Medieval monks were a little more like us. They consumed 6,000 calories/day on “normal” days, and 4,500 calories/day when fasting. Needless to say, middle ages food meant the common people were thin, while obesity was prevalent among monks and the upper classes. Then again, plump people were considered more attractive back then. The life of a medieval monk followed a strict pattern. The days consisted of a routine of religious services, manual labour, and sleep, varying only on feast days. The life of a medieval monk centred around prayer and religious observance. From the first service of the day to the last prayers at night, each 24 hour period followed the same pattern. Medieval cooking recipes and original texts give us some excellent insights into what a knight would have eaten. White bread was more common for a soldier to eat than the ugly, standard black bread that was made from lower quality grain by poorer people, and they probably ate more rare breeds of fish. The 'Buddhist monk diet,' a monastic dietary regimen where practitioners eat only before noon, becomes the most unlikely of weight loss tools. But not just for slimming one ex-monk's waistline Subscribe Online Courses.

Dove of the Holy Spirit (ca. 1660, alabaster, Throne of St. Peter, St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican)

Monastic silence is a spiritual practice recommended in a variety of religious traditions for purposes including facilitation of approaching deity, and achieving elevated states of spiritual purity.^[1] It may be in accordance with a monk's formal vow of silence, but can also engage laity who have not taken vows, or novices who are preparing to take vows. Monastic silence is more highly developed in the Roman Catholic faith than in Protestantism, but it is not limited to Catholicism. The practice has a corresponding manifestation in the Orthodox church, which teaches that silence is a means to access the deity, to develop self-knowledge,^[2] or to live more harmoniously.^[3]Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, placed the virtue of silence on par with the faith itself in a synodal letter from AD 400. 'Monks—if they wish to be what they are called—will love silence and the Catholic faith, for nothing at all is more important than these two things.'^[4]

Practice of silence by ordained and laity[edit]

The practice of silence is observed during different parts of the day; practitioners talk when they need to but maintain a sense of silence or a sense of prayer when talking. The rules of silence apply to both vowed practitioners and non-vowed guests.^[5] Religious recommendations of silence as praxis do not deprecate speech when it is thoughtful and considerate of commonly held values. According to Andrew March of the Benedictine order, we 'can listen to substantive speech for hours while five minutes of garrulous speech is too much.' It is noteworthy that 'silence' can include what is more aptly characterized as 'quietness', i.e. speaking in low voice tones.^[5] Silence is not an absence of words or thoughts—it is a positive and substantive reality.^[5]

Christian contemplative traditions[edit]

Old Testament roots[edit]

In the book Silence, The Still Small Voice of God, Andrew March establishes the roots of silence doctrine in the Psalms attributed to David. 'Benedict and his monastics would know from chanting the Psalter every week the verse that follows: “I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, my heart became hot within me. While I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue” (Psalm 39: 3).

St. Norbet's Arts Center^[6] also anchors its views on silence in the Old Testament: 'For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.' (Psalm 62)

Aids to practice[edit]

The Trappist rubric 'Living in silence' illustrates centuries-old hand gestures which were 'developed to convey basic communication of work andspirit'.^[7]

Benedictine[edit]

Silence plays a salient role in the Benedictine rule. It is thought that by clearing the mind of distraction, one may listen more attentively to the deity.

Christian theology differs from Dharmic religions with regard to the mode in which spiritual ascent transpires within the context of contemplative quiet. Buddhism and Hinduism promote various spiritual practices, as do many Christian denominations. However, Christianity, particularly Protestantism, emphasizes the belief that ultimate spiritual achievement is not within the grasp of mortals, no matter how persistent their practice may be. Rather, the mechanism of spiritual attainment, which they regard as salvation and proximity to the deity, is believed to occur solely through supernatural mechanism. This mechanism is variously described as the action of God, conceived as the Father, or by action of the Holy Spirit. This mechanism of action, whether conceptualized as the Father or the Spirit, is called grace.

In contemplative practice, the role of silence is expressed by the Fr. David Bird, OSB, (Order of St. Benedict): 'When both our interior and exterior are quiet, God will do the rest.'

Cistercian[edit]

Cistercian monastics have remained active in the promotion of contemplative meditation.^[8] Part of the emphasis is on achieving spiritual ascent, but monastic silence also functions to avoid sin.^[8]

Although speech is morally neutral per se, the Epistle of James (3:1-12) and writers of the monastic tradition see silence as the only effective means of neutralizing our tendency towards sins of the tongue.^[8] There is an ongoing dialogue between Benedictine and Cistercian which speaks of a 'monastic archetype' characterized by peace and silence.^[9]

Trappist[edit]

A Trappist’s commitment to silence is a monastic value which assures solitude in community. It fosters mindfulness of God and fraternal communion. It opens the mind to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and favours attentiveness of the heart and solitary prayer to God. Early monastic communities evolved simple hand signing for essential communications. Spoken conversations between monks are permitted, but limited according to the norms established by the community and approved by the Order.

'Silence is the mystery of the world to come. Speech is the organ of this present world. More than all things love silence: it brings you a fruit that the tongue cannot describe. In the beginning we have to force ourselves to be silent. But then from our very silence is born something that draws us into deeper silence. May God give you an experience of this 'something' that is born of silence. If you practice this, inexpressible light will dawn upon you.'^[10]

— Issac of Ninive

Protestantism[edit]

Baptist pastor and evangelist Frederick Brotherton Meyer (1847–1929), a member of the Higher Life movement, developed a strong commitment to silence, which he saw as one of the ways to gain access to God's guidance on all matters. Aapke pyaar mein chillout mix mp3 song download.

'We must be still before God. The life around us, in this age, is pre-eminently one of rush and effort. It is the age of the express train and electric telegraph. Years are crowded into months and weeks into days. This feverish haste threatens religious life. The stream has already entered our churches and stirred their quiet pools. Meetings crowd on meetings. The same energetic souls are found at them all and engaged in many good works besides. But we must beware that we do not substitute the active for the contemplative, the valley for the mountain top. (..) We must make time to be alone with God. The closet and the shut door are indispensable. (..) Be still, and know that God is within thee and around! In the hush of the soul the unseen becomes visible, and the eternally real. (..) Let no day pass without its season of silent waiting before God.'^[11]

FB Meyer exerted a deep influence on Frank Buchman (1878–1961), origina

What Do Medieval Monks Eat