Benedictines follow the Rule, which St. Benedict wrote for monks early in the 6th century:

Preferring nothing whatever to Christ (RB 4:21), seeking to live the Gospel in a radical way, they are gathered in community , committed to the brotherhood by a promise of stability in chaste love and led in the way of conversion by the guidance of a superior to whom they promise obedience.

Living in an atmosphere of silence, seeking to be constantly attentive to God's presence, the monks strive to create a harmonious balance between prayer and work.

If you wish to read our Rule of Life, you could consult the following link: http://www.osb.org/rb/show.asp?mode=today . The sections of the Rule given here correspond to those which are read and commented on each day in our Community Chapter.

Since today, women monastics outnumber men by more than two to one, on the link the even-numbered chapters have been adapted for a women's community. The odd-numbered chapters are for a men's community such as Saint Benedict would have known. Several contemporary scholarly and literary translations of the Rule into English exist, but the Leonard Doyle translation used here is familiar to generations of US and other English-speaking monastics from its widespread and long term use in refectories and chapter rooms.