There are a few ways of looking at the rich history of monasticism. Here we look at 1) monastic lineages or traditions and 2) monastic life-styles.

1) Monastic Traditions:

• Christian Monasticism
  • Catholic
    • Benedictine
    • Cistercian
    • Franciscan
    • Trappist
    • Augustine
  • Orthodox
  • “New Monasticism” (e.g. Monos)
• Buddhist Monasticism
  • Theravada
  • Mahayana
    • Zen
    • Tibetan
• Hindu Monasticism
  • Advaita Vedanta
• Taoist Monasticism
• Jain Monasticism
• Other non-secular traditions (with monastic qualities)
  • Manichaeism
  • Sufi
  • Bön
  • Judaism
• Secular Monasticism
  • Art Monasticism (e.g. the Art Monastery, with artmonks)

2) Monastic Styles:

• “Cenobites” – monks who live together in a community
• “Anchorites” – hermits, who live alone
• “Skete” (Orthodox) – a halfway house between a monastery and hermits
• “Oblates” and “Householder Yogins”- Regular folks, who live a semi-monastic life and have a relationship with a monastery
• “Mendicants” – Itinerant monks who depend on the charity of others