to survive like this. And, besides, such a hermitage in Russia is also a physically dangerous path. If in America, where Father Seraphim lived, you can fence off the territory, write “private territory”, and it will be quite well guarded, then in Russia all this is much more dangerous.
But there is one more thing that did not exist in the time of Father Seraphim, which is both good and evil. These are modern means of communication. If such an ascetic really tries not to use the Internet, then he chooses the second type described by Father Seraphim with all its dangers. If he uses the Internet, then he approaches the third type, because he has some like-minded people with whom he can communicate, and then he gets what Father Seraphim called the third type of “monastic situation.”
The third type of “monastic situation”
occurs when a group of several people begins to struggle, supporting each other. This case is very common for true Orthodoxy in Russia. There are parishes here, they are either apartment-type or churches (but the TOC managed to retain quite a few churches), in these communities there are people trying to live monastically, they usually stick together, and later one of them receives tonsure. Thus, at the parish, a small monastic community is obtained, usually of an urban type, which is often called monasticism in the world.
There are many problems here, but four lie on the surface. The first is how to keep in shape, the second is how to maintain some isolation from the world, the third problem of female monasticism is how to deal with lust (this is the other side of the problem of obedience), and the fourth problem is collective pride.
1) How to keep fit
What is this problem? At first, and even for a long time, for several years, a person who tries to live like a monk retains some understanding of why this is necessary. A person tries to strive, and then over time, some adaptation to such a life develops, efforts begin to weaken, life enters into some kind of its own channel, and the initial understanding begins to be erased and clogged with vanity.
This is where it is very important to keep in shape. For this, five basic activities of a monk and every Christian are important. It is important to learn these activities before tonsure, so that they become habitual and so that they create a form.
What are these activities that keep you going like this? I will list them in random order.
a) Psalmody
Psalmody is a worship service. And here it is very important for monastics to get used to daily worship even before tonsure. At least to the minimum. It can be performed at home, it can be performed without a priest (a priest is not even needed at such monastic services). This is some part of the services of the daily circle, minimally it is Vespers. This is a certain backbone that simply must be there, without which everything will be washed away.
b) Reading
Daily reading of the Holy Fathers. Reading may be very small, but attentive. Firstly, these are ascetic readings, about how to change oneself, because it seems to a person that he knows exactly what he needs to do in order to change, but the holy fathers find how to do it better. And another reading is reading that helps many, this is reading some living books about Orthodoxy, which remind us why all this is needed, some lives, but not verified, but written “hot on the heels”, where they describe and pros, cons, and mistakes, which tells how people who tried to strive actually lived. So we just find ourselves in good company. Because when a person lives in the world, he inevitably communicates with people, and with good people, but they have a slightly different structure. And when we see the life of holy people who labored and tried before, they become some of our company with which we communicate.
c) Reflection
Thinking, first of all, about your sins. There is one very good trick here. It is difficult to force yourself to do this, because our inner person will not want to do it, but if you get used to it, it is a very good habit. Once a day, or better yet, twice a day, carry out a mechanical “inventory” of sins for a day or half a day: what bad things did I do during this time, this, this and this. And think about how I could, next time I find myself in this situation, not step on this rake.
Here, of course, it is better not to think for yourself (and this is a very important point); you cannot trust your own ideas about your mistakes, but you need to consult with someone. When there is a good and experienced priest, it is good, but it is not at all necessary that it be a priest. It is enough that there is a like-minded person with whom it could be discussed and who can suggest something from the outside. Sometimes you can see from the outside what is not visible from the inside. I myself have nothing, but my neighbor can always see not only what he has, but also how he can improve! But it is actually useful to discuss everything. Here, of course, the thought arises that I myself know, but if I myself know, and this does not help, then it means that I know something wrong.
d) The fourth lesson is what is called prayer
This is the same Jesus Prayer, some special rule associated with the Jesus Prayer. This is a completely separate topic. But how does it help? Unlike the three previous activities, which create a kind of skeleton, it creates the joy for which all this can be done. As one modern figure in the Jesus Prayer said, our day is like smoked glass, and the monastic rule, the Jesus Prayer, is like a small window rubbed in this glass through which light is visible.
e) Handicrafts
This is work. Its main purpose is to prevent thoughts from wandering, it is such an anchor for the mind, but it is also needed in order to live by one’s own labor. Because monastics often have a special kind of temptation: the world begins to help the monks a lot, completely undeservedly. All sorts of sponsors appear, and then the temptation arises to live at the expense of sponsors, to somehow rely on them, to somehow communicate with them. But this is a big trap, it greatly corrupts a person. Of course, it is better, like the Apostle Paul, who made his own tents, to work and earn a living himself. And this is in the catacomb traditions: the catacomb monks did not disdain to work in secular jobs. But organizing your own business for a monastery or for a small monastic community, even in the world - doing and selling something - is very troublesome, and even unsafe in Russia. And it’s easier when people, having some skills, just quietly work in their fields in secular jobs.
This is about how to keep fit.
2) The second problem is how to maintain some isolation,
or, in layman's terms, how not to party. And now there is not only ordinary communication with people, but also communication on the Internet.
But different people have different psychological structures, different needs for communication, so each person must come up with some kind of system for himself, how, in the absence of external walls of the monastery, he can organize some kind of internal fencing, some kind of isolation, otherwise unsanitary conditions will develop.
3) How to deal with covetousness,
with a desire to command. There is a very big problem with female monasticism. These nuns often find themselves involved in parish or diocesan activities, or in general church activities. Here it is very difficult to resist not to start bossing, especially if you are the boss by position (even more so, you need to restrain yourself more), and there may be several techniques here.
One very good rule to remember can be formulated as “keep your head down.” And you just need to remember about the very danger of giving orders. And it’s a joy to meet cases that allow you to humble yourself a little. To rejoice at every such unpleasant occasion, and these include the need for some kind of work, and harassment from the authorities. And, again, here you need to develop for yourself some kind of scheme on how to put the right barriers to your desire to command. It is advisable to develop it not on your own, but in consultation with someone who sees it from the outside.
4) The next danger is collective pride
This is not only among monastics, but in general it is a very dangerous thing for the TOC. I myself am a sinner, but what a good organization I belong to!.. Father Seraphim writes separately about collective pride precisely in relation to that group of people who organized their monastic community virtually from scratch. He says that "the appearance of being 'right' can produce spiritual complacency and disdain for those who, not being members of their group, are not so 'right'."
Father Seraphim gives advice on how to deal with this. He writes: “The less such a group is in the public spotlight, and the less it focuses on its “rightness” and its differences from older institutions, the better chance it has of maintaining its spiritual health.” That is, such a group should be in the center of public attention as little as possible.
Here we smoothly moved on to the side, but burning issue of female monasticism, to the problem of appearance,
Clothes problem
I am talking here not about those who live in monasteries, but about those who live in the world. There are two approaches here. Some people think that you should always wear a cassock, while others think that it is not necessary.
Anyone who has walked down the street in a cassock knows that this is a very strong attraction for attention, two types of attention. The first is drunkards who immediately have a great religious impulse; when drunk, they have a need to communicate on religious topics. And the second is, again, undeserved very good attention from people. Sometimes, on the contrary, it is aggression, but more often it is some kind of signs of attention: they give up a place, let them skip the line. Is it necessary?
I studied the arguments in favor of wearing a cassock on the street. There are several arguments.
a) first argument,
which is most often encountered, was formulated by one of those present here as follows: “If you call yourself a milk mushroom, get into the back.” Yes, a monk takes certain vows when taking vows, but among them there is no vow to wear medieval everyday oriental clothing. Because the cassock and apostle are common clothes in the East, they have been preserved there as everyday clothing to this day.
But how important is it to walk in oriental medieval clothing on the streets? In the service there is a ceremony and ritual, but in everyday life?
b) second argument:
One Greek priest in America told me, emphasizing why it is important to walk in a cassock, how he stood somewhere on the street, and young people stood nearby, they did not see him and used some swear words. Then they saw him, apologized and began to speak good English. And so, this is an argument in favor of the cassock. In fact, Orthodoxy does not have the goal of teaching people to express themselves this way and not that, and anyone who has tried to teach young people not to use obscene language knows how much violence it really is against them, how serious coercion it is for them. But is it necessary to use the cassock to transform Orthodoxy into some kind of system of restrictions and coercion?
c) another reason:
I preach Christianity when I walk around in a cassock. It seems to me that this is not a healthy reason at all. If a person seriously thinks that he is preaching Christianity with his appearance, then this is a reason to hit himself on the forehead and somehow treat himself more soberly.
d) fourth reason:
I don’t feel like a monk in secular clothes. No matter how funny it sounds, but in fact, this is a serious reason, because in different clothes a person feels differently. In shorts, they say, in one way, in a formal suit - some other way. And the cassock helps someone maintain the correct dispensation. So, maybe for some this is an argument, I don’t know and I don’t presume to judge here. They say, “form protects the spirit,” but here we can also say that the spirit does not always protect form, but sometimes replaces it. And maybe it’s better to “less masquerade,” so as not to draw attention to your own monastic person.
Now we can talk about guidelines, not problems. The Highest Landmark - it’s clear what it is, I’m putting It out of brackets, and as for earthly landmarks, it’s better for us in Russia to focus not on the monasteries of the Church Abroad, but on catacomb monasticism. They walked down the street in secular clothes.
In catacomb monasticism there were different options; there was no desire to force everyone under any single charter. They walked in secular clothes and still walk along the streets in secular clothes, in modest, decent clothes that do not attract attention. They do not hesitate to work in secular jobs. They did not always all live together in one place. But they had their own monastic rules. And it is the catacomb traditions that can be a guide for us.
And in conclusion, I would like to say that the most important thing is not to condemn other types of monastic life. When a person chooses monasticism, then, in my opinion, this is very great, and other monks should rejoice. And if it seems that it would be worth organizing it somehow differently, then, in fact, thank God that there is at least some way.
Monks, they are all a bit like relatives, they should rejoice at each other - even if in some ways they understand monastic practice differently.
What is tonsure as a monk and how is it done? September 5th, 2016
Hello dears.
I am sure that more than once or twice, while reading various historical books about history, you have come across such a phrase as “he was tonsured a monk (-ini)” or, even more so, “he was forcibly tonsured.” We've encountered each other, right? The most striking example is the same diplomat, military leader and boyar Fyodor Nikitich Romanov, who was forced to become a monk, and who later became the 3rd Patriarch of Rus', and his son Mikhail - the first tsar of the Romanov dynasty. or the unfortunate first wife of Peter I, Evdokia Lopukhina.
Have you ever wondered what kind of tonsure this is and how exactly it takes place? To me, yes. So today I will talk a little about this. If you are not interested, it is better not to read further. And for those who are deeply immersed in the topic (and I know that there are some among my friends), I ask you to correct me if I’m wrong about something or somewhere.
So, tonsure is a very ancient procedure in Christianity (and not only in Christianity, as we will see a little later). Moreover, sometimes it has, so to speak, an external manifestation. Until 1973, any Catholic priest or monk shaved the top of his head and this hairstyle was called tonsure. I'm sure you've seen this in movies, illustrations for books, and maybe even in person. It looked something like this:
or like this:
It’s interesting that somewhere before the middle of the 17th century, we had something similar in Orthodoxy. It was only called humenzo
One of the Russian icons.
No one will say what exactly this tradition and such a strange hairstyle method was connected with. This began to be practiced in the Christian church somewhere in the 3rd-4th centuries and is most likely associated with sacrifice to God. Hair has always had a sacred and mystical character - it is a sign of the greatness of a person and his beauty. To lose hair means to lose strength and good luck (let us at least remember the biblical motif with Samson). Voluntary cutting off part of your hair is a sacrifice to God of your beauty and good luck, for the sake of serving him and glorifying him. I think something like this...
However, Orthodoxy moved away from this a very long time ago.
Samson and Delilah.
It is the Orthodox tradition that interests us most of all, because it is directly connected with Russian history. Everything flows, everything changes, and even such a conservative institution as the Church makes changes to its seemingly established procedures for centuries.
Let's start with the fact that, as far as I understand, nowadays tonsure means not just one, but 5 procedures, which are somewhat different in meaning and significance. The main thing is that now it is no longer possible to “forcibly cut hair”. Basically:-) 
E.F. Lopukhina
You have probably seen the first 2 of these procedures with your own eyes. At baptism and immediately after confirmation, the priest cuts off part of the hair with special prayers. The same thing happens when someone from the junior clergy, for example a reader, is promoted to the rank.
The third level is already serious. This is the so-called monastic tonsure. Nuns of both sexes at this level are called ryassophores. This is the very first, initial level of monasticism. A person consciously moves from the status of a novice to the status of a monk (-ini). The procedure goes something like this:
At the initiation of the novices, after reading the repentant troparions and prayers for the person being tonsured, the cruciform tonsure of the person being tonsured is performed, with the words pronounced: “ In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" Next, the tonsured person puts on a cassock and kamilavka. This ritual is called “putting on the cassock and kamilavka.” We talked about the kamlavka here:
The next level is the mantle or otherwise small schema. By taking tonsure and vows of the minor schema, a person completely renounces worldly life and becomes a monk. Let me remind you that we talked a little about the ranks of monasticism here:
At this stage, the neophyte receives a new name (as if being born again) and takes four monastic (ascetic) vows:
Obedience (renunciation of one’s personal will and obedience to the confessor);
Celibacy (or chastity);
Non-acquisitiveness (poverty, or refusal to own personal property);
Continuous prayer.
There is a special procedure here - more complicated. The tonsure is carried out by the abbot, who tests the desire of the person being tonsured to serve God by three times commanding him to give the scissors and then rejecting them twice. Each time, the person being tonsured humbly hands them over and kisses the abbot’s hand. Having accepted the scissors for the third time, the abbot tonsures the initiate in a cross shape and gives him a new name, thereby signifying the final renunciation of the tonsured person from the world.
After this procedure, the monk is solemnly dressed in a tunic, paraman, belt, cassock, pallium, hood, sandals and given a rosary in his hand (we have already talked about all this).
The very last stage of tonsure is the so-called Great Schema or the Great Angelic Image. Not all Orthodox churches have it, but it does exist in the Russian Orthodox Church. This is the extreme degree of asceticism and obedience to God. In ancient times, they made another vow - to move into a seclusion, that is, to close themselves in a lonely cave as in a coffin and thereby completely die to the world, remaining with one God. Nowadays everything is a little simpler, but more often than not, those who accepted the Great Schema usually live separately from everyone and do not engage in any obedience, except for unceasing prayer.
Remember how it was with Boris Akunin in one of his best works, “Pelagia and the Black Monk”? Something like that...
The procedure of the Great Schema is longer and more solemn. The Great Schema (as they are sometimes called) is given another monastic name (as if another heavenly patron) and is clothed in the Great Schema robes (kukol and paraman), which we have already talked about here:
So now you can’t force a haircut, but cutting your hair can be done very easily. This is the most severe reprimand (punishment) in the Russian Orthodox Church. It would be more correct to say, not defrocking, but defrocking. It’s just that in ancient times the procedure looked something like this: that after reading a decree condemning him to deprivation of clergy, the clothes acquired for this rank were removed from him - a cassock, cassock, kamilavka, hood, etc., and the hair on his head was cut off and beard, dressed in a simple lay dress and took away the “placed letter” (a document-certificate of ordination to the priesthood). The whole process could take place in the temple, to the exclamations of “Anaxios!” (“unworthy!”) or in the consistory (diocesan administration), at the end of which the defrocked clergyman was expelled from the church or from the consistory with a rod. In the Russian Empire, such a clergyman was popularly called defrocked and was subject to a significant loss of civil rights for many years after defrocking. Hence the expressions “pop defrocked” or defrosted. 
Filaret (A. Denisenko)
The bottom line is that there is a certain tradition in cutting beard hair. As far as I understand, the fact is that in the beliefs of the Russian people, the Lord God will take women and girls to heaven by grabbing their braids and men by their beards. That is why there was such gnashing of teeth about Peter the Great, who was considered the Antichrist, among other things, because he forced beards to be shaved.
Nowadays, all this is simplified, and no one cuts off anyone’s beard. That's why the name is now defrocked. Although, according to tradition, such priests are often called defrocked. From the point of view of the Russian Orthodox Church (and this is significant in the Christian Church), such a disgrace is Filaret (A. Denisenko), now the head of the UOC of the Kyiv Patriarchate. Georgy Gapon was also defrocked. Something like that... 
G. Gapon
But the funny thing is that tonsure is associated not only with Christianity, which we already started talking about at the beginning of this post. In ancient pre-Christian Rus', young noble boys (usually at the age of 4-5 years) were tonsured - and this was, a kind of initiation into a future warrior.
I hope you found it interesting.
Have a nice time of day.