A monk only avoids practicing religious asceticism.
Mendicant . Many religious orders adhere to a mendicant way of life , including the Catholic mendicant orders , Hindu ascetics , some dervishes of Sufi Islam , and the monastic orders of Jainism and Buddhism . A monk ( [ mʌŋk ] , from μοναχός , monachos , `` single , solitary '' and Latin monachus ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living , either alone or with any number of other monks . A monk may be a person who decided to dedicate his life to serving all other living beings , or to be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live his or her life in prayer and contemplation .