Warrior monk
Appearance
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:
- 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.
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 Dystopian Science Fantasy Universe.