<P> In Eastern Orthodoxy monasticism holds a very special and important place: "Angels are a light for monks, monks are a light for laymen" (St. John Klimakos). Orthodox monastics separate themselves from the world in order to pray unceasingly for the world . They do not, in general, have as their primary purpose the running of social services, but instead are concerned with attaining theosis, or union with God . However, care for the poor and needy has always been an obligation of monasticism, so not all monasteries are "cloistered". The level of contact though will vary from community to community . Hermits, on the other hand, have little or no contact with the outside world . </P> <P> Orthodox monasticism does not have religious orders as are found in the West, nor do they have Rules in the same sense as the Rule of St. Benedict . Rather, Eastern monastics study and draw inspiration from the writings of the Desert Fathers as well as other Church Fathers; probably the most influential of which are the Greater Asketikon and Lesser Asketikon of St. Basil the Great and the Philokalia, which was compiled by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth . Hesychasm is of primary importance in the ascetical theology of the Orthodox Church . </P> <P> Most communities are self - supporting, and the monastic's daily life is usually divided into three parts: (a) communal worship in the catholicon (the monastery's main church); (b) hard manual labour; and (c) private prayer, spiritual study, and rest when necessary . Meals are usually taken in common in a sizable dining hall known as a trapeza (refectory), at elongated refectory tables . Food is usually simple and is eaten in silence while one of the brethren reads aloud from the spiritual writings of the Holy Fathers . The monastic lifestyle takes a great deal of serious commitment . Within the cenobitic community, all monks conform to a common way of living based on the traditions of that particular monastery . In struggling to attain this conformity, the monastic comes to realize his own shortcomings and is guided by his spiritual father in how to deal honestly with them . For this same reason, bishops are almost always chosen from the ranks of monks . </P> <P> Eastern monasticism is found in three distinct forms: anchoritic (a solitary living in isolation), cenobitic (a community living and worshiping together under the direct rule of an abbot or abbess), and the "middle way" between the two, known as the skete (a community of individuals living separately but in close proximity to one another, who come together only on Sundays and feast days, working and praying the rest of the time in solitude, but under the direction of an elder). One normally enters a cenobitic community first, and only after testing and spiritual growth would one go on to the skete or, for the most advanced, become a solitary anchorite . However, one is not necessarily expected to join a skete or become a solitary; most monastics remain in the cenobium the whole of their lives . </P>

Which of the following was not required of medieval christian monks and nuns