Some orders practice literal isolation (cloistering) from the outside world; others remain engaged with the world in various ways, often teaching or serving in traditional roles, while maintaining their distinction in other ways. All, however, may be distinguished by vows or disciplines they undertake as members of their orders.
The best-known religious orders in the Western world are Catholic and Buddhist orders of monks and nuns. However, the practice is common in many tribes of Africa and South America on a smaller scale.
In Buddhist societies such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea and Tibet, there exist strikingly large monastic orders. A well-known Chinese Buddhist order is the ancient Shaolin order in Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism.
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2 Other Catholic groups 3 See also 4 External Links |
Catholic orders
Catholic religious orders should be distinguished from Holy Orders, that is to say bishops, priests, and deacons. In the following list of some of the major Catholic orders, each order is listed with the acronym (or "post-nominal initials") commonly used to identify its members.