Maryn Dharma

This article is about an aspect of the Maryn Consociation.

The term dharma is a spiritual and religious term that means one's righteous duty or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term. It can be equivalent simply to "religion", depending on context. Dharma is a central concept that is used in order to explain the "higher truth" or ultimate reality of the universe. The word dharma literally translates as that which upholds or supports, and is generally translated as law. The word "dharma" can also be translated as "the teachings of the Edicts".

The laws of the various races and kingdoms have all accorded a central focus to Dharma and advocate its practice. Each of these traditions emphasizes Dharma as the correct understanding of reality in its teachings. In these traditions, beings that live in accordance with Dharma proceed more quickly toward personal liberation or enlightenment. Dharma also refers to the teachings and doctrines of the founders of these traditions, such as the High Queen Aistaraina. In traditional society with its caste structure, Dharma constituted the religious and moral doctrine of the rights and duties of each individual. The antonym of dharma is adharma meaning unnatural or immoral.

Mainstream Dharmism

The observation that a natural justice and harmony pervades the natural world becomes manifest in a concept of right which is both "nature's way" and the order implicit in nature. This bears a resemblance to the ancient conception of the logos.

This idea laid the cornerstone of Dharma's implicit attribution to the "ultimate reality" of the surrounding universe. This "power" that lies behind nature, and which keeps everything in balance became a natural forerunner to the idea of dharma, as one can see in this early Dharmic prayer:

"O Dharma, lead us on the right path over all evils. "

The Dharmists saw dharma as the universal principle of law, order, harmony; all-in-all truth that sprang first from the world-as-it-is. It acts as the regulatory moral principle of the Universe. Dharma is nothing but the real nature of an object. Just as the nature of fire is to burn and the nature of water is to produce a cooling effect, in the same manner, the essential nature of the soul is to seek self-realization and spiritual elevation. Dharma is not just law, or harmony, it is pure reality:

Verily, that which is Dharma is truth.

Therefore they say of a man who speaks truth, 'He speaks the Dharma,'

or of a man who speaks the Dharma, 'He speaks the Truth.'

Verily, both these things are the same.

The status of Dharma is regarded variably by different traditions. Some regard it as an ultimate truth, or as the font of all things which lies beyond the "three realms" and the "wheel of becoming", somewhat like the logos. Others, who regard Dharmic teachings as merely a path to enlightenment, see the Dharma as the essence of the "84,000 different aspects of the teaching", to be understood based upon their individual propensities and capabilities. For others still, they see the Dharma as referring to the "truth," or the ultimate reality of "the way that things really are". Dharma is also used to refer to discourses on fundamental principles (such as the Four Ineffable Truths and the Eightfold Path of Magic).

Qualities of Dharma

1. The Dharma is not a speculative philosophy, but is the Universal Law found through enlightenment and is preached precisely. Therefore it is excellent for morality, excellent for concentration, and excellent for wisdom.
2. The Dharma is testable by practice and known by direct experience.
3. The Dharma is able to bestow timeless and immediate results here and now, for which there is no need to wait until the future or next existence.
4. The Dharma welcomes all beings to put it to the test and to experience it for themselves.
5. The Dharma is capable of being entered upon and therefore it is worthy to be followed as a part of one's life.
6. The Dharma may be perfectly realized only by the disciples who have matured and who have become enlightened in supreme wisdom.

Knowing these attributes, Dharmists hold that they will attain the greatest peace and happiness through the practice of their own Dharma. Each person is therefore fully responsible to engage in their own practice and commitment.

Dharmas in Phenomenology

Dharma is also used in phenomenology as a term roughly equivalent to a basic unit of existence and/or experience. Later philosophers have questioned whether the dharmas truly have a separate existence of their own - that is, do they exist apart from anything else? By rejecting any inherent reality to the dharmas, they ask:

When all dharmas are empty, what is endless? What has an end?

What is endless and with an end? What is not endless and not with an end?

What is it? What is other? What is permanent? What is impermanent?

What is impermanent and permanent? What is neither?

Auspicious is the pacification of phenomenal metastasis, the pacification of all apprehending; There is no dharma whatsoever taught to whomever, whenever, wherever.

Dharma and Angelism

Dharma is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the "Holy Words". Dharma has been used to mean religion, faith, law, and even as "duty" or social order, right conduct, or virtue.

Dharma should not be confused with the fundamental principles, the equitable law of the universe. These principles describe the course of everything observable, the motion of the planets and astral bodies, the progression of the seasons, the pattern of daily nomadic herdsman life, governed by regular metronomic events such as sunrise and sunset. All physical creation is thus determined to run according to a master plan and violations of the order (such as expressions of free will) are either miracles (dharma), or violations against creation (adharma). This conflict should not be confused with the good-versus-evil battle evident in degenerate religions, for the moral conflict is more systemic and less personal, representing, for instance, chaos (opposing order); or destruction, including natural decay (opposing creation); or more simply "the lie" (opposing truth, righteousness).

In this schema of Dharma versus Adharma, mortal beings (humans and animals both) play a critical role, for they too are created. Here, in their lives, they are active participants in the conflict and it is their duty to defend order, which would decay without counter-action. Angelism emphasizes deeds and actions, and accordingly asceticism is frowned upon. This was explained as fleeing from the experiences of life, which was the very purpose that the soul was sent into the mortal world to collect. The avoidance of any aspect of life, which includes the avoidance of the pleasures of life, is a shirking of the responsibility and duty to oneself, one's soul, and one's family and social obligations.

Thus, central to Angelism is the emphasis on moral choice, to choose between the responsibility and duty for which one is in the mortal world, or to give up this duty and so facilitate the work of Dharma. Similarly, predestination is rejected in Angelist teaching. People bear responsibility for all situations they are in, and in the way they act to one another. Reward, punishment, happiness and grief all depend on how individuals live their life.

In Angelism, good transpires for those who do righteous deeds. Those who do evil have themselves to blame for their ruin. Early Angelist morality is then to be summed up in the simple phrase, "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" for it is through these that Dharma is maintained and Adharma is kept in check.

Sociologically, as Maryn Angelism was strongly influenced by Dharmic and tribal practices, the Maryn Angelists popularized shrines and temples, hitherto alien forms of worship. In the wake of Angelist expansion, these shrines were constructed throughout the Maryn empire. Although the worship via enshrined images would eventually fall out of favour (and be replaced by stark temples), the lasting legacy of the Maryn Angelists was a vast, complex hierarchy of Angels that were now not just evident in the religion, but firmly established, not least because the divinities received dedications in the seasonal calendar, thus ensuring that they were frequently invoked. Additionally, the six originally abstract terms that were regarded as direct emanations or aspects or "divine sparks" came to be personified as Archangels.

Kalingan Dharmism

Dharma is natural. The dharma is the nature of an object. It is the nature of the soul to be free, thus for the soul, the dharma is beyond worldly. However the nature of the body is to seek self-preservation and be engaged in pleasures according to its kind.

Thus dharma is of two kinds, for the Orcs and for the Elves. The Elves are constrained by five great vows, which they may not reveal. They are endowed with right faith, right knowledge and right conduct and engaged in complete self-restraint and penances. The dharma of the Orc consists of observance of twelve vows i.e. five minor vows and seven disciplinary vows. The dharma of the Orc should be carried out according to tradition, such that it is not objectionable, according to one's abilities such as wealth and skill, in accordance with the hierarchy and law.

Racial Dharmic Vows

Dharma is the truest expression of one's essence or true nature. Each race has a different nature. Each being must follow their racial Dharma to be truly free. The essence of their nature had been codified by the wisdom of the immortals to assist each race to progress along the path of enlightenment in accord with their Dharma.

Human Vows

The following items are not so much vows as a checklist for an ongoing performance review:

1. The world must be organised, measured, and recorded.
2. Humanity is best suited to administer the world, and the lesser races.
3. Information is control.
4. Information goes up the chain, orders come back down
5. Chaos obscures transparency of information.
6. Individuality leads to chaos.
7. Report any signs of the bestial traits of 'innovation', 'speculation', 'artistry', etc ...

Vanaran Vows

A Vanaran is cunning, bold, curious, inventive, and agile of body and mind:

• Always investigate a new opportunity; you never know where it might lead.
• Always trust your instincts; they will lead somewhere.
• Always keep active and busy; your mind will follow your body.
• Always do things in your own time; never allow yourself to be rushed.
• Always aim high; you have no limit to what you can create or achieve.
• Always enjoy yourself; someday greatness will come.

Orcish Vows

Orcs must do what they are told, or they will suffer:

The Five Minor Vows

• Fight: Do not fight for power, only for domination.
• Food: Do not eat red meat, or hunt it for sport.
• Fuck: Do not fuck non-orcs.
• Fire: Do not burn growing wood or buildings.
• Fear: Do not fear pain, hardship, or hard work.

The Seven Disciplinary Vows

• Respect: A rude orc is a dead orc.
• Rhythm: An out-of-step orc is a dead orc.
• Remember: A forgetful orc is a dead orc.
• Remain together: A lone orc is a dead orc.
• Routine: A lazy orc is a dead orc.
• Report: A rebel orc is a dead orc.
• Reproduce: A sterile orc is a dead orc.

Elvish Vows

The Elvish guardians of the Maryn consociation are burdened with the Five Great Vows of the Noble Truth. They are:

To Deny Suffering

To be mortal means to suffer, because the mortal nature is not perfect and neither is the world they live in. The Dharma of we immortals is thus to avoid physical suffering such as pain, sickness, injury, tiredness, and death; and emotional suffering like sadness, fear, frustration, disappointment, and rejection. An immortal must not only avoid their own suffering, but avoid perceiving the suffering of others. The immortal must surround themselves with those they like and that which they enjoy, and receive only the news they wish to hear. Also, they must reduce the suffering of mortals to a degree such that it does not impinge on the contemplation of our immortality, without denying the Dharma of the mortals, which is suffering.

To be Detached from the Transient

The origin of suffering is attachment to transient things and events. Better by far is ignorance of the ephemeral, including not only the physical objects that surround us, but also ideas, and - in a greater sense - our perceptions. The temporary will pass with nary a ripple in eternity, and much suffering is caused by concern for that which soon fixes itself, or is cyclical, and waxes and wanes with the passage of time. Naivety is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to changing and impermanent things. Because the objects of our attachment are transient, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow.

To be Indifferent yet Compassionate

An immortal is a being of immense power. To have power and not to act is to have no power at all. To act through attachment is to suffer. Thus, an immortal must act without attachment, with compassion but no concern, decisively but with indifference to the outcome. The goal for the immortal is to raise the mortal races as high as their essential mortal natures will allow them. The success or failure to achieve this goal, is not that of the immortal, but of the mortals whom they choose to assist. An indifferent immortal will not notice whether the transient has risen from potential to actual, but only know they have assisted the mortals with compassion for their failure to be in a state of grace.

To grow ever more Puissant and Mighty

Although an immortal does not measure themselves by the success of mortals, and cares not if they succeed or fail, they still have a duty to maintain themselves and their estate in a state capable of assisting mortals as and when compassion demands. Thus they must conserve and master whatever power they may attain, even if they do not choose to strive for more. An immortal does not gain puissance for themselves; as they as detached and indifferent, such baubles mean nothing to them. Some reasons for mortal suffering include the pursuit of fortune and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, and in general to get ahead of others, by pushing others down as much as raising their own state of affairs. None of these apply to the immortal that treads the path of Dharma.

To be a Leader on the path to Ascension

There is a path to the cessation of even mortal suffering - a gradual path of self-improvement, a middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence and excessive self-mortification; and it leads to the end of the cycle of rebirth. The path that reduces mortal suffering can extend over many lifetimes, throughout which every individual rebirth is subject to dharmic conditioning. Craving, ignorance, delusions, and their effects will disappear gradually, as progress is made on the path. An immortal will thus use their might to help their mortals to ascend as high as their natural grace will allow them, and reduce the overall suffering of the world.