BOUNDARIES AND WALLS

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In this morning's class with our three junior monks we discussed an article about  monastic enclosure, its history, purpose and varieties. After a few pages I began thinking about the importance of "boundaries."

A monastery puts up signs on fences and doors saying "Monastic Enclosure," the idea being that only

those who belong inside should pass into the interior of the cloister. Withdrawal from the world is one of the oldest marks of the monastic life. It used to be that a few walls and a strong front door could really serve as a protection from incursions from outside influences. St. Benedict did not allow his monks outside the boundaries of the enclosure because, he said, "it is not good for their souls." 

Separation from the world is not intended as a flight from the sinful and evil generation around us, but rather a time-tested means of establishing a framework in which solitude can be practiced, in which prayer can be pursued more easily.

BOUNDARIES

There's a sign on the door leading from our school into the monastery: "Monastic Cloister. Private." It's a boundary marker. But what is the spiritual function of that boundary in the 21st century? In Benedict's time if a monk wanted to interact with the world he usually had to leave the enclosure. (Benedict doesn't allow monks to speak to guests!). In our time, however, the physical enclosure hardly keeps the world's influences from entering through newspapers, television, and now the Internet. (Okay, blog posts too.)

In a world where young monks connect with their counterparts in other monasteries via Facebook, , Instagram and various web pages, we formation directors have to teach them the importance and the spiritual purpose of those old-fashioned words: enclosure, separation from the world, and boundaries. Since I don't even have a cellphone and I'm not on Facebook, and would not know an Instagram screen if I saw it, maybe I'm actually in a good position to help the younger guys to see the purpose of separation from the world, and encourage them to guard the boundaries of their own monastic lives.

I want to help them to experience the value of this separation, and let them see that our ability to love and serve our brothers and sisters outside the monastery is in large part the fruit our lifestyle of solitude which gives us the time and space to pray and to seek the Lord. 

This post is just a beginning of a discussion of the rich theology that underlies the ages-old practice of monastic enclosure.
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Young Buddhist monk emailing a novice at Newark Abbey?

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