The Rule of St Benedict, which dates from the sixth century, is the foundation of monasticism, one of the oldest continuing institutions in all of Western civilization. The Rule not only defines life for men and women in monasteries, but has also become central to the spirituality of lay Christians across the globe. For communities and individuals alike, the text of the Rule is central. This first ever gender-neutral translation is true to the original text but provides an alternative for those who might prefer such a version over the masculine language of the original as it was written for St Benedict's monks, or as a text to read alongside Benedict's original.