Monasticism

Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from μόνος, monos, "alone") is a religious way of life that involves renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work. The origin of the word is from Ancient Greek, and the idea originally related to Buddhist monks in 550 BC.

In the Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Christian traditions, males pursuing a monastic life are generally called monks while female monastics are called nuns. Both monks and nuns are considered monastics. The way of addressing monastics differs between the Christian traditions. For a general rule, in Roman Catholicism, monks and nuns are called brother or sister, while in Orthodox Christianity, they are called father or mother. This is not an absolute rule as their address varies depending on their rank and monastic tradition. Some other religions also include monastic elements, most notably Buddhism, but also Hinduism and Jainism, though the expressions differ considerably.