monastic rule
Cloister's governing principles
A monastic rule is a set of regulations governing life in a religious community—prescribing daily routines, prayer schedules, work, dress, and conduct.
The Rule of St.
Benedict, written in the sixth century, became the foundation for Western monasticism: The abbey followed the Benedictine rule.
Different orders observe different rules, each shaping a distinct spiritual discipline.
- abbotMonastery's chief cleric
- obedienceCompliance with authority
- priorExisting before another
- asceticismSevere self-denial practice
- liturgyFormal worship structure
chapter house · chastity · discipline · meditation · vows · holy orders · poverty · manual labor · enclosure · silence · cell door · religious orders · fasting · humility · monk · novice · cloister · communal living
monastic rulesecular law
Legal code without religious basis
civil law · state law · common law · constitutional law · canon law
monastic rulehedonism
Pursuit of gratification
libertinism · self-indulgence · licentiousness · epicureanism · worldliness
monastic rulepersonal autonomy
Control over one's choices
self-determination · individual freedom · laity · private life · independent living