Anyone knows how modern monasteries work?

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I'm wondering whether I'd possibly be able to find peace if I join one... surely, they must be quiet? I wouldn't mind either meditating or reading all day.

Are there usually any requirements, though? I think I'd rather it be a Buddhist monastery, as I'm not really religious... but, as I'm in the UK, not south-east Asia, would there be any around?

There are loads of Buddhist monasteries in the UK and throughout Europe. For instance:

http://www.amaravati.org/

http://ratanagiri.org.uk/

http://www.throssel.org.uk/

http://foresthermitage.org.uk/

...I fantasize about monasteries , too , though I think about Christian ones...
Bluntly , I suppose I could never ever ever get in one , not at my age and being sort of " damaged goods " (To an extent , AS - probably more my health/having been homeless/not having a college degree .) - I think monastic places tend to be much more selective/requiring things of , um , would-be " enlistees " trhan they were pre-the 70s .
Bluntly - ESPECIALLY considering how few people they get nowadays , and how high up the average ageof the the " inmates " of an average monastic place nowadays tends to be...I think they'd tend to get someone young enough to " get a few decades out of work " from before they start having to pay for their (extended , no doubt ~ After all , leading a clean life ) old age...........
I get E-mails from this Episcopal monastery in the Boston area , the Society of St. Joseph the Evangelist .

Well, I think the easiest monastery to get into, would be in Thailand, as a forest monk. They have a "temple" there specifically established for western monks. In the US there are too many requirements, some of them financial, to get into a monastery.

I've considered it at times, though I have adhd and couldn't do it, even though I'm christian I think I'd join a Buddhist one providing they accept my beliefs, I like the ideal of focusing on oneself and meditation. not to mention the only christian ones are catholic.

...No , there are Christian monasteries other than Roman Catholic ones --- I mentioned above my getting mail from an Episcopalian (Anglican Communion) one - and I suppose there's a larger number of Eastern Orthodox ones , and I think maybe some Lutheran ones , just to stick to " mainstream " Christian denominations .
Look up " Episcopal monasteries " (or " Anglican ") on the Web , say...........

..." Forest monk " ? Is that like a fire-fighter monk , a fireperson ?
I suppose there could be less physical " protect/clean the land " monks , if so , aside from the younger/more strong firefighters .
There's a thing here in California of " fire-fighter prison camps " , better-behaved prisoners getting sent to camps near likely-to-have0fires areas and are sent out as firefighters when needed...........

Monks who live by themselves in the Thai forests in elevated huts. there is a Temple that they maintain, study and practice in, but the huts are scattered in the forest Forest monks are a Thai Buddhist tradition. Huts are elevated because there are so many snakes, insects and wild creatures. You make all of your necessities by hand. You go out with the other monks early every morning into the local villages and "beg" for your food, eating only one meal per day, nothing after noon.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWSAwOPibOw[/youtube]

..Thank you .

also, in the US

http://www.vzmla.org/

And this one in California is a branch of the Thai Forest tradition;

http://www.watmetta.org/

...Here is the Christian one in Massachusetts I mentioned ~ I think they , too , set the bar pretty high for would-be postulants , but , for an example:
http://www.ssje.org

They have a Catholic Monastery near me, in a nice rural area. I have been on the land but I think the property is in bankruptcy. It is a beautiful place from the outside, even though it has not been maintained. I know they have moved the residents to another town with a larger property about 35 minutes away but I don't know the name of it. Moved from a community of about 3000 residents to a city of around 300,000. Probably lost some of its appeal being supersized like that.