> "Thus now thou must hear: through no other way can one shatter the chains of oppression but through the skillful means of violence. Wield that handleless blade. This is the righteous path to liberate the suffering of the masses. Cut and slice until all beings are free."
>
> Dattreya Wairini Awoken's ultimate speech, at the head of the Selorong Revolution
Yiwaritala observed Raxri Uttara with ebbing fear. A frightening cloud of mystery surrounded Raxri now, despite their almost dainty appearance that caused him to definitely think Raxri was a young girl at first (and even know, how they act, he couldn't pinpoint whether they were a woman or a man).
Especially with the fact that this person has been here since before even they arrived. Yiwaritala has been training in this very monastery for ten years now at this point. And in that time he became a true bonafied teacher and master, and have worked their rung up to Fifth Rank of monkhood. He's practiced their austerities, perfected their rituals, and even grasped Pure Contemplation. But even this was information he was not privy to.
The disciples had returned then with a tea set with porcelain tea pots. It was heated up, and each teacup was filled to the brim with the golden draught that was black tea, brought here no doubt from other mountains, as this mountain did not have the conditions for cultivating tea.
They three of them sipped, with both hands. Politely, on all sides.
"Ah, abbot," began Yiwaritala, cautiously, prodding. When the abbot turned to him, he continued: "This one, Raxri Uttara, also mentioned having been trained by the witch master Akazha. What do you make of that?"
"Akazha... this is the witch of the Pemiwood's Northern Periphery, yes?" The Abbot turned to Raxri. "Then no doubt you emerged from the Emmara Senje Temple of the Blackstone Coast."
Raxri broke out of their reverie and said: "Yes. I awoke in the darkness of what the witch has called the Vault of Souls... if that means anything to the great master."
"Thunderbolt master," corrected Yiwaritala. Raxri turned to him and nodded, then repeated the last few words of what they said, replacing great master with thunderbolt master.
The abbot looked as if in deep contemplation. Raxri felt the hair on the nape of their neck rise, as if in surprise or in fear. Goosebumps ran up the side of their hand. The Abbot had entered Pure Contemplation, their eyes unfocused and half-closed, as if sleepy. The smell of smoke intensified into flame.
The Abbot spoke. Wind flurried through them. The smell of fire was immediately replaced with the smell of peaches and apples and other fresh, sugary fruits.
"It has been about a decade since I've last seen you, Raxri Uttara," said the Abbot, smiling ever so mischievously. "And even then, you were but 12 harvests old... A child you were, yet you moved with the strength and surety of someone thrice your age, and your innocence, imbued with the Law's teachings at such a young age, only produced extravagant amounts of enlightenment-mind. You were a promising individual, and you came in here alone. The one companion you did have chose to stay outside of the monastery for reasons yet unknown to me.
"If you awakened in the Vault of Souls, then that means only two things: you were killed and thrown into that pit. And you miraculously landed upon the Well of Peisajekuru, the Medicine Awoken. This healed your wounds quickly enough so that you did not die. Unfortunately, not quickly enough to avoid death's marring."
The statue of the wrathful being scowled further, as if in indignation at this immoral act. At the same time, it felt as if it had been scowling the same intensity all this time, as if to say it knew why and what happened to Raxri Uttara.
Nevertheless...
"Thank you, venerable one," Raxri managed to say.
"Few are so lucky," said the Abbot. "Be it destiny or machination of certain karma... you have been wronged all the same. Compassion to you: AHOM ARU TEMA PEMI HOMA." And then the Abbot bowed their head while performing a mouth reverence.
Not really knowing what that meant, Raxri went along with it, also bowing performing the mouth reverence. Yiwaritala noticed Raxri's state of ignorance and said, "That mantra is the Ultimate Compassion Mantra. When uttered to yourself or for others, it fills their hearts and minds with compassion, granting them great benefit when facing the world."
Raxri nodded, mouth slightly agape. Partly in understanding, partly in wandering, partly lost.
The Abbot turned to Yiwaritala. "The witch Akazha was the one that sowed discord in the community, am I correct?"
Yiwaritala nodded. The sense of Pure Contemplation was gone now. The scent returned to the overpowering aroma of incense. "The one that..."
"The one that almost got you, my dear disciple, to break your vows," finished the Abbot. "Am I correct?"
"Y-Yes."
The abbot smiled. "It would not be so much a great loss to you if she is the reason why your time in the monastery is to end. You can practice the Law even outside monkhood. Ordination is not a prerequisite for enlightenment! It is but a contrivance for sudden Liberation. As a great sage once said, all things can be conjoined."
Yiwaritala bowed deeply. They hid a face burning bright pink, but also a conviction that flamed even brighter. "I thank the abbot for their consideration and guidance, but my life as a monk is ever greater than the wiles of a lady."
"No doubt you arrived here thinking that that witch is attempting to sow more discord here by sending this lowly memoryless wanderer. Am I right in thinking so, Yiwaritala?"
Yiwaritala's eyes widened to giant holes. A chill ran through them: it was as if his mind had been read completely. "Th-that is correct, thunderbolt master."
"Hm... well I can only vouch for the witch Akazha. She is on the path to liberation all the same, no more different than us. All that is different is the path she chose to tread. The Charnel Path of Wizardry and Mysticism... the most dangerous path to Enightenment."
Yiwaritala looked at the abbot, eyebrows furrowed. "Is this truly what the Awoken have taught? Can such practitioners of the black arts be legible for the thunderbolt awakening?"
The abbot bowed deeply. "You must remember that the founder of our method of the Law, Dattreya Wairini Awoken, was herself a hardened mystic and wizard, who reached deep down into her Awoken Nature through magick rituals... This Dattreya Wairini that was prophesied by the Tutelary Awoken of this world. You would think yourself to know more than they?"
"N-No! Of course not!" And Yiwaritala bowed deeply. "Forgive your insolent student."
The abbot watched him deeply. Raxri blinked, watching, silent. "Our path requireth no faith for its consummation, but requireth faith for its foundation. All things you will understand under your reason, but until you gain the gnosis for proper logic, you will have to rely on the faith of the teachings of the Law. Do you understand this, dearest disciple?" The abbot spoke with a tone not like a mother nor like a teacher, but like a friend trying to instill some sort of understanding in a fellow friend. To this, Raxri's heart was set ablaze.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Was the witch one of your disciples as well, venerable one?" asked Raxri.
The abbot nodded and answered: "For a short while, until the venerable Tala Awoken unveiled herself to Akazha in a dream, and she set down the Charnel Path of Wizardry to cultivate Enlightenment and Liberation. Immortality beyond immortality. This path is something I do not teach, and it is a path that requires momentous amount of self-discovery. And so she left, though close enough yet to the monastery."
Raxri spoke without thinking: "How did she sow discord among the monks, master?" The second the words left their mouth they moved their hand and covered it.
The abbot smiled, bemused. "Sometimes I am ashamed at the ease at which she accomplished this. Was my teaching not enough? Was my teaching lacking? In Contemplation I found this nothing more than a trial. You one and all are responsible for your own enlightenment, for it is in the effort of each individual, in concert with other individuals, that one can truly attain Liberation for all Beings. I saw then that it was really more of a practice of who bit first, as the immortal peach falleth from the tree. Every moon she had arrived here to get her tattoos properly done by our resident tattoo monk. They have settled here in the End of the World for a reason. Akazha sought to have her body covered in yantra tattoos, to allow her protection and to strengthen he rmagick and meditation. We allowed it: she was true in her faith in the Law. Unfortunately, Akazha was of great earthly beauty--from where she attained it, some say it was from a demonic pact, others say this was a consequent of a magick veil, even others say that she bore the blood of an imbuk."
Raxri raised a hand abruptly. "Imbuk?"
Yiwaritala answered for the abbot, and Raxri leaned close to listen: "Ah, an ancient ancient word for the gods that stay here, in the earthly realms."
"Ahhh..." Raxri leaned away. The tellurians that Jikajika had taught me about. Raxri turned their attention to the abbot again.
"Eventually, she managed to capture the hearts of the monks here. Again, no doubt a trial for the austerities and resolves of the monks that stayed here. She did not seduce more than three, and in the end it was only one that almost left with her, so enthralled was he by her power." The abbot then looked at Yiwaritala.
Yiwaritala burned a bright red.
Raxri turned to Yiwaritala. Then laughed. "Speak you true, thunderbolt master? The great monk here, clad in austerities... he's the man the witch Akazha almost seduced wholly?" Raxri laughed even louder.
The abbot laughed, softly. "It almost caused a rift among the entire community, though it was no fault of Akazha. She did nothing on purpose. A now excommunicated monk, once my greatest disciple, sowed the seeds of competition that forced the monks to fight over Akazha. They are gone now, and Yiwaritala here stands in his place as my left hand."
Yiwaritala was doing all he could to look away without changing their sitting posture. Now he burned a true bright red, more easily seen now as the cold wind chilled the air even more. Raxri kept laughing, and even placed his hand upon Yiwaritala in mock pity. "Oh, monk. It is okay."
Yiwaritala harrumphed and twisted his body to force Raxri's hand away. Raxri could only laugh.
The laughing reverberated into the night.
Eventually, the abbot said: "You are no doubt tired from your journeys and from your revelations. It would do you good to rest, I would think."
Raxri bowed deeply. They were, in truth, extremely tired. They could feel the bags under their eyes weigh them down. "If it's not too much trouble for the venerable one, of course!"
The abbot gestured to Yiwaritala, and the monk bowed and rose to his feet. "We have prepared a guestroom in our guesthouse for you. Come. It is only right that you rest."
The abbot said, as Raxri rose: "Is this all you wish to glean from your visit here? A paltry answer about your probable past?"
Raxri opened their mouth excitedly: "Ah! Well, master Akazha had told me that perhaps you could teach me the ways of the Infinite Law, and the Adamantine Path, and perhaps even the Thunderbolt Staff!
A moment of silence.
Then, the abbot laughed and nodded. "We shall contemplate on it."
And with that, Yiwaritala gestured for Raxri to follow. Raxri turned and bowed to the Abbot. "Thank you, thunderbolt master." The Abbot bowed back to him, and then they followed Yiwaritala.
They walked across the great courtyard as the cold night wind danced. It was common knowledge that the cold winds prefer to dance at night, due to their life-long hatred of the Blasted Sun's Blazing Armies. The cold winds prefer to lie low, within shades and shadows, or as already said, the night.
Of course, the higher one proceeds up the realms of the sky, the colder it becomes, despite the Blasted Sun. This is because the gods of the sky are cold themselves--in truth, almost every god and spirit is categorically cold. This is a truth of their aggregation, and it is this way because every world system begins cold. Humans are therefore anathema to the spirits because they are warm and hot, possessing, spiritually, a Heart of Fire. A Furnace of Will.
As they walked, Raxri couldn't help but admire the great statue of Tala Awoken. Its serene, half-lidded eyes of course spoke of Cessation, of that thing when one ceases one's delusion and attains Enlightenment Beyond Enlightenment. However, the way the half-lidded eyes were carved made it seem like Tala Awoken was staring at Raxri and everyone else at the same time, no matter where they moved.
I suppose it's because the Tala Awoken is an All Seeing Compassionate One, Raxri conjectured, completely out of their ass, deduced from contextual clues and all the other teachings they had been taught.
A question naturally arose in Raxri's churning thoughts. "Monk Yiwaritala, may I ask...?"
"Yes?"
"The statue within the meditation house... who is it? Or what is it? From his visage he seems to be some kind of demon king... some sort of destroyer of great broods and meritorious armies."
Yiwaritala cocked his head to the side and thought for a few steps. Then, he said, without stopping walking: "They were one of the many manifestations of Primeval Awoken, the Ultimate Who Looks Upon The World, known as Airotsana Murat. His wrathful manifestation is someone we know and revere as the Scarlet Awoken, also known as the Termagant Buddha. In elder Karitan, Ksewran Murat. Murat is the ancient ritual word for Awoken, while Ksewran is the ancient name for the Scarlet God."
"The Scarlet God...?" Raxri remembered Ngura, who led those bandits that attacked Akazha.
Yiwaritala inhaled. "Right, you've lost all your memory." The monk sighed. "Then you must know that the most common faith here in the Utter Islands is the Cult of the Scarlet God, other than the Liberation Law. Scarlet God devotees devotees believe their great Scarlet God Ksewran to be the Absolute Reality, and that all things eventually return to him through austerity and devotion, liberating themselves from this world of illusion and being subsumed into Atmost Bliss within the Scarlet God's essence.
"The Infinite Law, is naturally, a fusion of the Liberation Law and the Scarlet God Cult. Firstly, you must know that the Infinite Law arises from Liberation Law. The Infinite Law is a modified version of the Liberation Law: the Liberation Law teaches only the Awokenhood for one's self. The Infinite Law teaches Awokenhood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
"Now you see, many people naturally believe in the Scarlet God. This is a natural consequent of the human experience: it is easiest to think that there is an intelligence, not unlike us, that we shall return to. As you can see, the world is not a nice place. Nature... it cares not for us. It is abundant and nourishing but it does not give us everything we ever want. That is not their goal. Their goal is to provide living, living, living. But humans... we seek flourishing.
"In an ancient scripture the Tutelary Awoken of this world, Kitama Sanjah Murat, it was written that two cycles from their Ultima Extinction--that is, Extinction After Death, without residue. Wakoss Zang Wakoss in Karitan... Ultimation of Ultimation."
"Uh-huh. Uh-huh." Raxri followed not, unfortunately. But they will understand later, they knew. Even know they could feel Yiwaritala's words sinking deep and impaling themselves upon the blades of Raxri's subconscious.
"Yes," continued Yiwaritala, as they crossed the stone grounds of the courtyard. "Two cycles from Kitama Sanjah Murat's Wakoss Zang Wakoss there arose a great Adamant Blade Wielder, who seized and subjugated the powerful Ksewran in a universal war known as the One Million Thunderclap Conflict. The Adamant Blade Wielder, who was a Savior in truth, won the battle and promised to cease the Scarlet God's annihilation if they listened to the teachings of the Awoken and the Law. The Scarlet God acquiesced, and at the end of it, took refuge within the Tristones.
"A few cycles after that, the Scarlet God managed to dedicate themselves completely to the Law, performing a large number of enlightenment rituals. When the Scarlet God passed--as all gods do--they did so with ultimate understanding, and thus they did also attain Ultima Extinction. The Scarlet God was Awoken. Scarlet God Awoken, Ksewran Murat, Termagant Buddha. They realized their utter non-duality with emptiness, and it became known that the Scarlet God Awoken all this time was a wrathful manifestation of great Primeval Awoken, who dedicated themselves to showing one of the greatest compassions: that a god full of hubris and murderous intent can still yet attain enlightenment through the Law, and find compassion from the carnage."
"I see. So..." Raxri turned around to look at the meditation house again. They could still see one of the armored parts of the warrior Awoken. "Essentially, the Scarlet God converted and then attained Enlightenment, became Awoken, and then became the wrathful manifestation of Primeval Awoken...?"
"Close. They've always been a wrathful manifestation, but they also became one."
Raxri punched their head. "Realization yet eludes my grasp!"
"To think beyond dualities is one of the reasons for studying and training in a monastery, Raxri Uttara. Perhaps if the head abbot deems it fit... and possess you that same virtuous obssession... you might be able to study yourself here, for a time."
Raxri thought about it for a moment. Then, they said: "I think that would be most appreciated from this student. Ever I chase for new knowledges and new understandings. And even better ways of honing my martial arts!"
At that last bit, Yiwaritala's eyes became a piercing glare, not unlike that of a dragon. Raxri shivered, but Yiwaritala never continued. They looked away and kept walking.