Introduction:

A simple guide to DIY monk mode. Skip to "Be Your Own Abbot" for the implementation instructions. Works great for autists who don't understand socialization!

What is "monk mode"?

Monks adhere to a strict ascetic rule-set which prohibits many activities, thereby freeing up time to pursue spiritual improvement. TRP has adapted this idea of monk from an ascetic who pursues spiritual growth, to an ascetic who pursues SMV growth. Within the TRP lexicon, "Monk Mode" involves hacking away at unessential (an often times SMV lowering) activities that one often consumes their time with and replaces it with activities that will do the opposite. Generally, monk mode requires that one remove themselves from the sexual marketplace until they have reached a predetermined goal.

Why is it practiced?

Primarily monk mode can help to develop discipline while increasing SMV. The general consensus (though not 100% accepted) within the TRP community is that hedonism, especially with the many non-sexual outlet of gratification, can lower one's SMV and create or exacerbate neurosis, whereas asceticism can can help to reverse that damage.

In addition, for many TRP is a hard pill to swallow. Especially for those who were thoroughly brainwashed by blue-pill ideology, it can evoke feelings of anger and despair. Monk mode affords a grace period for those people to better come to terms with reality, while staving off the embarrassing misapplication of TRP knowledge.

Monk mode staples

Monk mode usually requires regular exercise, daily meditation, reading, and dietary restriction. It also usually requires abstaining from television, browsing reddit, alcohol consumption, drug use, and video games. In some cases, monk mode requires abstaining from pornography, masturbation, or sex entirely (a la nofap). These are staples because of their tried-and-true potential to help many people, but for some people personal tailoring can be useful and effective.

Common sources of failure

By "failing" monk mode, I mean that one does achieve the SMV increase that was originally intended. The most common sources of failure include:

1. Bad Rules

If your version of monk mode doesn't have, for example, any plan for regular physical activity then it is doomed to failure. Even those without monk mode require regular physical activity, and as such it should certainly be incorporated into your monk mode. Similarly, if you spend 8 hours a day playing League of Legends, then you ought to prohibit (or at least limit) such addictive activity from your monk mode.

The rules are the core of what makes "monk mode". No rules, no monk mode. Bad rules, bad monk mode. Good rules, good monk mode. Determining the rules used in monk mode is of paramount importance.

2. Lack of Discipline

Even with good rules, if you don't follow them, you won't see any improvement. If you plan to run 3 miles every day, and never do, then what is the point of the plan?

Without discipline, one will not adhere to the rules of their monk mode. I'm not your drill instructor, I'm not your dad, I'm not your boss. You must be your own disciplinarian in order to actually adhere to your rule-set.

3. Quitting

Quitting can be seen as a failure of discipline, but it is differentiated by the willing desire to end monk mode. Whereas one who lacks discipline fails to follow the rules despite desiring to, the failure of a quitter is that they no longer desire to follow those rules. Because of the few sources of pleasure afforded to those in monk mode via the restrictions of their primary, SMV lowering sources, those in monk mode may believe that the cost of increase to SMV is too high. Like an addict giving up on quitting because withdrawals are too painful. Its not wrong that the withdrawals are painful, only that they are not worth it.

The "Be Your Own Abbot" method:

This method of monk mode implementation is designed to address the issues listed above as common sources of failure within monk mode. It does so by ensuring that the rules are beneficial to the increase of SMV and not detrimental, that the practitioner is able to act as their own disciplinarian ("abbot"), and that if they quit they are fully aware of the consequences and are not submitting to their base desires.

The practitioner here acts as both the "monk" and the "abbot". These refer to the same person, but the different roles adopted in order to fulfill the duties necessary in order to ensure that the rules are written, and the rules are followed.

Writing the rules

At the beginning of every day, record 1 rule. Rules must be one sentence. Rules can address no more than one subject. Rules should be generic, but may be specific. Rules must have an accompanying paragraph, describing the rule, its reason and purpose, and use cases.

Review the previous 10 days' rules. This necessitates reading not just the rule, but all of its associated material. You need to develop a fundamental understanding of the rule and to be able to remember it as the rule-count grows.

In addition to the previous 10 days' rules, review also rules that are exactly 30, 100, and every multiple of 100, days old. This is to help further cement and remind one of older rules.

During this review process, you may decide to add to or further clarify the purpose of rule, or to remove old and unnecessary information. It is your responsibility to keep your rules current and relevant.

Following the Rules

At the end of every day, review violations of the rules. For each violation, meditate on the rule and its reasoning, why the rule was violated, what should have happened in this case, and how to avoid similar violations in the future. You ought to meditate at least until those questions are answered and you regret your decision to violate the rule. No further discipline is necessary.

It may be that the rule's reasoning is flawed. Example: Your rule is to not drink alcohol, with the reasons including that it reduces testosterone, imposes a state of poor decision making ability, is an unnecessary expense, and is in many cases manufactured by organizations with cater to SJWs that you do not want to support. You discover that some studies should that alcohol can actually increase testosterone, and you determine that you have better game with a light buzz. If someone were to offer you a shot of vodka at a party, then you might find that your rule "don't drink alcohol" is no longer supported by the reasons stated. In those cases, review the rule and edit it such that the reasoning supports the rule. This might mean changing the rule to "don't drink Budweiser products", "only drink vodka", or "drink exactly 4 standard drinks per evening". This process will likely involve some research and time. See it through.

You may find that the violation of the rule was necessary, or an exception ought to have been made for a very specific circumstance. For example, if you're Catholic and drink wine at mass, then you may insert an exception to your rule that allows drinking wine at mass. Or you may not, and may find that the original reasoning holds despite the potential for an exception to be made. It is your responsibility, as the abbot, to faithfully interpret and review the rules, and to make a decision that is in your own best interest.

You may not know what you should have done or how to proceed in the future. By best advice here is to seek advice from a mentor. This might be your grandpa or your pastor. It might be strangers on asktrp if you have nothing else. You cannot simply give up figuring out what should have happened or how to act in the future, you must be studious and make the discovery.

Example basic rules:

Exercise Every Day

Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor. - Alexis Carrel

Regular exercise improves mood, memory, cardiovascular health, strength, and increases one's SMV by producing a more asthetic physique.

You might edit this rule to read:

Lift Every Other Day

Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor. - Alexis Carrel

Regular exercise improves mood, memory, cardiovascular health, strength, and increases one's SMV by producing a more asthetic physique. Lifting every other day allows for muscular hypertrophy on the alternating growth days.

This rule will likely become more specific and exact as you become a more proficient athlete.

Don't Drink Coffee

Coffee reduces one's ability to sleep at night. In addition, corporations like Starbucks cater to SJWs and should not be supported.

Don't Use Drugs

Drugs of all forms are an unnecessary expense, which do more to detract from growth than they do to add to it. In most cases, drugs invoke a state of mind which can make one complacent and lazy. Many drugs have addictive effects which can become, as a monkey on one's back, a troublesome problem difficult to remove. Drugs can also have negative health effects, especially as when smoked, and may have negative effects on one's liver.

Tips and tricks:

1 rule per day.

You are not special, you're an animal. You do not get to start with 10 rules, or 2 rules, or 1 rule every other day. 1 rule per day.

You might think you have extra special willpower, or that you have some really great rules that you might as well get out of your system on day 1. Don't think that.

Don't strike rules.

Rules may never be stricken.

Example: Your first rule was "Always take a lady out for dinner 3 times before trying to kiss her". The next day you review this rule and determine that its complete shit. You may not strike it. Instead, rewrite it, probably to something like, "Never buy a girl dinner before fucking her".

If you have two similar rules, e.g. "don't drink alcohol" and "don't use drugs" or "exercise daily" and "lift heavy weights 3 days out of every week", then determine where they diverge and re-scope and rewrite each rule to be more useful: "only drink alcohol in <specific circumstance>" and "don't use drugs". Or, you may find that the rules are fine as is e.g. "exercise daily" and "lift heavy weights 3 days out of every week".

Handling rule conflict

If you have one rule to always hug girls when greeting them, but another rule to never reward a girl who has lied to you with physical contact, then you may find yourself in a situation where the rules dictate you should hug someone you're not supposed to have physical contact with. In those cases, faithfully interpret the rules to the best of your ability based on the reasoning of the rules.

If the reason you always hug girls in greeting is because you want to get some oxytocin flowing in potential plates, and the reason that you don't reward lying girls with physical contact is because you ought to respect yourself, then you might find that for the sake of your own self-respect you're going to cross this girl off of your list of potential plates and will decide to not huge her.

If the reason you always hug girls in greeting is because you want to instill jealousy and demonstrate pre-selection, and the reason that you don't reward lying girls with physical contact is because you don't want to waste your time, then you might find that there is little harm in giving her a hug.

In every case, review these rule violations as would normal ones, and include exceptions in the rule descriptions as necessary.

Quitting

If you write your rules right, and meditate on them regularly, then you should never really want to stop following your own rules. However, there will come a time when you really want to give up on following your own rules. If you violate your own rules then you ought to meditate on those violations, and when you reach a point where the rule is sound but you have no regret for the violation, then you are in trouble.

You'll have a bad day at work, and when you get home all you'll want is to drink and stay up all night playing TF2. After much deliberating you'll decide to do it. You'll quickly meditate on it as a formality and not reach a point of regret, and you probably won't even realize you have no regret. In this case you will have seriously failed yourself, and there is little I can offer you, because I cannot make you to discipline yourself.

It says in Revelation 3:15 - "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!"

If you decide that you do not want to discipline yourself then commit to that. Give up on following your rules: throw them all out. Do not pretend that you are in "monk mode" when you will not hold yourself to your own standards, it will do nothing for you.

Conclusion

In order to successfully implement monk mode, one must be their own disciplinarian, with a strict procedure for the introduction and maintenance of rules. By introducing 1 rule every day, reviewing the rules regularly, and disciplining oneself by reviewing rule violations to the point of regret, you can be your own abbot and become a badass jedi successful monk.