Influences on the Monastery

This page outlines the foundational influences that currently shape the Christian monastery and the lifestyle we’re building here.

What Is a Monastery?

By “monastery,” I don’t just mean a physical building. A monastery can be:

A community of people living according to a shared spiritual paradigm,
A group of monks in a house, apartment, or nomadic structure,
A rhythm of cooperative life rooted in discipline, presence, and devotion.

It’s about the pattern of life, not the architecture.

Core Influences

1. Christ’s Teachings
The highest authority is the teaching and example of Christ. Every other influence is subject to this. If a practice or insight doesn’t contradict Christ’s words, it may still be useful to deepen our understanding of them.

2. The Early Church
The lifestyle of the early disciples as described in the Gospels and Acts—marked by simplicity, shared resources, prayer, and spiritual power—serves as a strong model.

3. The Essenes
Their commitment to holiness, simplicity, and separation from a corrupt culture resonates. We don’t seek to copy them directly but to carry forward that same radical devotion.

4. Meditation and Mental Training
From Buddhist traditions, we borrow methods of meditation, mental discipline, and introspective cultivation—adapted and reoriented around Christ.

5. The Sciences
Anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics—these are lenses through which we can better understand the body and its patterns. They are allies in spiritual training.

6. Taoist Self-Cultivation
Taoism offers valuable models for natural alignment, energy management, and self-refinement—when stripped of idolatry or conflicting dogma.

7. Logic and Devotion to Inquiry
We aim to develop strong reasoning and critical thought, not as ends in themselves, but as disciplines of the mind that lead us deeper into truth.

8. Recovery and Inner Healing
Many seekers arrive with wounds, addictions, or disillusionment. The monastery is a place of healing through shared spiritual practice, not escape or stagnation.

Chapter 6 - LWC Book 3 - The Fifth Jhana

This starts out after the previous Jhana . The Fifth Jh āna ( ākāsānañcāyatana ): "And at this point it is said: With the complete surmounting of perceptions of matter, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, with non-attention to perceptions of variety, [aware of] ‘unbounded space,’ he enters upon and dwells in the base consisting of boundless [infinite] space." The fifth Jhana was described in this way by Buddhist scriptures by meditators much later than the Buddha. So, while I take objection with the exact quote above, the core idea is the same. You will see what I mean. Anyway, in my theory, the Fifth Jhāna involves: Opening the doors between alternate spaces ( tank!s ). Dividing pressures and focus between momentary spaces practiced from the previous Jhana , are used to stack onto each other sort of like Lego blocks in space (with a main space as a reference). This allows the meditator to stack spaces to make a large composite space that s...

Chapter 4 - LWC Book 3 - The Jhanas 1 to 3

If you've meditated, you've probably have heard about the Jhānas. They are unique mental states of consciousness. They are described in old Buddhist scriptures. In the Sanskrit, they are called dhyāna . And for LWC theory, I interpret each Jhana uniquely. Notes for the interested: Buddha’s teachings on the jhānas appear in the Majjhima Nikāya (e.g., MN 8, MN 111, MN 119), Dīgha Nikāya , and others. The Visuddhimagga, by Buddhaghosa (5th century CE), gives a systematic explanation, and adds technical elaboration. ⚠️ Note on the Use of Jhanas in LWC Theory While LWC Theory uses the terms “Jhana” and “Jhanic Masses,” it does not pursue the same goal as classical Buddhist meditation systems. In Buddhism, the Jhanas are progressively used to dissolve the ego and reach a state of no-self , especially by the 7th and 8th Jhanas, where entitial identity is vaporized through full opening of all internal and external doors. LWC Theory differs. The goal is not egolessness , ...

Chapter 5 - LWC Book 3 - The Fourth Jhana

-This chapter is a continuation from Chapter 4. You can find more about the first 3 Jhanas there .- The Fourth Jhāna ( catuttha-jhāna ): "With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous disappearance of joy and grief, a bhikkhu enters upon and abides in the fourth jhāna, which has neither-pain-nor-pleasure and purity of mindfulness due to equanimity." In my theory, the Fourth Jhāna involves: Opening the doors between moments. Mixing focus between the moments by opening the doors between them. During some meditative states, and especially in the first 3 Jhanas, time is not really a factor. It is hard to tell if a second has passed, an hour, or a day - because the emphasis is not really on any physical reference. It is like meditating in one big long moment. In the visual terms of the previous chapters, Jhāna 1, 2, and 3 are in the big long rectangular shape without significant internal or external borders. Non-meditation...

LWC Theory and Monastery

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