Every religion provides for monastics. Monasticism may be a way of life only for a few, but the spirit of monasticism must animate the soul of every spiritual seeker. This handy book explains the ideals of monasticism and its practice in various traditions.
The important thing is how much less you think of the body, of yourself as matter -- as dead, dull, insentient matter; how much more you think of yourself as shining immortal being. The more you think of yourself as spirit, the more eager you will be to be absolutely free from matter, body and senses. This is the intense desire to be free.
-Swami Vivekananda