Vows

Vows are not required to join the monastery, and are completely voluntary. If you'd like to just hang out with us, read our work or follow us - that makes you an easy-going member of our Monastic Congregation. 

So why vows? Our vows exist to provide a sense of perspective to an approach to living that’s compatible with the spirit of living more calmly, and hopefully a bit more responsibly.

The monastery welcomes anyone, regardless of age, gender, social status, national origin, past lives, or religious or political persuasions.

THE RULE - pretty much every monastery has one of these.

The Casual Vows

THE 3 NOs OF THE MONASTERY

  1. No memorization required

  2. No membership fees

  3. No punishment if you mess up

CELIBACY

  1. You do not need to be celibate… unless you need to be.

THE MONASTIC VOWS OF SILENCE

  1. You do not need the permission of the abbot to take a vow of silence.

  2. You may take a vow of silence at anytime.

  3. Breaking the vow is strictly prohibited — unless you have something to say.

Photo by aluxum/iStock / Getty Images

Don't forget to check in with our amazing Vow Master.

The Formal Vows

THE SIX VOWS OF THE ORDER of Nothingness

By joining the order, I (state your name) vow to daily do my best:

  1. To become more relaxed

  2. To keep a sense of humor as a top priority

  3. To keep my mind open, flexible, supple and limber

  4. That I want my heart in the right place, even when it’s not

  5. That I shall always strive for a higher perspective, even when it seems invisible or difficult to achieve

  6. That in a world that’s gone crazy, I will Abide

    • Abide - to chill, stay calm, be relaxed, keep your cool

— The Order of Nothingness

Credit: Fotolia
 

The Awareness Vows

The Nine Vows of the Order of AWAREness

By joining the order, I (state your name) declare I will daily do my best:

  1. To live more simply.

  2. To share what’s good.

  3. To be kind and gentle.

  4. To try to live each day a little more aware than my yesterdays.

  5. To try to live each day being more conscious of consciousness.

  6. To do my best to live my life in a way that makes me an example of modesty and practical responsibility.

  7. To stand up, in my own ways, for social justice and fairness.

  8. To always be open to a higher perspective, and to a deeper and more fundamental reality. I humbly acknowledge that there is far more unknown than known, and I will do my best to always respect that.

  9. To uphold and support the three-fold Purpose of the Order.

— The Order of Awareness

The Three-Fold Purpose of the Order of AWARENESS

The Order of Awareness has been formed to:

  1. Find ways to put into words a practical and universally effective how-to guide for deeper conscious awareness and experiences. Something so universal, and so plainly laid out, that anyone could read it, comprehend it and do it. Something more scalable and readily repeatable than our current methodologies.

  2. Discover, support and/or develop ways to utilize technology to preserve, educate and disseminate the written work of the Order, including various related teachings, organizations, churches and institutions that the monastery supports.

  3. To support and/or promote the growth of knowledge in the field of awareness and consciousness, including work that originates from religious and spiritual sources, mysticism, philosophy and science.

We don’t think anyone should pressure themselves to think all of this can necessarily be pulled off in our lifetime. But we like trying.