Bob: “The Cistercian Order, while striving for a life of peace and contemplation, has not been immune to conflicts arising from internal dynamics, interactions with the wider world, and the inherent challenges of maintaining a complex, widespread religious institution over centuries.”
I appreciate that is true. It does not address, however, the collective nature of monastic life.
Yes, there are contentions within communities. None of those alter the basic adherence to the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Poverty is the vow that eschews personal property, replacing it with common possession.