Tao of Shinsei

From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings

The Tao of Shinsei is the basis of the religion known as Shinseism. The whole of it was recorded by the Kami Shiba and consists primarily of Shinsei's famous discussion with Hantei, and also of Shinsei's teachings as he traveled Rokugan finding the Seven Thunders.

Contents 1 Writing the Tao 1.1 Isawa reaction 1.2 Varying texts 2 The first loss of the Tao 3 The second loss of the Tao 3.1 The second half 4 Notable Quotes 5 References

[edit] Writing the Tao

As Shinsei met with Hantei to convince the Emperor to allow the monk to take the Seven Thunders and fight Fu Leng, Shiba sat nearby, listening and recording each word the two said. When the conversation was over, Shiba sat with a thick stack of papers covered with writing.^[1]

As Shinsei traveled Rokugan finding and collecting his Thunders, Shiba remained by his side, continuing to record his teachings. As they passed through the Empire, Shinsei would stop and speak with the locals, teaching everyone who would listen. These conversations became the final chapters of the Tao.^[2]

The Pair traveled, collecting the Thunders, until they finally reached Gisei Toshi, where Isawa would eventually join their party. At this point, Shinsei told Shiba to stop writing. he said that the work was complete and would forever remain with the Isawa in the city.^[2]

[edit] Isawa reaction

As Isawa's family began researching the Tao after their namesake's departure, they were appalled at the teachings and declared that the text was blasphemously opposed to kami no michi. Obsessed with finding some flaw in the text, the scholars of the Isawa family began poring over the text in order to find its flaws. The scholars spent years dissecting every lesson, mystery, and riddle, but could ultimately find no blatant errors in the text. Instead, they began to realize that the teachings of Shinsei were in fact compatible with kami no michi. Within a few short generations, the Tao took a place of honor in the Isawa family's great library.^[2]

[edit] Varying texts

The lectures that Shinsei gave while collecting the Thunders were often written down by his students. Some were chronicled immediately after the scribe heard the Little Teacher, and some versions were not written until decades afterward. As a result, many of Shinsei's lectures have several different recorded accounts. This situation is made more difficult because monks who are writing sutra will often adopt the name of a previous master as a pseudonym. Since the near-destruction of the original text (see below), it has become difficult to determine what teachings were originally Shinsei's and which come from his followers over the centuries.^[3]

[edit] The first loss of the Tao

In 283, in the wake of the rampage of Oni no Akuma, fire swept through Gisei Toshi. The great library was ravaged, and the Tao was nearly lost.^[4] many of the Asako librarians died trying to stop the blaze and save the Tao, but they were not completely successful. Entire sections of the Tao were destroyed, and the remainder was badly damaged. Remaining were only fragments, charred and brittle. These were isolated in the deepest vault of the library. The remainder nearly fills a full table, whereas the text had once filled hundreds of scrolls.^[2]

After the loss, the greatest of the Asako family librarians devoted their lives to restoring the Tao. They researched every scroll they could in order to find any passage that had been quoted elsewhere. They questioned every scholar of the Tao they could find, recording what they could remember. In the end, they could not restore the complete Tao, but their efforts did result in a large body of work which remains as enlightening as ever it was.^[2]

[edit] The second loss of the Tao

In 1132, the Tao was stolen by the Kolat, who were attempting to protect it from the Lying Darkness. Some of the Kolat planned to revise the Tao, changing bits to suit them, but others disagreed. Half of the Tao was given to Daidoji Rekai by a traitor among the Kolat, a monk named Ikudaiu, but the other half was taken by the Lying Darkness and presumed lost.^[5][6]

[edit] The second half

The second half of the Tao was retrieved by Yogo Tjeki after the shugenja meditated upon the elements for a long period of time. Everyone was surprised by this, even Tjeki himself. Although Tjeki dabbled in maho and was affiliated with the Shadowed Tower, he resisted the urge to alter the Tao for the benefit of anyone and surrendered the second half unaltered to the Brotherhood of Shinsei.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notable Quotes

• "Your soul - your life energy - is not bound by the flesh. It can reach where your fingers cannot."^[7]
• "Following a false light only leads you deeper into darkness."^[8]

[edit] References