The Apex of Experience
There is one prerequisite for acceptance into this tradition: at least an indication of Psychic Ability. One's rank in the monastery rises with the Mastery of his or her Psychic skills. Novice monks move into the Temple whilst their credentials are verified, and begin the year-long intensive course taken by all Celebrants (the poor are granted a scholarship or a loan) and slowly introduced into the round of chores and duties. They are free to leave at any time and return when they believe they are more capable of coping with monastic life. Monks are not allowed to marry; older novices must be single, divorced or widowed.
Visitors are often astonished by the presence of monks in the bustling cities. The Celebrants have long maintained that the only true way to walk the Golden Path is to be surrounded by Humanity. The monks share the dormitory, cafeteria, and gymnasium with their other colleagues. They have four set meditations at dawn, noon, sunset and midnight. The rest of their day is preoccupied with other activities: maintenance of the Temple grounds and the Gardens, cleaning the Temple, serving in the cafeteria, research and exercise.
Monks also practice a walking meditation where they go alone in the streets, contemplating the nature of man in action. Novices and low-ranking monks wear their monastic garments to identify them and guard them against harassment; they are also assigned daylight hours and the safest neighborhoods. They talk to people, and some will intervene in situations where it seems warranted.
The elders continue the walking meditation but now walk at all hours in nondescript clothing, losing themselves in the anonymity of Humanity. Whether they choose to involve themselves in events varies according to their particular school of thought. Some are content with unnerving their opponents with swift reflexes and calm demeanor. Others detain would-be offenders, handing them to the authorities for prosecution. And others see themselves as the flame which attracts the foolish moth to the light and makes sure such lesson firmly, forever imprinted.
Whilst all the traditions are supposed to be equal, temple leadership and doctrine still rest solely in the monks' hands. The elders consider each other as equals; all decisions require a majority consensus. They do not, however, interfere in politics -religious or secular. What few sanctions they impose concern exclusivity or discriminatory laws. Their focus is always on the eternal life of the soul and learning to get beyond the boundaries, not in getting entangled in daily cares.
When Brother Man dies, the elders turn automatically to the eldest member with most coalification. Brother Man is not accorded any extra deference among the elders. He rarely attends public functions, and his opinions cannot override the consensus. His rank is treated as one more chore among many to the temple. He is a figurehead among the elders, but his status holds sway in the rest of the Temple and to the general public.
There is only one room in the Temple dedicated solely to the monks, and this is the Hall of Memory. The Hall is equipped with Runic wards to prevent eavesdropping and scrying. The room is small and unadorned beyond cushions for sitting meditation; many monks gather here for the times of meditation. There are no decorations or windows to distract the mind. This is the room where the elders gather to discuss temple policy on existing sects, schisms, and Local problems. They also consist of their records of Psychic Lore and Warp; these writings are contained in a vault Psychically concealed within the Hall.
The monk's path is focused on spiritual evolution, and self-reflection and contemplation are the ways to achieve it. There is little room for vanity in this practice. Status and possessions are put aside, and hours devoted to studying, meditation and service. Physical training hones the body, helping it reach its own culmination of perfection -it becomes far immune to disease and apparently even aging. While these benefits are enjoyed, the goal is to make the body a Temple of Divine Form in the flesh, the soul its altar.
Monastic traditions
Though all monks shared a great deal with one another, many focused on a number of specific, exclusive techniques that distinguished different monasteries from one another. They can be categorized into Four traditions which are listed below.
Jina tradition
Frequently found in remote rural areas, monasteries that taught this tradition placed an emphasis upon mental perfection and acuity, calmly anticipating enemy actions and countering them with inborn psionic energy. Such monks are soft-spoken ascetics, who preferred solitary study to combat training, honing their psionic abilities through discipline and quiet contemplation. Some monasteries even swore themselves to a vow of silence, allowing members to speak only for one hour a day.
They detached themselves from worldly problems and concerns; finding peace and freedom was the key to solving their difficulties in life. The key to their style is flexibility and finding and following the path of least resistance. They are notable for being almost purely defensive, as well as the most dynamic of the four traditions. They can overwhelm many opponents at once with large and powerful attacks that could prove fatal; however, due to the pacifist nature of the Monks, such attacks are rarely used. Due to their deep spirituality, they often adapt to the situation surrounding them and employ evasive maneuvers as opposed to direct confrontation.
It is based on Ancient Baguazhang style of martial arts, also known as "circle walking" or "Eight Trigram Palm", along with a small hint of Xingyiquan, also known as "mind-heart boxing". Baguazhang involves "smooth coiling and uncoiling actions". Such moves employ dynamic footwork, throws, and hand techniques. These martial arts feature swift, evasive maneuvers that evoke the intangibility and explosive power of wind; drawing energy from the center of the abdomen. Ba Gua, which utilizes circle walking of the Eight Trigrams, is known for its constant circular movement, which makes it difficult for opponents to attack directly or land a blow. Maneuvers employ the entire body with smooth coiling and uncoiling movements, utilizing dynamic footwork, open-hand techniques, punches, and throws.
Karmachakra tradition
While some monks emphasized the importance of mind over body, adherents of the Karmachakra tradition believed that true spiritual perfection began with the mastery of the body. Training themselves to supernatural levels of agility and strength, such monks are master athletes, who often offered their services as laborers or artisans to local communities when they weren't training. Karmachakra monasteries are therefore more likely to be found in towns or villages than the remote wilderness, though exceptions did exist for those monasteries whose members sought to test themselves physically against climatic extremes, such as a desolate tundra or an active volcano.
The key to this tradition is utilizing True neutrality, which involves waiting and listening for the right moment to strike and, when that moment comes, acting decisively. In other words, they generally endure their enemies' attacks until the right opportunity to counterattack reveals itself. Overall, it is the least spiritual of all four Traditions, almost exclusively treated pragmatically with no observable interactions with supernatural phenomena.
The Ancient Hung Gar style is the main influence for this tradition; they both feature "heavily rooted stances and strong kicks and punches that evoke the mass and power of earth." Hung Gar itself parallels animal movements such as the tiger's hard blows and the crane's affinity to landing gracefully on the Earth.". The concept of neutrality is also closely related to the philosophy of "sticky hands", a practice common to some ancient martial arts such as Chu Gar Southern Praying Mantis and Wing Chun. The purpose of sticky hands is to enable the practitioner to predict their opponent's next move. By practicing with a partner in this manner, a practitioner will learn to "read" the slight movements of their opponent's arms to detect their next attack and subsequently move accordingly to either strike before the attack is made or move in the same direction with the attack and effectively neutralize it. Concepts such as listening, reacting, balancing attacks and defense, and drawing power from a stable lower body are often referred to in the practice of sticky hands, again, closely relating to many primary concepts in Hung Gar.
Open Hand Tradition
Masters of the martial arts, monks of the Open Hand were the ultimate practitioners of unarmed combat and Master Healers. Monks belonging to the Way of the Open Hand could use Psychic power to hinder opponents, heal their own bodies, or protect themselves from enemy attacks.
Their fighting style is mostly fluid and graceful, acting in concert with the environment. practitioners deal with the flow of energy; they let their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' own forces against them. Even when they do take an attack stance, their moves always appear to flow from one to the other. Rather than supporting a separate set of offensive methods, this style employs defensive techniques that can be transformed into attacks and counters. Instead of simply deflecting an attack, the practitioner's defensive maneuvers focus on control, achieved through turning an opponent's own strength against them, rather than directly harming the opponent.
It is based on Ancient T'ai chi ch'uan, specifically the Yang style. It is a martial art that features slow movements and elegant forms that evoke the feel of flowing water. Like tai chi, a practitioner's main advantage is the ease with which he or she can control his or her opponent, not simply harming them. Both arts were influenced by ancient healing practices; people would channel their "energy paths" within themselves to areas of the body where healing was necessary. They also share a specific focus: body alignment, breath, and visualization. Finally, a practitioner can typically find that softness and breathing are more effective for his or her ability than hard aggression, just as a practitioner of tai chi does.
Chakravarti Tradition
Monks of this Tradition embrace the role of death in the world as that which cleanses and makes way for future growth. They preach that an evolved soul is a good soul. Moderation is based on an underlying foundation of virtue; there can be no pretense of moderation in theft, murder and similar crimes. They also protest laws that they say encourage immoderation and greed and call for others that benefit the entirety of humanity.
Most controversially, many monks see it as their duty to push Humanity towards Illumination, removing sources of disease, corruption, and misery from the world. This means judging when a person's moral degradation has grown too harmful to themselves or others to be allowed to continue, and when it is appropriate to deliver the Good Death. They are not cavalier about this responsibility and are painfully aware of the risk of such a mindset, but they know their work is necessary and that they are the only ones for it. To them, theirs is a sacred duty, one that must be carried out, but is so strenuous and terrible that only the most strong-willed can perform it. It is not so much that they take on a right, as they take on a burden: responsibility for pain, for release and for renewal.
Their Martial Art Style is known for its intense and aggressive attacking style and general lack of adequate defensive moves, although practitioners can modify offensive maneuvers to function as a defense. They use concentrated barrages of Punch or Kicks to overwhelm opponents before striking a fatal blow. Swift, whirling kicks and punches generate diverse shapes for offensive attacks.
This Style is based mainly on the Ancient Shaolin style. Aspects of such combat style can be seen through a similar emphasis on highly technical kicking strikes, fundamentally strong movements, and the usage of swift, direct maneuvers. Northern Shaolin is an external style that uses long, aggressive techniques that explode and drive through the opponent.
The Northern Shaolin style emphasizes "kicking over hand fighting", or prioritizing one's legwork as opposed to the arms. Kicks are meant to "extend as far as possible without compromising balance. A few techniques from Northern Seven Star Praying Mantis are also prominent. These martial art variants feature quick, successive attacks that utilize momentary bursts of extreme power, much like an explosion, called ging lik. It optimizes a strong continuous offense, sacrificing defense for greater power, the principle behind a pre-emptive strike, and as such, Chakravanti Tradition is categorized as the most aggressive of the four Tradition.
