Thanks for the info guys... here's what I have so far for the initiation and training of a monk. I'm still working on other things for this, I'll post them as I get them.
Membership to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose (monastery to Ilmater, god of suffering) is by invitation only. The monastery may only have 761 living members at any one time, one for each of the Milthius Martyrs. If a member has passed on, a slot becomes available in the monastery for a student.
When an initiate is accepted to the monastery, he is stripped of all worldly possessions and given nothing but a loincloth. He is then interviewed rigorously, given no food, drink or a place to sleep. The Initiate Courtyard will have to suffice for resting. In the morning, the student is visited by the Abbot, who shares a few words of wisdom, drink and a bit of food. The student is then directed to his first teacher inside the Gate of Charity, also known as the First Gate.
Within the Gate of Charity the initiate still has to sleep in the open, though the courtyard has a brackish well at its center and stale bread is left in the morning for the student. The next five through fifteen days are spent in meditation and prayer studies with the Master of the Charity, or in various cleaning duties. The First Gate is based around the discipline of the spirit and at the end of this training the student is given a bowl. This unique bowl, as with all items given during training, belonged to the deceased monk that the initiate is replacing. The student may then pass to the Gate of Humility.
Once within the Second Gate, the initiate is assigned an empty stone cell for rest, prayer and meditation. He is given no food or water, these must be begged for from the Master of Humility or anyone in the courtyard. The next ten through twenty days are spent in intensive study of morality and ethics. The Gate of Humility is based around the core principals of helping any who are hurt, perseverance in taking on the suffering of others, challenging injustice, and allowing the spirit to overcome the body, knowing that Ilmater will guide you through all your trials. At the end of this training the student is given a drab gray robe. The initiate may then pass to the Gate of Piety.
At the Third Gate the initiate is given a new stone cell and must now diligently work for his sustenance. The next fifteen through thirty days are spent in intense study of politics, geography, history, genealogy, calligraphy, poetry, literature, and art taught by the Master of Piety. When not in study the initiate must spend his time assisting librarians, scribing, and other tedious duties. The goal of the Gate of Piety is to teach that being true to the integrity of an academic subject is necessary to be able to benefit themselves and society intelligently. When the initiate’s tenure in the Third Gate is over, he is given a small blank book with worn wooden covers. This is to be the initiate’s prayer book, which he has only one day to copy from the master prayer book. Once that is complete the student may pass to the Gate of Suffering.
At the Fourth Gate the student is assigned to tiny stone cell facing the courtyard where he’ll spend a torturous twenty through forty days. The Master of Suffering only rarely gives food and water to the pleading initiate who must begin his training with a series of punishing tests. These are conducted to show that the spirit is able to overcome the flesh. Once the initiate has begun shedding the limitations of his corporeal body he is taught how to use it as a weapon in order to defend those that cannot defend themselves and to right injustice. This arduous training will extend to all matters martial. The core principal of the Gate of Suffering is that the depth of darkness to which you can descend and still live is an exact measure of the height to which you can aspire to reach. Life begins on the other side of despair; personality is born of it. It is the fire hidden within the flint. When the initiate has completed training at the Gate of Suffering his hands are bound with red cords behind his back and he is brought through the Gate of Compassion.
Still bound, the initiate enters the Fourth Gate where he is cleansed, fed, sheltered, and his wounds tended to by the Master of Compassion. Five through ten days are spent still bound in the red cords, but in quiet contemplation as the Master of Compassion teaches how to use the newfound disciplines of the mind and spirit. The Gate of Compassion’s primary purpose is to forge the spirit of the initiate anew and demonstrate how compassion can change the very soul of our world. Compassion is the truest essence of good, an all giving essence that brings hope and love. At the end of this training the initiate is released from his bonds, and is given a silk veil, usually white. This veil is used upon the death of the monk, placed over his face.
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