Monk Philosophy
- Thread starter MavrickWeirdo
- Start date
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Each day the sun rises and follows its path according to the proper order of the Day.
So to must a man be to rise in the morning and to follow in his path according to the proper order.
For a Westernised 'Monk' The Enigma of Steel
Later However Conan meets Thulsa Doom and they have this dialogue
So we have a philosophy based on martial prowess but with a final realisation that it is the Weilder and not the Weapon that has the power. 'Monks' in this tradition are those who having learnt that the Flesh is the true weapon have escewed all but the simplest metal weapons and instead focus on honing the 'self' as the ultimate expression of the Enigma of Steel
So how many people ever consider Conan to be a Monk?
So to must a man be to rise in the morning and to follow in his path according to the proper order.
For a Westernised 'Monk' The Enigma of Steel
Later However Conan meets Thulsa Doom and they have this dialogue
So we have a philosophy based on martial prowess but with a final realisation that it is the Weilder and not the Weapon that has the power. 'Monks' in this tradition are those who having learnt that the Flesh is the true weapon have escewed all but the simplest metal weapons and instead focus on honing the 'self' as the ultimate expression of the Enigma of Steel
So how many people ever consider Conan to be a Monk?
WayneLigon
Adventurer
MavrickWeirdo said:
"There is no place without Law."
This thread has a brief discussion of Shindao which may be useful.
Guilt Puppy
First Post
"I must recall an old story you may have heard:
"A young student climbed to the top of a mountain to learn from an old master.
'Why have you come here?' asked the old master.
'To learn all that you know,' replied the student.
And the old master turned away in disgust, and bade the student to leave.
The next week, the student returned.
'Why have you come again?' asked the old master.
'Because your wisdom is no less prized for the passage of a week,' replied the student.
And the old master turned again away in disgust, and bade the student to leave.
The next week, the student returned again.
'Why have you come yet again?' asked the old master.
'Because I have not yet answered your question,' replied the student.
And the old master turned yet again away in disgust, and bade the student to leave.
This continued for several weeks. Finally, the student arrived, and the master lifted his patience to speak.
'You have come here for many weeks, though you have been turned away many times, yet each time your reason for coming does not satisfy me. So I ask you, again, why have you come here?'
'I have come here for many weeks, and each time I come you are dissatisfied with my answer. I ask you, then, why have you waited for me here?'
The old master smiled.
'If you ask me this, then truly you have learned all that I know.'
So the master drew his sword and impaled himself upon it, that lilies may grow from the stain of his blood."
"A young student climbed to the top of a mountain to learn from an old master.
'Why have you come here?' asked the old master.
'To learn all that you know,' replied the student.
And the old master turned away in disgust, and bade the student to leave.
The next week, the student returned.
'Why have you come again?' asked the old master.
'Because your wisdom is no less prized for the passage of a week,' replied the student.
And the old master turned again away in disgust, and bade the student to leave.
The next week, the student returned again.
'Why have you come yet again?' asked the old master.
'Because I have not yet answered your question,' replied the student.
And the old master turned yet again away in disgust, and bade the student to leave.
This continued for several weeks. Finally, the student arrived, and the master lifted his patience to speak.
'You have come here for many weeks, though you have been turned away many times, yet each time your reason for coming does not satisfy me. So I ask you, again, why have you come here?'
'I have come here for many weeks, and each time I come you are dissatisfied with my answer. I ask you, then, why have you waited for me here?'
The old master smiled.
'If you ask me this, then truly you have learned all that I know.'
So the master drew his sword and impaled himself upon it, that lilies may grow from the stain of his blood."
I'm A Banana
Potassium-Rich
I must have missed the part where riddles and mind games are automatically indicative of an Eastern culture.
Who says you can't have a Zen Koan taught by a Western-style wise man? Certainly, just because a tradition arose in the East doesn't mean that it doesn't have Western analogues, or can be translated to the West, right?
Okay, hijack over.
Most of my monks are more in line with the individualistic stance...that order and unity internally and spiritually will always override whatever law laid down by some guy in a palace far away. What does he know of Truth?
Though what that man says in his far away palace is still important for the attainment of truth, there will often reach a point in which their efforts to impose order on the world will likely conflict with a monk's efforts to impose order upon themselves. In these circumstances, it is paramount to first follow the laws you have discovered in enlightnement, while showing as much respect as possible to the lesser laws.
Who says you can't have a Zen Koan taught by a Western-style wise man? Certainly, just because a tradition arose in the East doesn't mean that it doesn't have Western analogues, or can be translated to the West, right?
Okay, hijack over.
Most of my monks are more in line with the individualistic stance...that order and unity internally and spiritually will always override whatever law laid down by some guy in a palace far away. What does he know of Truth?
Though what that man says in his far away palace is still important for the attainment of truth, there will often reach a point in which their efforts to impose order on the world will likely conflict with a monk's efforts to impose order upon themselves. In these circumstances, it is paramount to first follow the laws you have discovered in enlightnement, while showing as much respect as possible to the lesser laws.
LoneWolf23
First Post
There is no reason why a Monk tradition complete with complex, riddle-based philosophies have to be Asian in origin. The Greeks had a fighting style that combined wrestling and brawling, that could be expanded into a variety of different styles. And Philosophy, thinking devoted to understanding the natural world and human society, was one of the things that made Greek Civilisation great.
In fact, it would be very plausible to create a Monk variant with a Greco-Roman feel, with the idea that a Greek philosopher began to teach a combination of high mental education and hand-to-hand combat technique as a way of Improving Man, and that it caught on...
As for the question, my answer would be: "Laws are born of a need to impose order and peace were they do not exist. A place with no laws is where one understands the order of things and where many live in Peace. Therefore, the purest level of Law exists were laws do not."
In fact, it would be very plausible to create a Monk variant with a Greco-Roman feel, with the idea that a Greek philosopher began to teach a combination of high mental education and hand-to-hand combat technique as a way of Improving Man, and that it caught on...
As for the question, my answer would be: "Laws are born of a need to impose order and peace were they do not exist. A place with no laws is where one understands the order of things and where many live in Peace. Therefore, the purest level of Law exists were laws do not."
