The Monastic Personality | The Monk Within

Welcome to this e-course, The Monastic Personality, based on a lecture of the same name that Dr. Lanzetta gave in January 2011. Each of us, to a greater or lesser extent, has a monastic personality. It is a universal quality of the deep self and a desire of the heart to seek silence and solitude. In this lecture, she discusses how people often live for many years unaware of their contemplative natures. Found along every spectrum of the personality map—extroverted, introverted, intuitive and so forth—the contemplative soul has an intrinsic need for silence and solitude. Among the other attributes of this type of person is great sensitivity, search for truth, a permeable consciousness, and an intense need for freedom of expression. It is our hope that the content of this course will be of service to you as you advance on your divine path.

Each session includes a link to an audio clip from the lecture and a PDF to download with questions for reflection, suggested practices, prayer, and the text of the lecture to assist with further reflection and study. At the end of this page you will also find a virtual library to support you on your journey.

It is recommended that you move through each session in order, and in your own time, allowing plenty of space between sessions for the material to settle into your being. Many of the reflections and practices involve journaling, so please be sure to have one nearby.

We wish you every blessing as you advance into the mystery of your own solitude.

First, listen to the audio for each session. Oral transmission is a standard practice of monastic life, with communities of monks gathering for dharma talks or commentaries on scripture reading. Listening to a spiritual teaching, preferably quietly and without distraction, is one of the most effective ways of absorbing a teaching.

Next, reflect. Allow time for the audio lecture to ruminate and reflect during the next minutes, hours or days.

Then, read the text. Consider approaching the text in a contemplative manner, allowing words or phrases to draw you into reflection, prayer, etc. Christians call this type of engagement with a text, lectio divina—sacred reading.

After, write in a journal. Respond to the Reflections, Practices, and Prayers.

Explore the virtual library for this course at the bottom of this page. Remember to also take advantage of the resources here on The Monk Within, where you will find study guides to Beverly's books, answers to frequently asked questions, and audio of interviews and prayers.

Connect. As with any spiritual undertaking, guidance and companionship are essential. If you do not already have a spiritual director, you may consider finding one. Participants are also encouraged to consider participating in the self-study courses with a friend. Moving through the process as spiritual companions will enrich the experience and provide a grounding for future support and connection.

SESSION 1: BETROTHED TO SILENCE

In this session, Dr. Lanzetta describes the first attribute of the monastic or contemplative personality and what it means to have one's ultimate spiritual commitment be to the Divine within.

First, listen to the audio. Then download the PDF of this session to access the text, reflections, practices, and prayer. (Please note that the text is an edited transcription. The link to the audio is also included in the PDF.)

SESSION 2: THE PLACE WITHIN

In this session, Dr. Lanzetta discussed the need to become fierce advocates for the Divine in ourselves.

SESSION 3: THE PERMEABLE SOUL

In this session Dr. Lanzetta introduces Teresa of Avila's seven stages of the soul. An image of the chart she refers to in the lecture is included in the PDF.

First, listen to the audio . Then download the PDF of this session to access the text, reflections, practices, and prayer. (Please note that the text is an edited transcription. The link to the audio is also included in the PDF.)

SESSION 4: THE TRUTH OF BEING

In this session, Dr. Lanzetta discusses the alienation that people with a contemplative or monastic personality can feel in conventional culture and their need for deep reflective engagement.

SESSION 5: FREEDOM

In this session, Dr. Lanzetta discusses the frictions and challenges that can exist in relationships for those with a monastic or contemplative personality, and introduces the concept of inherent spiritual rights.

SESSION 6: COMMUNICATING THE DEEP SELF

In this session, Dr. Lanzetta discusses how one of the maturing dimensions of the monastic personality is the ability to overcome the fear of speaking one's truth.

SESSION 7: MYSTICAL SOLIDARITY AND DIVINE RHYTHM

In this session, as the lecture comes to a close, Dr. Lanzetta discusses the meaning of mystical solidarity and what it means to live in God's time.

SESSION 8: CONTEMPLATION AS INFLOW FROM THE DIVINE

In this session, Dr. Lanzetta responds to a question that was asked after the lecture: “Last night you talked about practices, and about meditation, solitude and silence, and apparently silence is not what I think it is. You said that contemplation and meditation can lead to silence. Can you talk about that a bit more?”

VIRTUAL LIBRARY

Raimon Panikkar (1918-2010) was a distinguished scholar, scientist, and theologian of interreligious dialogue who pioneered much of the twentieth century’s quest for a shared mystical orientation. His lectures on the aspiration of the new monk, compiled in Blessed Simplicity: The Monk as Universal Archetype, reflect on the relevance of the monastic archetype, awake in the center of being and intrinsic in human life:

"The thesis I am defending is that the monk is the expression of an archetype which is a constitutive dimension of human life. This archetype is a unique quality of each person, which at once needs and shuns institutionalization. . . . The great monks have always been worried when the monk becomes a well-accepted figure in the world and receives the blessings of society. The monk is highly personal."

Raimundo Panikkar, Blessed Simplicity: The Monk as Universal Archetype (New York: The Seabury Press, 1982), 11.

2. Thomas Merton OCSO (1915 –1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist, and scholar of comparative religion. We recommend reading his book Thoughts in Solitude.

3. A slightly different version of this lecture is published in The Monk Within: Embracing a Sacred Way of Life, pages 200-213

4. Monastic Interreligious Dialogue

5. The Resources page of The Monk Within.

6. Virgin of Tenderness of Yaroslavl, by Mirabai Starr

Virgin of Tenderness,

disarm my heart.

Let me melt in the warmth

of your loving arms.

Let the gentleness of your caress penetrate the hardened seedbed of my soul

so that the living waters may flow into me.

May I germinate, sprout, and flower

with the spirit of the Holy One

that has been planted deep inside me.

Sweet Mother of God,

I take refuge in the soft folds of your cloak.

I press my face against your face.

As long as I am in your embrace

there is no need to protect myself

against the pain of the world.

I surrender to your healing touch.

Mirabai Starr, Mother of God Similar to Fire (New York: Orbis Books, 2010).

This course is being offered at no cost, but if you'd like to contribute to support this work, we'd be grateful, and you can do so by clicking on the button below.

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Please note: Your participation in this course entitles you to access, but not to forward, duplicate, or share course content. If you know someone who might benefit from this - or any other The Monk Within Self-Study course - please invite them to register directly.

By having registered for this course, you recognize, understand, agree and affirm that Beverly Lanzetta’s e-course, The Monastic Personality, as well as the design, format, content of the course modules (Reflections, Practices, Prayers, Virtual Library), electronic data, audio, digital, and visual recordings, written lectures, and transcriptions and edited transcriptions including but not limited to the above mentioned categories that refer or relate to the work of Beverly Lanzetta are Beverly Lanzetta’s sole property, protected under U.S. copyright law. The above specified categories of materials and information contained therein may not be forwarded, copied, disseminated, sold, transcribed, or transmitted without Beverly Lanzetta’s prior express written consent or that of her heirs.