The question hasn't really come up, as no-one's wanted to play a monk in the campaigns I've DMed. However, if they did, I'd probably require an exotic background to go with the exotic abilities. While a fantasy campaign doesn't have to be realistic, some consistency in background and theme is desirable. For those who want spell-slinging western "monks", that's what the cleric (or adept) class is for.
And for those who say that there were no wizards in medieval Europe either: there were. There were plenty of characters who made it their business to inquire about the ways of the universe, whether it was the natural world or the supernatural; Leonardo da Vinci or Roger Bacon would be prime examples of these. They obviously didn't cast spells, but their learning and knowledge were far beyond the average commoner, or even the average noble. In some circumstances, they even attempted research that could quite reasonably be called "magical" even today: recall the origins of chemistry in alchemy, and the quest to turn base metals into gold.
If you want the origin of the archetype of the scholarly wizard, it's in characters like these. They were "wizards" metaphorically speaking, and it should be remembered that in a fantasy world, what is metaphorical often becomes literal.
And for those who say that there were no wizards in medieval Europe either: there were. There were plenty of characters who made it their business to inquire about the ways of the universe, whether it was the natural world or the supernatural; Leonardo da Vinci or Roger Bacon would be prime examples of these. They obviously didn't cast spells, but their learning and knowledge were far beyond the average commoner, or even the average noble. In some circumstances, they even attempted research that could quite reasonably be called "magical" even today: recall the origins of chemistry in alchemy, and the quest to turn base metals into gold.
If you want the origin of the archetype of the scholarly wizard, it's in characters like these. They were "wizards" metaphorically speaking, and it should be remembered that in a fantasy world, what is metaphorical often becomes literal.