> All Awoken are Saviors. But not all Saviors are Awoken.
>
> [Translator's Note: This makes more sense in the Elder Karitan. It says: Tan Murat e Muratsatta. Ri tan Murasatta e Murat. Murat is the ancient word for Awoken, in the far west they use the term "buddha." Muratsatta means "Awoken-Essence" or "bodhisattva" in the far west.]
>
> Saviors are, in truth, those with Enlightenment-Nature. That is to say, they are certain to be enlightened, but they have chosen to stay their complete transcension and chose to stay in the cycle of rebirths to help all suffering begins. One popular Savior, Sinapupunanrupa Muratsatta (Earth Womb Awoken-Essence), pledged that they will stay a Savior until "Heaven and Hell are empty." If you meet him on the road, give him some food. He is tireless in his compassionate crusade.
>
> From The Violence Sutra
Akazha rose to their feet and walked over to their work desk. Ink wells, feathers, blades, steles, paper made of palm leaf, palm leaf, betel nut, three different pipes, bamboo strips with multiple magickal formulae overlaid upon them. A mess.
Akazha took their bronze furnace holder also of Tongson beauty, verdigrised, and placed the paper over it. She whispered. Inaudible. Raxri could not hear. Exhaled sharply and performed a handseal at the same time. A small fire erupted from the tip of the incense stick and swallowed the palm leaf manuscript, ripping it from reality completely.
Akazha turned and said: "Consummation has been achieved. Raxri, rest for today. We will not push you any further. What is important is that you learn how to rest properly and fully. Even now, your Will is slightly diminished, as you cannot return to your full capacity without at least three days worth of rest."
Raxri furrowed their eyebrows as they sat upon the chair. "What will I do in three days?"
Akazha smiled. She turned and bent over, pulling out a few palm leaf manuscripts folded neatly into rectangles, bound by multicolored cotton threads. She placed it on the table in front of Raxri. "You can start by reading."
"Reading? What should I read...? What is this?" Raxri looked at the manuscripts given to them. Azure Lotus Scripture. Treatise On The Soul. Treatise on Will. The Will and Power Sutra. The Wizard Sutra. Treatise On Magick and Supranaturality. "I have to read all of this?"
Akazha shrugged, turning around to pick up her porcelain cup and sip her sugar-infused coffee. "If you want to be able to practice magick as my master Sutasoma teaches it, then you will have to have a good foundational base."
Jikajika snickered. "O, may the gods bless thee with comprehension, cloud-headed one," said the tellurian. "Even these writings be beyond the power us supranatural beings. Thy philosophers truly are some sort of strange breed entirely."
Raxri licked their lips, grimacing as they looked at the books. "Well, I suppose if I have no physical training I have to do during the next few days it wouldn't hurt."
"You should start with The Will and Power Sutra," said Akazha, stretching. They only wore a simple chest band and sarong now, both of a pastel blue color. "That should give you a good foundation on what to expect when it comes to harnessing the Will found in every sentient being. Afterwards, moving into Treatise On Magick and Supranaturality or The Wizard Sutra might be good."
Jikajika shook their head. "No, no. Thou must begin with the quintessential Azure Lotus Scripture. It shall teach you the precepts and such of the Law! As well as a quick glimpse into the Cosmos of Hingsajagra."
Raxri rubbed their face. They weren't much one for reading, so a certain sense of dread crept upon them as Jikajika and Akazha argued over which piece of writing they should read first. At the end of it, Akazha and Jikajika did not come to a concordance of opinion, and decided they had to leave because it was time for them to cook or tend to their crops. Akazha left to gather herbs and other reagents. Jikajika left realizing they had forgotten to close the pig fence.
And so Raxri was left alone with their manuscripts.
Stop thinking so much, they thought to themself. Just do it. Just do it. Onwards. Onwards. Cease hesitation, seize victory.
Raxri sighed. I did not even know I could read, but I can! O, what a curse.
Raxri leaned over and took the Azure Lotus Scripture. They untied the fiber that kept it together and opened it to the first scroll. Raxri saw that it was written in a script that they could read. A thought bubbled into their mind, a remembering? A memory? I should ask what the script is called, because it is being used to write Old Selorongian, a language I understand.
The first few words said: "This is a Text of the Law. Treat it with care, with respect, as a Holy Text can teach much in the same way a Master or Mentor can. Do not throw it around, and do not leave it on the ground.
> "Ahom! All ye disciples. Thus have I heard: the Awoken are those that have attained Revolution! Revolution is that which is beyond understanding, beyond Ignorance and Enlightenment. Greater than the teachings of the Elder Law. Greater than the teachings of the Infinite Law. Greater even than the teachings of any Adamantine Path. The Azure Lotus is the rarest of lotuses, found only after being struck by heaven-to-earth lightning. It is a lotus that grows in the murkiest of mud, and burgeons only after being struck by lightning hotter than one million vajras. As such, this is the pure law, this is the greatest law. One unattached from the Thus-Come-And-Gone, the greatest impersonal truth that is all at once personal, and beyond the vagaries and dualities of Truth and Nontruth. It is nonconceptual, and so I cannot teach it to you. The only way to Revolution is by walking it. It is the highest Royal Road. It is the Road itself."
As Raxri read, Akazha walked back into the cottage with a rattan basket full of herbs and reagents. Dirt and soil smeared her pale skin, her biceps, her forearms, her collarbones. She was smoking another pipe and had on a salakot. "You should know that if something is a Sutra or Scripture, that simply means it is believed to have been taught by the Conqueror of this kalpa himself. Know you the meaning of a Conqueror, yes?"
Raxri nodded, remembering what Ampun Sagara has taught them. "I do. It was taught to me by the tattooist of Giant Stone Monastery."
Akazha smiled. "Good. I will be out in the kitchen as you read. If you have any questions, hesitate not to ask me or Jikajika."
"I do," said Raxri. "What's the writing script, Akazha? And what is the language here?"
"You can read it, right?" asked Akazha. Raxri nodded. "Good. The writing script is called Kewa, a ritual script that is still used today but only for ritual and religious purposes. The language is Old Selorong, one of the many languages that has contributed to Bazaar Kyarpan."
"Where does Bazaar Kyarpan come from?"
"Bazaar Kyarpan simply means Lotus Market Speech. It's a trading tongue, the most popular across Southern Utter Islands, as I've already told you."
"I see. Thank you, Akazha. Ah, before you go, I would like to ask about two things that the Abbot did not expound to me. If your time is not bound by pursuit?"
Akazha raised an eyebrow. Rubbed her hands with a soft cloth. "Go, then, while I am within this here domicile."
"The Abbot spoke of Empowerment. This be a line he threw off like a dragonfly to the wind, I'm afraid. I've no context. What is this Empowerment, and do I require it?"
Akazha puffed on her pipe--she had found it while Raxri asked the question--and tapped her chin. "Interesting that the Abbot had given you Empowerment but not expounded upon it."
"All he gave me was transmission of the mantras upon my scroll."
"I see. Suppose it does follow sense not to overwhelm you with the intricacies of the Law. and I suppose it makes even more sense to teach you the exoteric teachings before the esoteric.
"Very well," she continued. "In a word, it must be known that the Infinite Law is the exoteric aspect of the Law, alongside the Elder Law. Certainty grips me that you've been taught of such schisms within the Law?"
"Liberation Law, Infinite Law... one is for the Awokenhood of self, the other is the Awokenhood of all sentient beings."
Akazha nodded. "The Infinite Law is sometimes known as the Great Barge Path of the Liberation Law. It subsumes all within it, nothing is heretical within the Infinite Law. Even the Scarlet God is encaptured within the great tradition of the Infinite Law. In fact, it is because of Scarlet God Worship that the Infinite Law arose."
Raxri said: "I remember Yiwaritala saying this."
"Good. This syncretism has caused interesting things to arise. For example: the Infinite Law emphasizes compassion and loving kindness to others, while the Liberation Law emphasizes more on meditation and treating everyone rightly and correctly. Love is not enough for the Liberation Law, while it is more than enough in the Infinite Law. This schism in truth is not some dualistic organizational thing, however. Some follow one, another region follows the other, but more often than not Liberation Law and Infinite Law adherents mix and match tenets and precepts as according to their material needs. That is skillful means, after all.
"Now some of the mystics and saints of these ideologies have managed to glean deeper, darker truths that are, in honesty, not even needed or required for the Mass Awakening--and therefore, Mass Salvation--of all sentient beings. However, by following the heretic path can one find the greater truth about existence, and therefore, the truth of awakening. Greater mystics and saints employ mystical, magickal means and methods, gleaned through teachings taught to them by the Awoken themselves, or Saviors, while they meditated alone, at the nadir of their own life. These beings became known as Sida, experts or mystic masters. Though in Bazaar Kyarpan, "mystic" is enough to denote them. They are different from Wizards from the fact that they do not attain Immortality. Instead, through the Rainbow Body, they achieve Limitless Revolution in one life time.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"These beings have then passed down these teachings that come from Primeval Awoken and Ancient Saviors. These Awoken predate even the Conqueror of this Kalpa. These primeval teachings are the Doctrine of the Conqueror anyway. It is, after all, the Law that reveals itself, as it is not created by a sentient being but rather, arises from Emptiness. These teachings, impossible to be gleaned by the mundane mind, are the Esoteric aspects of the Law. These that are magick and occult. Handily, it must be known that often Cultivators of the Law that compete in the grand world stage of the Black World are esoteric practitioners themselves.
"However, the trouble manifests! The quacks and frauds outnumber the true sida. And so, to show the people the true Doctrine, the true esoteric Law, they passed down their teaching to students. And these students then initiate others into the occultic traditions in the same manner. In this way, this creates a causal link that comes straight back from the true sida, whose teachings and Law come from the Primeval Awoken themselves.
"This act is known as Empowerment. Sometimes it is known as Transmission, sometimes it is known as Initiation. I suppose Empowerment just sounds more inspiring. Now, there are multiple levels to Empowerment, but the lowest level of Empowerment is almost always the Mantra. Soon that will become the Sutra. Eventually, if you wish to continue your cultivation, you might even achieve the Tantra. The Salvation-Device Empowerment."
"I see." Raxri nodded along the entire time. Fixated on new cultivation technology. "I understand it, but I will need some time to properly digest it, I believe. Hinder not your words, however, Akazha: prithee explain to me Yoking."
"The mystical practice?"
Raxri nodded.
"Very well. Ah, but do keep in mind I speak not as a master would tell. I simply repeat the words as they have been taught to me by Ultramystic Sutasoma. So any deeper understanding will not come from me, pardon your Akazha."
Raxri shook their head. "It is of no consequence! Please, I beg."
"Yoking... Where have you heard of such a term?"
"I was taught it by Doctor Myu Fan, who dances down the Yokess' path. She's illumined to me the grounds of Yoking. That is, it is to Yoke the mind and therefore gaining powers from that."
Akazha nodded. "I see." She raised an eyebrow at Raxri, and Raxri blinked. "Well, first you must know that Yoking is, in the mystical fields instead of the fields of natural sciences, known as yoga, which comes from Elder Karitan yauga. Yoga means yoking or union. Those that practice yoga are known as yogi or yogini, depending on which they wish.
"Now, yoga is a large field of practices that does exactly that: the control of the Mind. But not just that: even those that yoke the Body.
"The easiest of the Yoga abilities are those that focus on the Body. These are done through bodily movements. It's exercise, in a way, but it is known as Rupayoga, or Physical Refinement Yoga. Even martial arts arise from this kind of Yoga.
"This Physical Refinement Yoga leads to great physical feats, such as flotation, element generation, body elasticity, and more. At the higher levels, intermixed with Waking-Mind Meditation, these Yogis can change shape at will, without the rituals required of other magick wielders.
"Master Sutasoma has always told me: there is nothing more dangerous and more wild than the Mind. This is why the Mind is often represented as the Unconquerable Monkey, wild and free and full of tricks to control you, instead of letting you control it. Thus why we've the story of Sung Ngokhon, the Monkey King, the Victorious Fighting Awoken, Sage Equal To Heaven.
"But even this notion of the Mind arises from ignorance of the true nature of reality. And from that ground of reality, and only from it, can one begin to understand how to yoke the mind. Yoga techniques yoke the mind by manipulating the Vajra Body--that is, the Inner Power, or the Subtle Body, or as we know it now: the Will--through control of the Inner Winds. These Inner Winds, as I've already told you, flow through the entire body. And by positioning the body in particular ways, can let the Winds flow better or into a particular Meridian. Samadhi--that which we call one-pointed absorption concentration--is one form of staying in a meditative state to Yoke the mind.
"There are then even more kinds of Yoking. Azrayoga, or Deity Yoga, wherein you generate a deity within you and replace your form with it. Garoyoga, or Teacher Yoga, which is the attunement of one's self with your garo, your acclaimed and precious master and teacher. And there are yet more that I'm sure Ultramystic Sutasoma will be more than glad to teach you."
"Is Ultramystic Sutasoma a yogini?"
Akazha nodded, puffing out one last puff and then putting the pipe down. "A dakyogini, a great unionist. You will learn much from her."
"I feel I will. I thank you, Akazha. Forgive this feeble-minded slave of yours for keeping you hither."
She waved her hand. "Silence. No self-cutting will happen here. You are worthy of knowledge. As much as I am. Now go, read. I am full glad that you can still read." Akazha left with her rattan basket again.
Raxri sighed and went back to reading. Seems like I can read ritual script. I suppose there is still some sort of storehouse memory that has been retained within my brain. What a predicament I'm in.
Though Raxri could understand what the words were saying upon the page, they could not get themselves to fully grok, to fully comprehend the words that were being transmitted. The Mind truly was a muscle, and without the refining that they had been doing with their body, their mind could not keep up.
There were some pangs of familiarity as they read: Revolution, Nirvana, the Royal Road... these terms that meant nothing to Raxri but they found as if they should be realizing what these meant. Raxri conjectured that these were whispers, shadows of a past understanding now beyond them, now removed from their grasp.
So many things to learn, thought Raxri, staring listlessly at the page. So many things to relearn. Will I ever be able to do them all, again? I have lost everything, both my Internal and External Cultivations. Whatever armors, whatever violent systems, whatever magick praxes I've learned, none of them are in my grasp now. They are no longer a part of me. Will I ever be that Raxri Uttara once again? Was it worth becoming that Raxri Uttara, once again?
A thought crossed Raxri's mind: But now I have the capacity to become better than Raxri Uttara, right? Than the past Raxri. But then again, that Raxri would have been working from a much higher road. That Raxri had far more potential than I do at this current moment. I am swimming the shallows again, I am treading the broken paths once again. I am not in the depths of the ocean of Cultivation like Raxri Uttara of the Past was. Is any of this worth it, then? Can I be salvaged? Can I regain what I once lost?
Raxri exhaled. They continued reading, and their eyes--perhaps serendipitously so--fell upon the following passage:
> "Disciples, thus have I heard. Remember my foremost teaching: there are three Paths for dealing with anxieties, sorrows, and all the other almighty emotions. The first path is the Path of Counteraction: when sorrow arises, you must tend to creating the opposite of sorrow, which is happiness, or loving kindness. We reverse negative passions into positive passions, staying detached from them, seeing them for what they are.
>
> "The second path is the Path of Ego Death: when sorrow arises, we look deep into ourselves and see the emptiness of mind and, consequently, the emptiness of that sorrow. In the Path of Ego Death, we realize that sorrow is a dependent arising from a series of other elements, and so we look to those elements and we might either work to fix them, or work to live with them with our understanding of emptiness.
>
> "The third path is the Path of Poison: this is the most dangerous path, and not one that can be used by the greater masses. It is for use by elders, for committed practitioners, philosophers, sages, and the like. It is the path of converting Collectivist-Individualist Dichotomy into beyond Collective-Individual. In this path, we wield the passion, we realize it for what it is. We see our negative passions, our sorrows, our wraths, our lusts, our envy, and we accept it. Only in doing so, only by taking the poison, can we transmute it into its true face: all things harmful to you are, in truth, the false face. Remember this, always. Relax within this emotion, do not magnify it. Accept it for what it is, understand it, where it arises from, where it will go. In this casualness, you will have practiced the skillful method of Detachment. Detachment does not mean: Oh, I will feel nothing, for I am not connected to anything. Rather, Detachment is: I will feel this, and I will understand where it is from, but it is not the whole of my being, it is empty, it is interesting, it is loving. I will watch it as it enters and leaves, like a shooting star."
Raxri suppressed a smirk. A twist of karmic fate, perhaps? They continued reading. In the next few pages, it was revealed unto them the 18 Savior Precepts, as taught by the Conqueror of this Kalpa, Kitama Sanja Murat.
> "Disciples, thus have I heard, that the more difficult yet most rewarding act of transcension is found in the Emancipation, in the Extinction, in the Liberation. You will know it as the Non-Abiding Revolution: the true Enlightenment that transcends Liberation and Extinction, as one both transcends the world but also chooses to stay to help it. Those that become these beings are known as Savior Awoken.
>
> "Those aspirant Saviors must vow to keep the following precepts. These are the Actions To Abandon. They are:
>
> "Praising one's self, or belitting others, due to attachment to material offerings, praise, and respect.
>
> "Abstaining from giving material aid or not teaching the Law to the suffering and without protection nor a protector.
>
> "Striking at another, or deafening one's self to their apologies.
>
> "Abandoning the Great Barge Path by saying that these texts are not the Law thsemelves.
>
> "Abandoning the Holy Doctrine by professing that these texts are not my word.
>
> "Wrathfully striking a monk of their robes, beating them, causing them to lose ordination even if their morality is impure.
>
> "Committing any of the Five Nadir Actions: killing one's mother, killing one's father, killing a Saint, drawing blood from an Awoken, or intentionally causing a schism in a Monk Community.
>
> "Holding views that distort the Law.
>
> "Destroying towns, villages, cities, or other sanctuaries by means of fire, bombs, pollution, or magick.
>
> "Teaching the truth of the Sacred Darkness to those whose minds are unprepared.
>
> "Causing those riding upon the Great Barge to turn away from attaining Awokenhood, and encouraging them to work for only their own liberation. They might attain Liberation, but it will not be Revolution.
>
> "Causing someone to break their Liberation Vows.
>
> "Belittling those of other Cultivation Systems.
>
> "Arrogantly stating one has realized Sacred Darkness and causing others to lead down one's false path so that they may be as great as you.
>
> "Taking gifts from those encouraged to give you gifts intended as offerings to the Tristones. Never take something that was intended for the Awoken, the Law, and the Commune.
>
> "Causing those in Calmness Meditation Cultivation to give up their Cultivation and give their belongings to those only merely reciting texts, disrupting the spiritual community.
>
> "Finally, disciples, one of the greatest abandonable action is the abandoning of Waking-Mind Cultivation. Either of the two: Aspiring Waking-Mind and Engaging Waking-Mind."
Raxri blinked. They lowered the manuscript for a few moments. There is no way I'm remembering all of those, they thought. At least, not yet. I will need it inscribed upon a booklet or scroll, so I may refer to it as I travel across the forsaken wheel of violence.
They opened the manuscript again and flipped to a previous page, and they immediately saw the section for Waking-Mind.
> "Disciples, thus have I heard. The Waking-Mind is exactly that. The Mind of Enlightenment. It is the state of being one must constantly take on to cultivate and generate compassion to liberate all living and infinite beings from suffering and into Awokenhood. It is the transcendent form of cultivation, for you cultivate yourself so that you may cultivate for others. Those that work through the Waking-Mind work towards Liberation Beyond Liberation. That is to say, Revolution.
>
> "Disciples, you might ask: what is Waking-Mind, in truth? It is the state of being harmonious with the truth of enlightenment and the nature of reality: emptiness. It is holding compassion for everyone for everyone is emptiness, and they must be liberated. This world is not a world of peace, any beautiful thing within it is a glimpse of Sacred Darkness.
>
> "There are two aspects to a Waking-Mind: Aspirational and Engaging. Aspirational Waking-Mind is having this thought: to Cultivate one's self for the liberation of all sentient and infinite beings to Awokenhood. This is achieved through meditation, reading of the Law, and reciting of the Law. This is also the Foundational Waking-Mind, for to engage in Waking-Mind practice, one must also perform it in accordance with the proper precepts and principles crafted by Waking-Mind.
>
> "Sometimes, this foundational Waking-Mind can be seen as a form of liquid, or as a nectar. It is the thing that connects us to the Sacred Darkness, otherwise known as Void. This nectar is the distilled essence of Awakening, of Enlightenment, of Liberation, of Extinction, of Emancipation, of Revolution. It is symbolized as Soma, and it flows through all things that have chosen to save all beings from suffering. More importantly, Waking-Mind is one of the most powerful sources of Will. It is a storehouse of Compassion.
>
> "Now, Engaging Waking-Mind is taking the steps to fulfill one's compassion. Practicing Waking-Mind is done through the Six Diamond Sublimes: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom. By continuously practicing these things, one not only generates even more Waking-Mind for one's self, but one also generates Waking-Mind for another. And in so doing, one helps all sentient beings achieve Revolution."