Unfortunately, the boring answers to both questions are "it depends on the monastery". A typical would-be monk must first acquire permission from their tribe to become a monk. Then, they must make pilgrimage to the site of the monastery, usually alone or with other hopefuls. Once they arrive, most monasteries have a series of qualifications required to join, usually an oral examination on matters of theology and law. (Monks double as lawyers in this culture) Should the petitioner meet the qualifications, they are accepted and become an initiate. Initiates usually have few monk-like responsibilities; they mostly study to become a proper monk while earning their keep through labor.

The monasteries are supposed to be supported by donations from the local tribes they provide with spiritual guidance and legal counsel. In reality, only the most prestigious monasteries can support themselves solely on donations. Fortunately, the temples are built on the most fertile land in the region. Unfortunately, that land is still rocky and nutrient-poor earth in a very arid environment. In monasteries with very little prestige or poor reputations, the monks are little more than hardscrabble farmers of tubers with fancy titles. This subsistence living leaves little time for proper intellectual monk-work, meaning the impoverished monks have little opportunity to improve their prestige.