Monk

## Life Task

To experience love guided by the strength of taking actions appropriate to any given situation, including conflict.

*"I am at peace."* - Monk Principle

## **Description**

Like all enneaclasses, the name "Monk" is not referring to any classes from media that utilize the same name. Rather, it was the name selected to better convey specific information about other gamers and to gamify the powerful notions found in the **Enneagram.**Every person has access to all the classes but primarily settles on one which frames the personality. Accessing other classes' potentials and maximizing the capacity of the primary class takes a large degree of work and effort, and this work could be viewed as lessons an entity must overcome to become unified.

Monks are essentially looking to maintain a sense of peace, harmony and balance and to avoid conflict and disruption. Monks tend to see the best in people, to be fundamentally optimistic about the future, and, when reasonably healthy, to have a calming and grounding effect on those around them.

Monks are fairly “easy going;” they adopt a strategy of “going with the flow.” They intuitively know how to wait for the openings so that they can slip effortlessly into the stream. Monks don’t tend to “sweat the small stuff.”

On the whole, they are self-effacing, tolerant, even-tempered and likable individuals. Monks aspire to be supportive, loving and gentle and more than any other enneaclass, are likely to embody these valuable qualities.

Their desire to maintain peace and to avoid conflict is compulsive. As the potential for conflict in life is virtually ubiquitous, the Monk’s inability to confront it forcefully and deal with it effectively leaves the Monk at a serious disadvantage.

This deeply rooted tendency to avoid discord plays itself out both internally and in the realm of external action, but generally manifests most centrally in close personal relationships, as intimate relationships more than anything else tend to trigger core defenses.

Many Monks are reasonably “successful” when it comes to their interactions with the world. They are frequently productive and often manage to rise through the ranks on the basis of their likability and reliability without having to engage too forcefully in direct competition.

Monks are not necessarily without ambition either. Some such Monks are able to take on leadership roles because they wear their fixations lightly or because they are buoyed by the ambitions of others to whom they are attached. Perhaps they enjoy the benefits of a fortunate upbringing or perhaps their work on themselves has borne fruit.

Sometimes Monks who take on leadership roles seem to be the living embodiment of a solution that has been offered to us from the depths of the collective unconscious. They represent the only possible answer to the exigencies of a time in which the forward path cannot be determined by aggressive self-assertion or even by clarity of intellect.

Sometimes Monks who take on leadership roles seem to be the living embodiment of a solution that has been offered to us from the depths of the collective unconscious. They represent the only possible answer to the exigencies of a time in which the forward path cannot be determined by aggressive self-assertion or even by clarity of intellect.

Healthy Monks are in touch with their depths and are able to maintain their sense of self even in the face of the most forceful opposition or the most appalling conflict. Even as they rule, they serve those they lead.

## **Class Identification Questions**

Every entity falls primarily within one of the enneaclasses, originally. While it can be difficult to elucidate which correlates with any individual, these nine questions (for each class) were designed to analyze certain aspects of the personality so that one can come to an understanding of their class.

1. Are you known as an easygoing, affable, common-sense kind of person even when inside you may be feeling very different?
2. Is there a place in your home that you find comfortable and relaxing and to which you generally gravitate to think, read, or relax?
3. Do arguments make you so uncomfortable that you avoid them, even to the point of walking out of the room when they begin?
4. Are you greatly attracted to outdoor activities, and do you find being in nature an almost sacred experience of freedom?
5. Do you feel that the best way to prevent trouble is to keep your thoughts to yourself and let the other person do the talking, even if you don't agree?
6. Do you see yourself as an independent person who can do what you need or want to do and not be swayed by group pressure?
7. Would you agree that in general people create most of their own difficulties because they take life too seriously and get all worked up over very minor things?
8. Do you enjoy thinking your way through puzzling questions, and do you often find practical answers to intricate problems?
9. When given the option, would you avoid sophisticated political or social gatherings, choosing instead the quieter, simpler pleasures of life?

## **Preoccupations**

Preoccupation relates to the matter of being preoccupied or engrossed with something, so what you might find here are areas of examination with which this class might find themselves involved.

* Replacement of essential needs with inessential substitutes. The most important things are left to the end of the day.
* Trouble with decisions. "Do I agree or disagree?" "Do I want to be here or don't I?"
* Acting through habit and by repeating familiar solutions. Ritualism.
* Difficulty in saying "No." Dichotomy of belief/doubt.
* Containment of physical energy and anger.
* Control through stubbornness and passive aggression.
* Fluctuating attitudes, oppositional behavior and emotions -- either to adhere to the desires of others as a means of gaining security, or to be defiantly resistant and independent.
* Difficulty in maintaining a personal point of view, but ability to recognize and support another's position.

## **Special Abilities**

Each enneaclass has several unique traits which may be cultivated in such a ways as to give advantages when dealing with situations that are characteristic of that class. Those of the Monk can be roughly summarized to:

* being nonjudgmental and accepting
* caring for and being concerned about others
* being able to relax and have a good time
* knowing that most people enjoy my company; I'm easy to be around
* my ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator and facilitator
* my heightened awareness of sensations, aesthetics, and the here and now
* being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe

## **Weaknesses**

Each enneaclass also has several areas of weakness where they generally do not thrive unless work has been done towards alleviating these shortcomings. While the following examples are general statements, it is expected that most Monks dealt with or are dealing with issues of this nature:

* being judged and misunderstood for being placid and/or indecisive
* being critical of myself for lacking initiative and discipline
* being too sensitive to criticism; taking every raised eyebrow and twitch of the mouth personally
* being confused about what I really want
* caring too much about what others will think of me
* not being listened to or taken seriously

## **Class** **Synergy**

Some enneaclasses naturally work better together than others, which leads to many moments of understanding and misunderstanding. Many potential adverse situations can be overcome by understanding those around oneself and learning how to best optimize those others, which quite frequently results in some synergistic outcomes.

* Relaxes in the absence of friction. Wants things to feel comfortable and to run without hassle. Wants the "job family" to get along. Has a deep desire to have good feelings on the job,
* Flourishes in conditions of positive support, but avoids self-promotions. Wants recognition but will not ask.
* Likes procedures, lines of command, and rewards to be well defined. Likes to adjust own energy output to a predictable set of guidelines. No sudden surprises, please.
* Can go on automatic and produce a great deal of work. Suspends awareness of own agenda while following routine.
* Energized by a productive routine and other people's enthusiasm for projects.
* Wants a structure to support decisions. Doesn't like to make decisions. Goes by the book; keeps spontaneous decision making at a minimum.

## **Charm Guide**

Relationships among gamers of various enneaclasses are often tenuous due to a lack of understanding. This may not be of consequence in regards to relationships that are superficial or purely of a business nature, but these relationships only compose a small subset. It can be beneficial to learn what makes each class comfortable and respected in order to forge more meaningful and deeper connections. For the Monk class, some of the techniques towards achieving this end are as follows:

* If you want me to do something, how you ask is important. I especially don't like expectations or pressure.
* I like to listen and to be of service, but don't take advantage of this. Listen until I finish speaking, even though I meander a bit.
* Give me time to finish things and make decisions. It's OK to nudge me gently and non-judgmentally.
* Ask me questions to help me get clear.
* I like a good discussion but not a confrontation.
* Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not averse to flattery.
* Hug me, show physical affection. It opens me up to my feelings.

## **Class Specialization**

Human evolution requires three basic survival behaviors, referred to in the Enneagram as the instinctual specializations: the self-preservation specialization, the social or group specialization, and the one-to-one or intimate specialization. Because these are survival behaviors, each Enneaclass includes all three subtypes. Although you manifest all three to some degree, you usually express one of these three subtypes more than the other two. Both environmental circumstances and your Enneaclasses's structure influence their expression, especially the core emotion associated with your adaptive strategy and what you put your energy into.

**Self-Preservation Instinctual Specialization**. Your attention and energy go to issues related to personal survival, such as safety, security, comfort, protection, and adequate basic resources of food, shelter, and warmth.

***Social Instinctual Specialization.***Your attention and energy go to issues related to your community and group membership, such as role, status, social acceptance, belonging, participation, and fellowship.

***One-to-One Instinctual Specialization.*** Your attention and energy go to issues related to connection in vital relationships, such as bonding with special others, sexual intimacy, attractiveness, closeness, union, and merging.

 Cleric | Social | Blending well with the style and agenda of their friends and different social groups, this spec. can show great leadership and selfless contribution for the common good (on the high side) but tends to fall asleep to personal priorities in a comfortable social role or through indiscriminate activities (on the low side).