Read this excerpt from a book of rules for monks.Idleness is the enemy of the soul. And therefore, at fixed times, the brothers ought to be occupied in manual labour; and again, at fixed times, in sacred reading.

The excerpt says monks should spend set times doing manual labor and other set times reading sacred texts. This shows that they should avoid idleness by staying occupied in different ways. So A, “being busy in one way or another,” best captures the idea; the passage does not say they should study or work at all times.

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