The analogy between the philosopher and the monk, at least with respect to the orthodox Benedictine tradition, seems very apt:
A monk may ‘do’ a lot of things—read, write, cook, clean, blow glass—but they aren’t what make him a monk. What makes a monk a monk is the act of contemplation, the contemplative life.
Similarly, a philosopher may research, publish, debate, educate—even ‘think’, in the logical or ratiocinative sense—but these aren’t what make a philosopher a philosopher. What makes one a philosopher is the act of philosophical reflection itself.