Warrior monk

A warrior monk is a concept found in various cultures of a person who combines aspects of being a monk, such as deep religious devotion and an ascetic lifestyle, with being a warrior, trained to engage in violent conflict.

Examples include:

• Sant Sipahi is a Sikh ideology, inspired by the lives of Sikh gurus, of a saint soldier who would adhere one's life in strict discipline both in mind and body.
• Sōhei, a type of Japanese warrior.
• Righteous armies, Korean guerilla fighters, including monks, who resisted the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98).
• Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller and Teutonic Knights, warriors during the Crusades.
• Shaolin Monastery, a Chinese monastery renowned for monks who were experts in the martial arts.
• Naga sadhus, a militaristic sect of arms-bearing Hindu sannyasi.
• James Mattis, an American Marine and Secretary of Defense often referred to as a warrior monk for his dedicated study of warfare and Spartan lifestyle

In fiction:

• The description of the ideal soldier in the manual of the First Earth Battalion.
• The Jedi Order, a fictional monastic organization in the Star Wars epic space opera franchise
• The Adeptus Astartes, Space Marines, are genetically altered super soldiers who serve the Imperium of Mankind in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

See also

• Martial arts § Spirituality