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thestormthatrises · 1 year

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#Moshang

The day An Ding stood still.

Now, everyone knows that the Lord of An Ding does not stop. If SQH isn't on his peak, making sure it's running perfectly, he's running around the other peaks of CQ trying to get his Martial siblings to do the same (or just Do their jobs), helping out his Martial nieces and nephews and generally carrying the sect on his back.

(Or he's out. Namely on missions, sure, but really he's in the demon realm keep MBJ's kingdom and LBH's empire in check too)

So it's weird, one day, for one of his Head disciples to not see his shizun up and early for morning rounds.

He waits.

And waits.

And nothing.

Was shizun on a 'mission' and no one told him about it?

Concerned that he got his schedule wrong, Quan Peilun goes to Sqh's leisure house. Just to check.

There he finds... Shizun.

A sleeping shizun.

It's both a sad and endearing sight, to see his Shizun sleeping so peacefully surrounded by piles and piles of work.

Shizun is so diligent, so caring, so smart... No one but the disciples of AD and *him* truly See how good and virtuous and important SQH is. No one knows what he sacrifices for everybody. No one cherishes his hard work.

It's sad and frustrating but Shizun never gets actually mad about it. It's just the way things are, he says with a resigned sigh. A sigh of someone Who tried and failed so many times to change things. 'Just... Do no evil but take no shit, yeah?' Shizun colorfully says.

Shizun is so strong. His disciples can't help but be mad. Can't help but ressent. Can't the poison that seeps into their hearts with each disrespect to Them and theirs. CQ had no right to treat them as badly as they did. Had no right to mock and insult their hard working shizun as they did!

Specially when Shizun was this exhausted all the time...

Peilun sighed and made his way thru the towers of papers and maps and trinkets To wake SQH up.

"Shizun" He called out. "Shizun, forgive your disciple but it's morning" he explained, gently shaking his master. "Shizun, please wake up. Today is a busy day, like you said and--"

But SQH did not wake up.

Peilun frowned, concerned. "Shizun?"

He shook him harder. Again. Harder. Again. The young cultivator felt panic rush up his blood stream.

"Shizun?"

Asking forgiveness to all gods that praised filial piety, he struck SQH across the face.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

"Shizun!!"

This was a crises. An absolute nightmare situation.

Never, since the war with the great demon emperor (that took away most of CQ's cultivators, leaving only inexperienced disciples under the leadership of the Qing generation), had AD been without SQH.

Even when He was kidnapped by *him* (and none of the other peak lord's tried to save SQH like they tried for SQQ's corpse), shizun had always managed to send messages, warnings and advice.

Thru thick and thin, Shizun had been there for them and now he was...

He was...

No.

They wouldn't name it.

The head disciples closed ranks. There were four of them. There needed to be four of them because shizun was a god and did, on a good day, the job of four people all it once.

So he needed four head disciples. One for AD, one for CQ, one for the Other sect, and one for espionage.

Two boys and two girls.

And yet, even with four of them, no one could keep a level head.

"Oh Shizun" cried Zhao Lusi as they huddled over his bed. "Please wake up"

"Stop crying! He's fine! He's sleeping!" Insisted Han Shuo. "They Have been running him ragged. We've been telling him again and again to take a break. His body must've given out" the boy decreed, firmly to squash his own doubts.

"We should call *him"* Chen yuanyuan said, causing horror in the other three.

"Not *him*!!!"

"are you crazy?? *He* will take shizun away again and I doubt anyone *here* will want to fight to bring him back!"

"They'll just let him to freeze over *there* or worse become --"

"And *he'll* be SO disappointed in us" Lusi cried again. "Oh shizun, shizun, what do we do?"

"we can't ask *him* for help. We just can't. It'll just make everything worse!"

"Then who?? We can't let the peak know. It'll be chaos."

"*They* won't care"

"Wait... We don't know that"

"Are you joking? They would rather see him dead in a ditch than ever help shizun"

"But maybe not them... Maybe just Mu Qingfang?"

Han Shao and Zhao Lusi nervously giggled, unsure if Peilun was being serious.

"Have we all taken stupid pills today? Remember when shizun asked for a resident medic for our peak and MAF said he couldn't spare a single person?"

"because they were 'too busy'"

"Shizun had to send a whole class outside the sect to learn how to be healers because he refused to even teach one of us basic aid" Lusi lamented. "Oh shizun..."

"Yeah but... Maybe time's have changed?" Yuanyuan tried. "They begged him to return"

"I'm writing a letter to Zhao Hua Temple. One of the monks owes Shizun a favor"

"Well, I'm going to call on Mu-shushu"

"You're going to waste breath!"

"Then it will be my breath wasted, Han Shao!" Yuanyuan exclaimed. "It's better than to do nothing!"

"I'm not doing nothing!I just don't want waste time!" He huffed. "We need tobe quick and the best... Shizun he..." He huffed. " They won't do the best. Not for him."

"...We have to try."

------------

Mu Qingfang didn't do his best. He didn't even try. He didn't come.

Of course, there were excuses. So many excuses. But no matter how much the girl pleaded, on her knees, her head stuck to the ground... The healer would not come.

'when he wakes, tell him to come to me'

Yuanyuan could barely breath at the insult. Rage. Liquid rage and hurt and disgust ran a storm thru her being.

How could he??

How could they!

It was all she could do not to scream at the Healing Lord's face.

'Dont show them you're upset.' Shizun had taught her.

'Some people live off of making others miserable. Don't feed the trolls' Shizun had such a funny way of speaking. She missed it so much.

And only because of that, she contained her bitter tears.

'Dont get upset, Yuanyuan' Shizun had also said. 'get even'

-----

Peilun crumpled the letter from Zhao Hua Temple in his hand.

They told him they would send a healer but only in a fortnight's time. Excuses were had, of course. Excuses, excuses...

It was funny. Nobody liked Shizun's excuses when he legitimately couldn't do something

They all just made him work harder and harder until they got their wishes met.

Fury. Cold and unrelenting fury took over his heart.

What were they,these good and noble cultivators? Useless, ungrateful piles of secrets and degeneracy!

None of them had been worthy of Shizun's help. Not then and never now, never in the future!

'Dont be upset Peilun' Shizun's calm voice echoed thru his aching heart. 'This world is a rotten place. Where the beautiful, the strong and the rich fount their treasures and rest Their feet in the the poor and weaks' necks. That's why we must stick together. We are An Ding first, anything else second' Shizun had said.

'Take that rage to protect and care for our own'

---------

The final straw for Han Shuo came in the form of a shattering kick to the back from a Bai Zhan disciple.

"Hey, duckling" the brute said, pulling at his yellow robes. "Liu-shifu wants to know where the new training dummies are at?"

Heaving thru the blinding pain Han Shuo said: "...They are delayed" through his teeth.

"Again?!" Came from his assailant

"Can't anyone in this stupid peak do their job?" Came from one of his goons

"How long will we have to wait this time?" Another said.

"A peak as useless as its lord"

And that was it.

He snapped.

Han Shuo couldn't, for the life of him, remember what happened next but, in moment, he has been kneeling on the ground, papers scattered around him as he struggled to breathe and then....

His hands were bloody.

He was holding a Bai Zhan boy By the throat.

His cheeks were hot and wet

He was screaming. Screaming as loud and as menacing as he could.

The words didn't seem his own.

"FUCK YOU! FUCK ALL OF YOU! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU, YOU ENTITLED, USELESS LITTLE SHITS!'

'Senseless violence leads nowhere, Shuo-er'

That's what Shizun had said.

'But sometimes, just sometimes, bitches get stitches'

------

All of them converged back to Shizun's room, fire in their heart and thunder j. Their gaze.

Zhao Lusi had been the one that volunteered to stay behind and care for the unconscious peak lord.

Her tears had yet to stop. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't Keep her sorrow in check. Just looking at her precious shizun like that, so soft and vulnerable and... Motionless.

Forced into a peace similar to... To the dead.

Her heart ached and tore.

Shang Qinghua didn't deserve this, whatever it was.

He deserved rest, for sure.

He deserved a long, well deserved rest. And pampering. And honors. No one in this world deserved it more than he in her eyes. But he deserved to be awake to enjoy them. He deserved so much more. So much more than his mere disciples could give...!

"Oh Shizun..." She silently cried, gently combing his long curly hair, working away the knots of neglect as the other head disciples raged on.

"--I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM!"

"--I CANT BELIEVE THEM!!"

"--THE NERVE IF THOSE LITTLE PRICKS"

"AFTER EVERYTHING SHIZUN DID FOR MU SHUSHU!"

"Shizun..."

"--I SWEAR! I COULD KILL ALL OF THEM!"

"--UNWORTHY, GREEDY... SWINE!"

"--And they have the nerve to call themselves siblings! I would never have abandoned one of our own like that and--"

Eventually it all became too much.

"Gods! Stop!" Lusi demanded. "Just stop!"

She repeated, catching the other three's attention.

"This isn't helping! This isn't helping Shizun!" She continued to chastise. "Shizun... Needs us. We need to come together and stop and... And fix it!" Her voice wavered just by looking down at SQH. "An Ding first, damnit"

Silence finally reigned between them.

She was right.

SQH *was* An Ding.

No matter how mad and justified they were, none of those feelings was waking SQH up.

And he needed them.

Lusi went back to her self appointed task, her tears gently falling from her sweet, round face

"The world should stop to" She whispered, running gently oiled fingers thru Shizun's brown curls. "It doesn't seem right" Shizun carried the world on his shoulders. Why did it keep going when SQH could not?

Yuanyuan's came alight with those words.

"That's it!"

"what's it?" Han Shuo asked, tense and heart heavy.

"That's what we'll do!"

"...What are you talking about?" Peilun sighed, tiredly.

"We'll stop!" Yuanyuan announced. "An Ding is going to stop everything until the medic from Zhao Hua Temple comes"

"W-what?"

"Think about it, guys!" She was almost manic in her explanation. "*They* need us for everything. From their badic food and administration to their little comforts and trinkets. The Sects need An Ding for commerce and goods-- to say nothing of the protection of our regions! We can't do our job without Shizun's final say!" She smiled, wickedly please. "If we stop, if we all just stop, they'll be without! They won't know what to do without us and Shizun! They'll--"

"They'll have to come"

"They will ALL have to come" Yuanyuan corrected.

"And they can't force us to work either because of *him*"

"By all the gods in Heaven!! That's brilliant!!"

"We need an assembly. Everyone has to be on board but I think they will be and then we'll strike them where it hurts!"

"Yes! We'll strike!!"

#life and times of An Ding Peak #moshang #Shang Qinghua #Mobei Jun #saving shit from my twitter #SVSSS

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bothzangetsus · 11 months

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20 questions for fic writers tagged by @meikuree :3 thank you!!

the only people who I know who haven't done this AND who for sure are fic writers are @dissociatingdumbass / @sunflowersandcherryblossoms, @mondengel, and @bleachbleachbleach, I think. but if you see this & want to do it -- say you were tagged by me!

template:

how many works do you have on ao3? | 2. what's your total ao3 word count? | 3. what fandoms do you write for? | 4. what are your top five fics by kudos? | 5. do you respond to comments? | 6. what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? | 7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? | 8. do you get hate on fics? | 9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? | 10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you've written? | 11. have you ever had a fic stolen? | 12. have you ever had a fic translated? | 13. have you ever co-written a fic before? | 14. what's your all-time favorite ship? | 15. what's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? | 16. what are your writing strengths? | 17. what are your writing weaknesses? | 18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? | 19. first fandom you wrote for? | 20. favorite fic you've ever written?

how many works do you have on ao3?

including as of yet unrevealed works + ones in anon collection? 67.

what's your total ao3 word count?

92.832 -- which is actually more than I thought! considering I'm shortficliker69!

what fandoms do you write for?

Oh jesus christ. ok. I'm just going to copy what the dash says, I don't have the patience to format this:

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Bleach (Anime & Manga) The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller Do Revenge (2022) DCU (Comics) SK8 the Infinity (Anime) Avatar: The Last Airbender Wednesday (TV 2022) Psycho-Pass Yellowjackets (TV) Pacific Rim (Movies) One Piece (Live Action TV 2023) Dreamer Trilogy - Maggie Stiefvater Midnighter (Comics) The Wilds (TV 2020) Kingdom of Three - Joan He Chainsaw Man (Manga) Teen Wolf (TV) 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs Dare Me (TV 2019) 魔尊与圣女 | The Demonic Lord and the Virtuous Cultivator (Short Film) 憂国のモリアーティ | Yuukoku no Moriarty | Moriarty the Patriot (Manga) Patito Feo (TV) Hunter X Hunter LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS (Cartoon) No. 6 (Anime & Manga)

+ on the RPF side, C-Pop and krump (dancing) RPF.

what are your top five fics by kudos?

a fluffy sickfic (Avatar: The Last Airbender)- F/F, G rating

murdery fun (Do Revenge (2022)) - F/F, M rating

modern soulmate au (The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller) - M/M, T rating

reincarnation au (The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller) - M/M, G rating

outsider pov on a pair (憂国のモリアーティ | Yuukoku no Moriarty | Moriarty the Patriot (Manga) - M/M, T rating

(a bleach fic is so close to making it! it's sixth place, only one kudos lower than yuumori fic. one! detergent account with no detergent fic talk... - anyway, it'd be m/m, T rating)

I find this list hilarious because it's expected, but also mostly not indicative of my tastes... fic 1 was the first fic the account has & it's boring as hell. modern aus put me to sleep. the reincarnation fic is exactly 300 words so does it even count.... the other two I enjoyed writing at least!

do you respond to comments?

I TRY TO... In practice it mostly happens 6 months later. Sometimes I give up on entire fics because I don't want to only respond to some comments, and if someone comments on more than one fic I don't wanna spam them! T___T so I want to reply to only one of theirs. but this again makes it look like I'm only replying to some ~> endless loop of stress omfg... my heavens this is a science

what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

grouping these together because I have no idea. so much of my writing is for others so I doubt anything truly angsty is in there, since people rarely like it. and EYE hate super happy endings, so that probably hasn't happened either.

do you get hate on fics?

no, because I'm perfect. (I don't think I've written for any fandom that's prone to leaving hate comments.)

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

sure! but only 11 of the 67 fics have an M or E rating for sexual content, so not often. As for what kind... I don't know? I'll try anything once! The closest thing to a real answer I have is that I find F/F smut easier to write than M/M & I'm NGL, I'll take any opportunity to write (imply) stone tops, because it's something I always wish there was more of.

do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you've written?

Only once! It's actually the one thing I feel too embarrassed to write... alienselffucking is okay, but I draw the line at making people aware I like my faves meeting my other faves!

have you ever had a fic stolen?

have you ever had a fic translated?

Grouping these together because my answer is the same: not to my knowledge.

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Does paragraph-style roleplay count? I did that for a few years!

what's your all-time favorite ship?

WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME THIS. I am on the floor. I'm a multishipper for a reason!!! I can't have fave ships!

The only ship that has ever made me monofannish for a little bit though was Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood from Shadowhunters TV show, which at the time felt very random (that is NOT a high quality tv show), but now it does kind of make sense

they're on opposite sides & both are high ranking (avoiding fealty kink yesssss. I am so tired of fantasy ships with fealty kink.)

there's internalised homophobia

MONSTERS. I love WEAPONRY and FIGHTING

they have a breakup arc that stems from the opposite sides-ing

there are honest mistakes & fucking up

I love things that leave open the possibility of immortality

Not enough cannibalism and vore and stabbing each other going on there for me to continue being monofannish, but it was a pretty big accomplishment!

what's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I only write oneshots.

what are your writing strengths?

I HATE THIS QUESTION. I don't know! I think I'm solid in many areas & not yet exceptional in any (but I believe in me! One day!)

Prose economy is the thing I pride myself most in, I guess. Running on implication rather than explanation. I also like to think I'm good at understanding lots of different character motivations.

what are your writing weaknesses?

My heavens x100. Can't write anything long. The prose economy thing bites me in the ass often -- paragraphs read clunkier than they should & there are some things that DO need explaining. The fact that I have an ego the size of Jupiter and believe that nothing will stay a weakness, even if it takes me 30 years to fix it. I can't write humour. I can't write tropey, "fun" fic. I'm slow, like VERY slow. Like 200 words an hour slow. I can't write "iddy" fic. I can't write without having an ending in mind. I can't write if I don't have a point in mind. I can't write if I don't read at least 20 pages of prose I enjoy beforehand. I don't think my dialogue sucks but I don't think it's good either.

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

If the character mixes languages, I'm in favour! I don't much like it when the words are italicised or have their first letter capitalised, though -- I'm always against anything that marks a word or culture as "the other". Also sometimes the sentences end up profoundly unserious, a la "Today I joined my Abuela to go to the Mercado to buy some Berenjenas."

first fandom you wrote for?

On the account? ATLA. On the internet in general? Peaky Blinders.

favorite fic you've ever written?

AH. I don't know. So few of my fics reflect my tastes! I'll settle on saying a currently unrevealed one.

#tagged for me

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aelfwyn · 1 year

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Watch/Read Masterlist

While I’m at my PC, I’m gonna type up a list of all the stuff (so far) I’ve noted down to check out in the general C-Drama/webseries/webnovel sphere. If I remember, I’ll try to keep this updated with a) new stuff that looks potentially interesting and b) notes/impressions after I’ve watched/read. These are in no particular order as of now - new stuff will get added at the bottom.

Adding a cut cause this is loooong.

Shows

Love Between Fairy and Devil - Netflix. A very, very cheesy love story between an annoyingly adorable puppy (aka Orchid) and a very contrary cat (aka Dongfang Qingcang my beloved). With a sideplot love story between a different puppy (Shangque) and a different cat (Jie Li). Just all-around feelgood stuff. Cured my Untamed-induced depression.

Legend of Fei - YT/Viki. Didn’t love the plot but nice enough background viewing while knitting. WYB and Zhao Liying are both very pleasing to look at, and Zhou Fei (Zhao Liying) especially had some very neat outfits that I will have to go back and snach screenshots of at some point.

Legend of Yunqian / Legend of Yunze - YT. GL. Maybe it’s the mini-episodic format, but after watching Yunqian (about 1hr total) I was just not feeling it so I’ll give Yunze a pass.

The Demonic Lord and the Virtuous Cultivator

Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty

Under the Skin

Winter Begonia

Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire

Word of Honor

Ashes of Love - Netflix. Ugh. No. Just ... nope. It was entertaining enough at first but around halfway through I had to admit to myself I was hate-watching and just hanging in there for closure.

Nirvana in Fire

The Rise of the Phoenixes

Secret of the Three Kingdoms

Ever Night

Ancient Love Poetry

Who Rules the World

The Long Ballad

Love like the Galaxy

Novoland Pearl Eclipse

The Sword & The Brocade

Douluo Continent

A Dream of Splendor

Sword Snow Strike

Eternal Love of Dream

Starry Love

Guardian

Tomorrow

A League of Nobleman - Viki. Currently watching.

Till the End of Tomorrow

Movies

The Yin Yang Master: Dream of Eternity - Netflix. Enjoyed this one. I did kinda stop halfway through and then continue over a week later, so some story developments were a bit “huh?”, but that’s on me.

The Yin Yang Master - Netflix. A different take on the same original story. Felt more like a teen adventure than the darker Dream of Eternity version. Odd pacing and the ending did not make sense to me. Overall a bit “meh” but I loved the demon city. Will Ghost City in the TGCF LA come close? I’m not gonna get my hopes up. :(

Hidden Blade

Under the Hawthorn Tree, Shadow, Curse of the Golden Flower (dir. Zhang Yimou)

Novels

MDZS - The book with Jin Ling’s uncles.

TGCF - What do you mean? That’s my emotional support Ghost King.

SVSSS - “Fuck! He can’t fly!”

Bandits / Yun Fei (which Legend of Fei was based on)

Yuwu

Little Mushroom

Thousand Autumns

Husky and his White Cat Shizun

#ramblings

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marigoldispeculiar · 2 years

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Happy STS! What is some formative media that inspired your WIP and/or you?

Well, as you may have noticed, I have a thing for danmei… The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation was my entry into the genre, and it’s really good!

Going through my reading list, some examples of other stories are:

Thrive in Catastrophe

The Reader and Protagonist Definitely Have to Be in True Love

Mistakenly Saving the Villain

The General’s Vampire Omega

A Guide to Raising Your Natural Enemy

My Husband is Suffering from a Terminal Illness

The Disabled Tyrant’s Pet Palm Fish

Lord of the End of the World

This Omega is Immune to All Abilities

Interstellar Rare Species

The Virtuous Omega Disguised as the Vicious Colonel

The Way of the Empress

Bursting After He Transmigrated into the Cannon Fodder Omega

Jellyfish

Note that actually a lot of these stories are pretty bad! (The first few are pretty good tho.) Mostly what I took away from them, aside from some handy tropes and a list of what I didn’t want to do, is permission to write a story that is unapologetically trashy and self-oriented. A story doesn’t actually have to be good to say something interesting, or to be worth reading. It’s a low bar, but I’m pretty confident I can at least clear it!

#I answer asks #storyteller saturday #fyi most of these should still have their fan translations up #perfect medicine

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thegoddessthemis · 1 year

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Finding Relevance in Fantasy: The Correlation between Star Wars and Lord of the Rings in Everyday Life

In the world of fantasy, few sagas have captured the hearts and imaginations of people worldwide like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Despite their differences in setting and narrative, both these epic franchises share common threads that resonate with us on a deeply personal level. By exploring the themes, characters, and lessons from these tales, we can draw valuable insights that mirror and illuminate aspects of our own everyday lives.

The Power of Unity: Both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings emphasize the strength of unity in the face of adversity. In Star Wars, the Rebel Alliance fights against the oppressive Galactic Empire, showcasing how individuals from diverse backgrounds can come together for a common cause. Similarly, in Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring unites representatives from various races to combat the forces of evil. These stories remind us that our collective efforts, transcending differences, can achieve remarkable feats in our own lives and communities.

The Journey of Self-Discovery: Protagonists in both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings embark on transformative journeys of self-discovery. Luke Skywalker and Frodo Baggins start as ordinary individuals thrust into extraordinary circumstances, grappling with self-doubt and the weight of their destinies. Through their trials and tribulations, they learn valuable lessons about courage, resilience, and the power within themselves. Similarly, in our own lives, we often face unexpected challenges that push us to discover our hidden potential and inner strength.

The Battle Between Good and Evil: At the core of both these sagas lies the timeless battle between good and evil. Star Wars presents the conflict between the light side and the dark side of the Force, while Lord of the Rings depicts the struggle against the malevolent forces of Sauron. These narratives serve as metaphors for the moral choices we encounter daily, emphasizing the importance of making virtuous decisions and resisting the temptations of corruption. They remind us that the path of righteousness is often difficult but ultimately rewarding.

The Importance of Friendship: Friendship plays a significant role in both Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, highlighting the power of loyalty, companionship, and support. Han Solo and Chewbacca, Frodo and Samwise, and countless other friendships forged in the face of adversity demonstrate the profound impact of human connection. In our own lives, these stories inspire us to cherish our relationships, cultivate meaningful bonds, and stand by our loved ones during times of hardship.

The Redemption Arc: Another compelling theme shared by these franchises is the redemption arc. Characters like Darth Vader and Gollum, consumed by darkness, eventually find redemption through self-sacrifice and acts of bravery. These stories remind us that everyone has the capacity for change and growth, offering hope even in the face of our own mistakes and shortcomings. They teach us that redemption is possible when we choose to confront our inner demons and strive for personal growth.

In conclusion, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings have become cultural touchstones precisely because they touch upon fundamental aspects of the human experience. Through their rich narratives, these sagas convey lessons on unity, self-discovery, morality, friendship, and redemption that resonate with our everyday lives. By recognizing the correlations between these epic tales and our own journeys, we can find inspiration, guidance, and a deeper understanding of the triumphs and tribulations we face in our own quests for meaning and purpose.

#EssaysAboutWhatever #Starwars #lord of the rings #inspired by my partner’s love for the franchises

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kailasharudraksha · 1 year

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Original 12 Mukhi Nepali Rudraksha With Lab Certified

https://www.kailasharudraksh.com/

Benefits of 12 mukhi nepali rudraksh

The 12 Mukhi Nepali Rudraksha is a highly revered bead in Hinduism and is believed to possess several benefits and spiritual properties. Here are some potential benefits associated with the 12 Mukhi Nepali Rudraksha:

Spiritual Protection: The 12 Mukhi Rudraksha is considered a symbol of Lord Surya (the Sun God) and is believed to offer spiritual protection. It is believed to shield the wearer from negative energies, evil spirits, and black magic.

Power and Authority: This Rudraksha is associated with qualities such as leadership, courage, and self-confidence. It is believed to enhance the wearer's charisma, influence, and decision-making abilities, making it beneficial for those in positions of authority or leadership roles.

Chakra Activation: The 12 Mukhi Rudraksha is believed to activate and balance the Manipura Chakra, also known as the Solar Plexus Chakra. When this chakra is balanced, it is said to improve one's personal power, willpower, and self-esteem.

Healing Properties: It is believed that wearing the 12 Mukhi Rudraksha can have a positive impact on physical health. It may help alleviate ailments related to the stomach, liver, digestive system, and skin.

Inner Strength and Focus: This Rudraksha is associated with enhancing inner strength, concentration, and focus. It is believed to assist in overcoming obstacles and achieving goals with determination.

Enhances Positive Traits: Wearing the 12 Mukhi Rudraksha is believed to amplify positive qualities such as self-discipline, self-control, and righteousness. It may help in cultivating a balanced and virtuous lifestyle.

Spiritual Growth: The 12 Mukhi Rudraksha is considered beneficial for spiritual seekers and those on a path of self-realization. It is believed to enhance spiritual growth, deepen meditation experiences, and foster a deeper connection with higher consciousness.

It's important to note that these beliefs and benefits are based on traditional Hindu mythology and spiritual practices. The effectiveness and personal experience with Rudraksha beads may vary from individual to individual. It is advisable to consult with a knowledgeable practitioner or spiritual guide for personalized guidance and understanding.

12 Mukhi Nepali Rudraksha-twelve faced rudraksha Twelve Mukhi Rudraksha is blessed by Sun God. It is also called Dwadash Aditya. According to Padmapurana, its holder is free from fear and disease. attains liberation. Poverty never bothers him!

It is written in Shrimaddevi Bhagwat Purana that armed man, horned animal and lion are not afraid of Dwadashmukhi Rudraksha. The wearer never suffers physical or mental pain. This grain makes a person fearless and carefree.

In Rudraksha Jabalopanishad, there is a description of this grain getting the blessings of Lord Vishnu.It is the experience of many people that it has the power to cure many diseases. It is helpful in leadership qualities and subjugation. It makes a person radiant and full of inner strength like the Sun God. It removes all kinds of doubts and gives inner peace. According to the Atharvaveda, the Sun God cures heart disease, skin diseases including leprosy and eye diseases. Twelve faced Rudraksha has all these qualities.Sun God’s wife is Chhaya Devi, while the sons are Kakvahana Shani and Yama. Sun is the controller of Manik Ratna. The sun, the giver of the qualities of all plants

God is there and his blessings remove the malefic effects of Shani and Yama. The three Vedas: Rik, Yajuh and Sama—which belong to Vishnu, are contained in the Sun God, who transmits heat. Aditi was the mother of the gods, while Diti was the mother of the demons and Danu was the mother of the demons. When the gods started losing the battle with the demons, Aditi prayed to the Sun God for the welfare of her sons. Surya Dev gave him Abhay that he would be born in Sahasranshu form as the son of Aditi and destroy the demons. Thus Martand was born who killed the demons. Our Puranas are full of stories of the virtues and might of the Sun.Samb, the son of Lord Krishna, was very beautiful and charming, but he was afflicted with leprosy due to his sinful behavior. He worshiped the sun and got cured. It is said in Markandeya Purana that the wearer of Dwadashmukhi Rudraksha is free from all problems.

1 Mukhi Rudraksh

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16 Mukhi Rudraksh

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Ganesha Rudraksha

2 Mukhi Rudraksh

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17 Mukhi Rudraksh

20 Mukhi Rudraksh

Gauri Shankar Rudraksha

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Address-222, Agarwal tower, I.P.Extension, Patparganj, Delhi, 110092

Cont No. : 7042891757

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drowningparty · 2 years

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#the demonic lord and the virtuous cultivator

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nyerus · 5 years

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Hey I originally followed you for YOI stuff and since that seems to be on haitus, I have seen you and a lot of people rebloing stuff about a different anime or manga (i think) with different mlm relationships? I think they're two diff shows and I've heard about mdzs before. But lately youve been reblogging stuff from a manga tagged tgcf and it looks pretty cool--so i was wondering how I could get into it and what its about? Does it have actual gay charas?

Hello! I’m sorry for the late response! This morphed from a simple answer into a beginner guide of sorts, so I hope you don’t mind! I know there’s like 500000 guides out there, but I figured I’d give it a shot too! ❤

So the stuff you’ve been seeing everywhere is indeed MDZS or related to it–including on my own blog! (I promise when YOI comes back from war, I’ll be all over that again ;o;!!!)

So these works are all by the same author, Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù (MXTX) and they are separate danmei (i.e. Chinese BL) novels, though they share a lot of similarities between them:

MDZS (Mó Dào Zǔ Shī) – Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation

TGCF (Tiān Guān Cì Fú) – Heaven Official’s Blessing

SVSSS – Scum Villian’s Self-Saving System

All of them are complete and fan translated, and I’ll answer your last question first: yes, they have actual gay characters! In the novels, the main couples end up canonically married! \o/ In some of the adaptations, their romantic relationships are also maintained (e.g. the manhuas (Chinese graphic novel)), though censorship is present.

Links will be added below this post! Grab some popcorn, this is long!

･:*:･ﾟ’★🐇MDZS🐇★･ﾟ’･:*:･

MDZS《魔道祖师》is definitely the most popular work by MXTX, as it has the most adaptations. You’ve almost certainly been seeing gifs and photosets from its donghua (Chinese animation) or live action the most. However, it has a manhua and audio drama (in both Chinese and Japanese) as well!

Synopsis: Reviled as the infamous Yiling Laozu, Wei Wuxian harnessed the forbidden dark power of demonic cultivation. Once the cultivation world decided he was too dangerous to leave alone, he was hunted down, and a terrible battle ensued that cost Wei Wuxian his life—and the lives of many others. 13 years later, he is resurrected under mysterious circumstances into the body of the pariah Mo Xuanyu. Now with this second chance at life (and while hiding his real identity), Wei Wuxian has to uncover the truth about a powerful malevolent spirit. It may just be the key to revealing a series of heinous secrets hidden from the cultivation world for years. And while the world may still hate him for crimes he didn’t commit, there’s one person who’s on his side—the illustrious Hanguang-jun, Lan Wangji—and is willing to stand by him against all odds. The two have a long and complex history, and Wei Wuxian is unsure of Lan Wangji’s motivations for helping him. But it couldn’t be more simple: respect and love.

Scene from the donghua.

Still from the live action, called “Chén Qíng Lìng”/“CQL”/”The Untamed.”

Panel from the manhua.

Art from the Chinese audio drama.

The great thing about MDZS is that you can really pick your poison in terms of what adaptation you want to get started with. If you are absolutely brand-new to the danmei scene, then starting with the donghua or manhua may be your best bet (both are ongoing). The novel of course is the most beloved, being the source, but all the adaptations have their own charms! They’re all worth checking out, and will keep you busy for quite a while.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🌸TGCF🌸★･ﾟ’･:*:･

Now, for TGCF《天官赐福》—that’s where my photosets are coming from: the ongoing manhua that started in October. There’s a donghua planned for late this year, and a live action in talks (info about that is largely unknown, but is slated for production sometime after the donghua release). TGCF actually has the same deal structure as MDZS apparently, so we’ll be getting an audio drama as well if that’s true.

Synopsis: Talented and virtuous, Crown Prince Xie Lian first ascended to the heavens when he was only 17. Once the darling of the earth and heavens for his boundless skill and purity of heart, he ended up falling from grace—not once, but twice! Subsequently, he became the laughing stock of the three realms. Spending almost 800 years roaming the earth and collecting scraps, he becomes known as the pitiful “rubbish god” and “god of misfortune.” No one could have expected Xie Lian to ascend for a third time, but fate seems to have something in store for this disgraced yet compassionate immortal. Thankfully, he is not alone, as the widely-feared ghost king, Hua Cheng, seems to have a special interest in helping him. The two of them embark on a series of adventures that unravel the secrets of their world, and of themselves.

Panel from the manhua.

Scene from the Donghua PV.

The novel for TGCF is a great place to start, especially considering how the manhua is still in it’s early stages (just starting it’s 2nd arc as of writing this post). The novel is long, incredibly well-written, and well-translated. The manhua is absolutely stunning, and follows the novel very closely thus far.

･:*:･ﾟ’★🎋SVSSS🎋★･ﾟ’･:*:･

The underrated sibling of the three, SVSSS《人渣反派自救系統》has only the novel to interact with for right now. A donghua is planned for this year. There was a manhua, but it was cancelled due to some problems with the publisher afaik. Word on the street is that they’re searching for a new team for it, so we’ll continue to pray!!!

Synopsis: Shen Yuan is an avid reader of the web novel Proud Immortal Demon Way. The novel revolves around the protagonist Luo Binghe, a kind child who is tormented endlessly by his Shizun (teacher/mentor) Shen Qingqiu, until he turns into a powerful demon lord and exacts his violent revenge. While initially a fan of the story, Shen Yuan hates the unsatisfactory ending. Upon dying suddenly, he finds himself transmigrated into the novel, at the behest of The System—a sci-fi interface which gives him missions and directives. Unfortunately, he ends up in the place of the cruel Shen Qingqiu out of all people! This new Shen Qingqiu now has to use his knowledge of the novel to navigate around the plot, within the restrictions that The System has implemented. He has to find a way to ensure a better ending, if he wants to keep this second chance at life. His plan for doing this is to be as kind and encouraging as possible to the innocent Luo Binghe, who quickly takes a shine to this new Shen Qingqiu. Even after forced to the dark side, and despite the tension between them after this, Luo Binghe won’t let anyone else touch his beloved Shizun.

Cover of the Thai release of the novel.

SVSSS only really has the novel to interact with as of right now. There’s currently an excellent re-translation in progress by tumblr user Faelicy! If you want to get started now, however, you can read what she’s done so far and then swap over to the old translation afterward.

･:*:･ﾟ’★NOTES★･ﾟ’･:*:･

• ALL three novels are intended for an R-18+ audience ONLY. Other adaptations are safe for minors over 16 years of age.

• Please be aware that the novels may contain potentially triggering content. Feel free to ask me for content warnings if you need them.

• All three of these are totally different from one another and only share common themes typical of the wuxia/xianxia genres.

• The original Chinese raws of MDZS and SVSSS are no longer available for purchase on JJWXC (publishing site). You can find print versions on Taobao. TGCF, however, is still available!

• If you’d like more info on anything, please reach out to me! I’m happy to help.

• LINKS WILL BE ADDED BELOW THIS POST.

#mdzs #tgcf #svsss #mo dao zu shi #tian guan ci fu #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #heaven offical's blessing #scum villain's self-saving system #guide #asks #Anonymous #nyerus.txt

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ql-of-all-time-bracket · 2 months

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QL of All Time - Round 2: The Demonic Lord and the Virtuous Cultivator (2021) vs One Room Angel (2023)

#ql of all time #the demonic lord and the virtuous cultivator #chinese ql #chinese gl #one room angel #japanese ql #japanese bl #round 2 #group 4

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somewhatavidreader · 2 years

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wlw wuxia/xianxia short films

I Became the Protagonist of a Quick Transmigration Novel??? (1,2, 7, 8)

The Demonic Lord and the Virtuous Cultivator (3)

The Fox Spirit and the Little Priest (4)

Cat in the Eastern Palace (5, 6)

#cdramanet #cdramaedit #chinese drama #wlw #lgbtedit #asianlgbtqdramas #AsianLGBTQDrama #wlwsource #wlwedit #wlwgif #cat in the eastern palace #i became the protagonist of a quick transmigration novel #swaredits

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 6 years

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13th July >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada) for Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time or Saint Henry. Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green) First Reading Hosea 14:2-10

A call to conversion and promise of safety The Lord says this: Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourself with words and come back to the Lord. Say to him, ‘Take all iniquity away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise. Assyria cannot save us, we will not ride horses any more, or say, “Our God!” to what our own hands have made, for you are the one in whom orphans find compassion.’ – I will heal their disloyalty, I will love them with all my heart, for my anger has turned from them. I will fall like dew on Israel. He shall bloom like the lily, and thrust out roots like the poplar, his shoots will spread far; he will have the beauty of the olive and the fragrance of Lebanon. They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow corn that flourishes, they will cultivate vines as renowned as the wine of Helbon. What has Ephraim to do with idols any more when it is I who hear his prayer and care for him? I am like a cypress ever green, all your fruitfulness comes from me. Let the wise man understand these words. Let the intelligent man grasp their meaning. For the ways of the Lord are straight, and virtuous men walk in them, but sinners stumble. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 50(51):3-4,8-9,12-14,17 R/ My mouth shall declare your praise. Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. R/ My mouth shall declare your praise. Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow. R/ My mouth shall declare your praise. A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit. R/ My mouth shall declare your praise. Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me, O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. R/ My mouth shall declare your praise. Gospel Acclamation 1 Peter 1:25 Alleluia, alleluia! The word of the Lord remains for ever: What is this word? It is the Good News that has been brought to you. Alleluia! Or: John 16:13,14:26 Alleluia, alleluia! When the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, and he will remind you of all I have said to you. Alleluia! Gospel Matthew 10:16-23

The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves. ‘Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhedrins and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. ‘Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved. If they persecute you in one town, take refuge in the next; and if they persecute you in that, take refuge in another. I tell you solemnly, you will not have gone the round of the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.’ The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. —————————

Saint Henry

(Liturgical Colour: White) First Reading Micah 6:6-8

The Lord asks only this: to act justly, to love tenderly, to walk humbly ‘With what gift shall I come into the Lord’s presence and bow down before God on high? Shall I come with holocausts, with calves one year old? Will he be pleased with rams by the thousand, with libations of oil in torrents? Must I give my first-born for what I have done wrong, the fruit of my body for my own sin?’ – What is good has been explained to you, man; this is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God. The Word of the Lord R/ Thanks be to God. Responsorial Psalm Psalm 1:1-4,6 R/ His delight is the law of the Lord. or R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. or R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God. Happy indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. R/ His delight is the law of the Lord. or R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. or R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters, that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all that he does shall prosper. R/ His delight is the law of the Lord. or R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. or R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God. Not so are the wicked, not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind: for the Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom. R/ His delight is the law of the Lord. or R/ Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord. or R/ The just will flourish like the palm-tree in the courts of our God. Gospel Acclamation John 14:23 Alleluia, alleluia! If anyone loves me he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him. Alleluia! Gospel Matthew 7:21-27

The wise man built his house on a rock Jesus said to his disciples: ‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men! ‘Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall: it was founded on rock. But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand. Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had!’ The Gospel of the Lord R/ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

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manjushriwisdom · 4 years

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THE Sutra Of Golden Light CHAPTER 1 TO 3

The King of Glorious Sutras called the Exalted Sublime Golden Light A Mahayana Sutra In the language of India: Ārya Suvarõaprabhàsottamasåtrendraràjamahàyànasåtra In the language of Tibet: phag pa ser ö dam pa do de’i wang po’i gyäl po she ja wa theg pa chen po’i do Chapter 1 The Chapter on the Preamble to the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light Homage to all past, future and present buddhas, bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas and shravakas! Thus I have heard at one time: The Tathagata, entering buddhas’ domain Of experience, the profound sphere of reality, At Vulture Peak expounded To the supreme bodhisattvas, Who were pure and stainless, This King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light, Which is extremely profound upon hearing And profound upon examination. The buddhas in the four directions Confer their blessings: blessings From Akshobhya in the east, Ratnaketu in the south, Amitabha in the west and Dundubhisvara in the north. In order to extinguish all unwholesome deeds I will proclaim this auspicious sublime discourse That exhausts all negative karma, Grants all peace and happiness, Completely eliminates suffering, Which is adorned with all that is glorious And is the foundation of omniscience. Granting blessings, this I shall explain. Sentient beings whose senses are defective, Whose life expectancy has ended or is fading, Whom the gods have turned against, Who are burdened by misfortune, Hated by their loved ones, Or oppressed as household servants, In conflict with one another, Afflicted with decline in material wealth, Grief-stricken and miserable, Ridden with fear and stricken by poverty, Troubled by stars, planetary bodies And fierce demonic spirits, Or who see excruciating nightmares Following grief and fatigue, They should bathe well to render themselves clean And listen to this sublime sutra. Should those with virtuous intent and pure mind Adorn themselves well in clean garments, Then listen to this sutra on the profound, The domain of buddhas’ experience, Through the awe-inspiring power of this sutra, The suffering of all creatures – The likes of which cannot be endured – Will be forever pacified. Protection will be offered to them By the guardians of the world, Their ministers and army chiefs, Tens of thousands of millions of yakshas, The great goddess Sarasvati, And the goddess who dwells in the Nairanjana, By Hariti, mother of bhutas, The earth goddess Drdha, By the Brahma kings and kings of the Thirty-Three, The powerful kings of serpents, Kings of kinnaras and kings of asuras, Likewise by the kings of garudas. They, with their clans and might will arrive, Along with their mounts, And unfailingly day and night, Offer protection to beings. I will clearly expound this sutra on the profound, The domain of buddhas’ experience, The secret of all buddhas, Difficult to find in tens of millions of eons. Those who hear this sutra, Those who cause others to hear it, Those who rejoice upon hearing And make offerings to it, For tens of millions of eons Shall be venerated by gods and nagas, Humans and kinnaras, Asuras and yakshas. For beings without merit, The store of their merit Will grow into a limitless, Incalculable, inconceivable mass. Fiercely they will be protected By buddhas in the ten directions; Likewise, also by bodhisattvas Engaged in the profound. Clad in clean garments, Wearing well-perfumed clothes, Possessing a mind firm with love, Without distraction, one should honor this sutra. Render the mind spotless, Put forth effort to make it expansive And intensely clear, Then listen to this sublime sutra. Those who listen to this sutra Will be acclaimed among humans, Attain an excellent human existence And live a life of comfort. Those into whose ears This sublime discourse is echoed, Will have merit roots refined And numerous buddhas will extol them.

Chapter 2 The Chapter on the Span of the Tathagata’s Life Furthermore, at that time, during that period, in the great city of Rajagriha, there dwelt the bodhisattva, the great being Ruchiraketu, who had venerated previous buddhas, cultivated roots of virtue and rendered service to many hundreds of thousands of millions of buddhas. He thought to himself, “What cause and what condition will cause the Lord Shakyamuni to live for only eighty years? That is such a short life.” Furthermore, he thought, “The Lord has himself declared: ‘There are two causes and two conditions which prolong life. What are the two? They are namely renouncing killing and giving food wholly.’ As for the Lord Shakyamuni, he renounced killing for many incalculable hundreds of thousands of millions of eons. He perfectly adhered to the path of the ten virtuous actions. He gave away food and external and internal objects completely. Not only that, he satisfied hungry living beings with the flesh, blood, bones and marrow of his own body.” Then, while this sublime being entertained such thoughts with regard to the Tathagata, his house transformed into a vast and expansive palace made of lapis lazuli, embellished with numerous divine jewels, its color transformed by the Tathagata and filled with perfumes surpassing those of gods. In the four directions emerged four thrones made of divine jewels. These thrones came to be covered with mats of divine jewels and fine cotton raiment, and on those thrones appeared divine lotuses adorned with numerous jewels, their color transformed by the Tathagata. From those lotuses arose four Transcendent Victor Buddhas. In the east appeared the Tathagata Akshobhya; in the south appeared the Tathagata Ratnaketu; in the west appeared the Tathagata Amitayus; and in the north appeared the Tathagata Dundubhisvara. When those tathagatas appeared on those lion thrones, the great city of Rajagriha was filled with bright light. That light pervaded all the triple thousand, great thousand world systems, world systems in the ten directions and world systems as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges river. In addition, divine flowers rained down and divine music resounded. Through the power of the Buddha, all sentient beings in the triple thousand, great thousand worlds too became possessed of the joy of the gods. Beings whose senses were incomplete became possessed of complete senses; beings blind from birth saw forms with the eyes; deaf beings heard sounds with the ears; insane beings regained their sanity; distracted beings became focused; naked beings became clothed in garments; hungry beings became full-bellied; thirsty beings were quenched; beings afflicted with illness became free of disease; beings whose bodily organs were defective became possessed of complete organs. Many astounding events took place in the world. Upon seeing those buddhas, the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu was greatly astounded. He was satiated, pleased, joyful and delighted. Feeling happy and ecstatic, with hands folded in the direction of the tathagatas, he bowed in homage, remembering those tathagatas. Then, reflecting on the qualities of the Tathagata Shakyamuni Buddha, he was vexed with misgiving about the lifespan of the Tathagata Shakyamuni Buddha. He wondered, “How is it that the Lord Shakyamuni will live a brief life of only eighty years?” Those tathagatas, while knowing and realizing his thoughts, spoke to him thus: “O child of noble family, do not think, ‘The Lord Shakyamuni will have such a short lifespan.’ Why? Because, O child of noble family, except for the perfectly and fully enlightened conqueror tathagatas, we do not see among the worlds of gods, maras or brahmas, among ascetics and brahmins, gods, humans or asuras, anyone who could perceive the furthest future reaches of the lifespan of the Tathagata, Lord Shakyamuni.” As soon as those tathagatas expressed this observation on the lifespan of the Tathagata Shakyamuni Buddha, then by the power of the Tathagata, the gods residing in the desire and form realms, including nagas, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kinnaras and mahoragas, as well as numerous hundreds of thousands of millions of bodhisattvas, gathered and went to the house of the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu. Then those tathagatas proclaimed in verse this explanation of the lifespan of Tathagata Shakyamuni to the entire gathering: The drops of water in all the oceans Can be measured, But no one can measure The lifespan of Shakyamuni. To the finest particle, the atoms Of Mount Sumeru can be gauged, But no one can gauge The lifespan of Shakyamuni. The number of finest particles Existing on this earth Can be measured, But not the span of the Conqueror’s life. Although through some device One may wish to measure space, No one can measure The lifespan of Shakyamuni. The number cannot be found that explains: ‘The fully enlightened Buddha lives this long, This many eons, in eon terms, Such as one hundred million eons.’

There are two causes And two conditions for this: Renouncing deadly violence And repeatedly giving plentiful food. The finite count of the lifespan Of this great being that explains: ‘He will live these many eons’ cannot be found. The eons are indeed uncountable. Hence, have no doubt, Not even the slightest doubt; The finite limit of the Conqueror’s life Is not observed anywhere. Then, at that time, in that assembly, the brahmin teacher and expounder called Kaundinya, along with numerous thousands of brahmins, venerated the Tathagata. On hearing the voice of those great tathagatas, completely gone beyond sorrow, they gathered in that place at once. Bowing at the feet of the Tathagata, the brahmin teacher and expounder Kaundinya said to the Tathagata: “If the Lord Transcendent Victor is merciful to all living beings, compassionate, desirous of serving, a parent to all, equal to the unequalled, illuminating like the moon, wisdom and knowledge glowing like the sun, if you look upon all beings as upon your son Rahula, then please give me some guidance.” The Tathagata remained silent. Then through the power of the Tathagata, in that assembly a confidence grew in a Licchavi youth called Sarvalokapriyadarshana, and he spoke thus to the brahmin teacher and expounder Kaundinya: “Why do you seek guidance, great brahmin, from the Buddha? I will give you the guidance you seek.” The brahmin said, “For the sake of honoring the Buddha, Licchavi youth, and for the sake of receiving a share of relic powder, I wish to have a relic of the Buddha the size of a mustard seed. It is said that if one honors a relic the size of a mustard seed, one attains lordship over the gods of the Thirty-Three. Listen, O Licchavi youth, to the King of Glorious Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light, which has features and qualities such as being difficult for all shravakas and pratyekabuddhas to know and to comprehend. O Licchavi youth, the Sutra of Sublime Golden Light is in this way difficult to know and difficult to comprehend. Hence, we brahmins of remote areas wish to have a relic the size of a mustard seed, which when held, either placed in a bowl or kept on the body, causes living beings to attain lordship over the gods of the Thirty-Three. Why wouldn’t you, O Licchavi youth, wish to receive a relic the size of a mustard seed from the Tathagata and keep it in an urn so that living beings may attain lordship over the gods of the Thirty-Three? O Licchavi youth, I seek such a boon.” Then Sarvalokapriyadarshana, the Licchavi youth, replied in verse to the brahmin teacher and expounder Kaundinya: When white lilies grow In the Ganges’ swift currents, When crows become red And cuckoos turn the color of conch, When palm fruit grows on the rose-apple tree And on the date tree mangos form, At that time a relic the size Of a mustard seed will appear. When from tortoise hair Cloth shielding winter’s bite Can be woven well, Then there will be a relic. When from the legs of gnats Multi-storied towers can be well built, Solidly firm and never shaking, Then there will be a relic. When all leeches Grow white teeth, Sharp and big, Then there will be a relic. When from the horns of rabbits Ladders can be built well In order to climb high, Then there will be a relic. Climbing this ladder, Should a mouse eat the moon And harm Rahu as well, Then there will be a relic. When bees that buzz in towns Drink a pitcher of wine And make dwelling in a house, Then there will be a relic.

When donkeys become happy, Well versed in singing and dancing, Their lips ruddy like the bimba fruit, Then there will be a relic. When owls and crows Flock to solitude, frolic together And become friendly, Then there will be a relic. When the leaves of the palasha tree Become an umbrella made of three jewels That keeps off the rain, Then there will be a relic. When large ocean vessels Fitted with turning devices and sails Float and set sail on land, Then there will be a relic. When owls move freely, Lifting the Gandhamadana mountain In their beaks, Then there will be a relic. After hearing these verses, the brahmin teacher and expounder Kaundinya replied to Sarvalokapriyadarshana, the Licchavi youth: Excellent, excellent, supreme youth! The son of Buddha, great orator, Heroic and skillful in means, You have received the sublime prophecy. Listen to me, O youth, concerning The inconceivable greatness Of the Tathagata, the protector And savior of the world. The realm of the buddhas is inconceivable And the tathagatas are peerless. All buddhas are ever serene. All buddhas are perfectly emerged. All buddhas are of the same hue. This is the suchness of buddha

The Lord Transcendent Victor is uncontrived. The Tathagata is unborn. His body, hard as a vajra, Manifests emanated forms. Thus, no relic small as a mustard seed Of the great sage is to be found. Since his body is without bone and blood, How can there be a relic? Yet to benefit living beings, Skillfully, relics are formed. Dharmakaya – the complete Buddha; Dharmadhatu – the Tathagata Akin to the deed of teaching the Dharma, These are the body of the Lord. Because I heard and knew this I sought this sublime gift. To make this truth plain and clear, Thus I initiated this discourse. Then, having heard such profound explanations of the Tathagata’s span of life, all thirty- two thousand sons of gods generated altruistic resolve for the peerless and perfect enlightenment. Their minds filled with intense joy, they spoke these verses in a single voice: The Buddha does not enter complete nirvana; Neither does the Dharma cease to be; Yet for the ripening of beings, Tathagatas manifest passing beyond suffering. The Transcendent Victor Buddha is inconceivable; Though the Tathagata’s body is permanent, It pervades a multitude of forms For the welfare of sentient beings. Having heard these discourses explaining the lifespan of the Tathagata Shakyamuni Buddha from these tathagatas and the two great beings, the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu was thoroughly satiated, pleased, extremely delighted and filled with joy. He was overwhelmed with great bliss of mind. While this discourse on the Tathagata’s span of life was being given, inconceivable countless sentient beings generated altruistic resolve for peerless and perfect enlightenment. Then those tathagatas vanished in that very spot.

Chapter 3 The Chapter on Seeing the Dream Then the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu slid into sleep. He dreamed he saw a golden drum, its light shining like the orb of the sun. In every direction, countless inconceivable numbers of tathagatas were preaching the Dharma, seated on lapis thrones at the foot of jeweled trees, completely surrounded by numerous hundreds of thousands of retinues. Then he saw a being in the form of a brahmin beating that drum. From the sound of the drum, these and similar confessional verses issued forth. Then the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu awoke and remembered those verses at once. Having remembered those verses, when night came to an end, he along with many thousands of beings left the great city of Rajagriha. He arrived at Vulture Peak where the Tathagata was. Having reached there, he prostrated himself at the feet of the Tathagata, circumambulated the Tathagata three times and sat to one side. Sitting to one side, the bodhisattva Ruchiraketu bowed to the Tathagata with hands folded in respect and recited those confessional verses he heard coming forth from the drum. This ends the third chapter, the Chapter on Seeing the Dream, from the King of Glorious

Sutras, the Sublime Golden Light. Chapter 4 Chapter on Confession One night, without distraction, I dreamed a vivid dream: I saw a large and beautiful drum Filling the world with golden light And glowing like the sun. Beaming brightly to all places, It was seen from ten directions. Everywhere buddhas were seated On thrones of precious lapis At the foot of jeweled trees Facing assemblies of many hundreds of thousands.

I saw a form like that of a brahmin Fiercely beat upon the drum; When he struck it, These verses issued forth: By the sound of this majestic drum of golden light, May the suffering of lower migration, Yama and the poverty of the three realms Of the triple thousand worlds cease to be. By the sound of this majestic drum, May the ignorance of the world be dispelled. With fears quelled, just as vanquishing sages are unafraid, May sentient beings become fearless and brave. Just as the Omniscient Vanquishing Sage in the world Is possessed of every excellence of the aryas, May countless beings too possess oceans of qualities, Concentration and the wings of enlightenment. By the sound of this majestic drum, May all beings be endowed with the melody of Brahma; May they touch the sublime enlightenment of buddhas; May they turn the virtuous wheel of the Dharma. Remaining for inconceivable eons, May they teach the Dharma to guide migrating beings. Conquering delusion and overcoming affliction, May their attachment, hatred and ignorance be pacified. May sentient beings who have fallen to lower migrations, Whose bodies of bone are alight with blazing flame, Hear the speech of this majestic drum; May the proclamation “Homage to the Tathagata!” be heard. In the course of hundreds of births And tens of thousands of millions of births, May every being remember their former lives, Hear these teachings completely And always recall the vanquishing sages. By the sound of this majestic drum, May beings always find the company of buddhas.

Thoroughly renouncing every harmful act, May they engage in only virtuous deeds. For humans, gods and all creatures, Whatever thoughts and wishes they have, May their every wish be totally fulfilled By the sound of this majestic drum. For beings born in the most terrible hells, Bodies alight with blazing flame, Who wander without aim, bereft of refuge, filled with grief, May tormenting fires utterly end. For those who bear the suffering of humans, For hell beings, animals and hungry ghosts, May every suffering be completely dispelled By the sound of this majestic drum. For those who are without refuge, Without base, support or friend, May I become their supreme refuge, Their base, their support and friend. Supreme among bipeds, O buddhas Dwelling in worlds of ten directions, With merciful, compassionate mind, Please pay attention to me. O buddhas possessed of the ten powers: Those terrible wicked acts I have committed in the past, Before your eyes, I confess them all. Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done: Not holding parents as parents, Not holding buddhas as buddhas, Not upholding virtuous deeds; Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done: Haughty with the vanity of wealth, Haughty with age and youthfulness, Haughty with pride of affluence and class;

Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done Through harmful thoughts, harmful words, The thought of harm as harmless And harmful actions done; Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done: Acting with the mind of a child, A mind dark with ignorance Or under the sway of a non-virtuous friend; Greatly charged with emotion, Discontent with wealth, Afflicted with depression and malaise Or under the impulse of frivolous play; Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done Through mixing with vile characters of non-aryas, Through jealousy and miserliness And through poverty and guile; Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done When poverty came to me, Fearing loss of the desirable And stricken with a dearth of material goods; Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done Under the power of a flighty mind, Ruled by desire and hatred Or oppressed by hunger and thirst; Whatever unwholesome deeds I have done When oppressed by affliction, For the sake of pursuing women, Or acquiring food, drink and attire; Through misdeeds of body, speech and mind, I have amassed threefold wrong acts. In these three ways, whatever I have done, These deeds I confess in full. Whatever I have done, Disrespecting buddhas, the Dharma, And shravakas too, These deeds I confess in full.

Actions I have done lacking respect To pratyekabuddhas, As well as to bodhisattvas, These deeds I confess in full. Disrespect I have shown To those who preach the Dharma, Likewise contempt of the Dharma itself, These deeds I confess in full. Continually unaware of its benefit, I have rejected the sublime Dharma; I have shown unwitting insolence to parents; These deeds I confess in full. Childish and veiled by stupidity, Blind with desire and hatred, Ignorance, arrogance and pride, These deeds I confess in full. Honoring those who possess ten powers, I shall worship those dwelling in all directions. I shall deliver sentient beings Inhabiting every realm from all suffering. I shall place uncountable beings Upon the bodhisattvas’ ten grounds. Abiding in these ten stages, May they all become tathagatas. Until I am capable of freeing them all From countless oceans of suffering, For ten million eons I shall strive For the sake of even one sentient being. To these sentient beings I shall reveal This sutra called Sublime Golden Light, Which rids one of every harmful misdeed And expounds upon the profound. Those who for a thousand eons Committed deadly unwholesome deeds, By confessing them earnestly once Through this sutra, all will be purified.

Swiftly and wholly consuming all karmic obstructions By making confession through Sublime Golden Light, I shall abide on the ten bodhisattva grounds – Those mines of supreme precious jewels – That I may shine with a tathagata’s marks and signs And free beings from the ocean of existence. Through buddhas, who are the water of oceans – Their inconceivable tathataga qualities Akin to the ocean's profound depth – I shall evolve into an omniscient being. Becoming a buddha, I shall possess ten powers, Hundreds of thousands of concentrations, Inconceivable magical mantra incantations, Enlightenment’s seven wings, the five powers and five forces. O buddhas who continually look upon beings, I request you to gaze intently upon me. Your compassionate minds always overflowing, May you hold the remorseful always near. Due to countless sinful actions Performed in hundreds of eons past, My mind is pierced and stricken with grief, Wretchedness, sorrow and fear. Solemnly fearing unwholesome deeds, I shall always keep my mind modest. Wherever I commit the smallest action, I will not succumb to frivolous excitement. Since buddhas are compassionate And dispel the fright of all beings, I entreat them to hold the remorseful fast And free us from every fear. May the tathagatas keep at bay My negative karma and emotion. May the buddhas always bathe me With the water of their compassion. I confess all unwholesome deeds: Whatever I have done in the past,

Whatever is done in the present, These deeds I confess in full. I shall not conceal or hide Harmful actions I have done. In future times I shall refrain From deeds that render me full of shame. Three actions of the body, Fourfold of the voice, Threefold of the mind, These deeds I confess in full. Actions I have done through body and speech, Clearly impelled by the mind, Those tenfold actions I accomplished, These deeds I confess in full. Renouncing the ten unwholesome deeds And cultivating those ten which are moral, I will come to abide on the ten grounds And acquire the buddhas’ ten great powers. Every unwholesome deed I have done That leads to unwanted results, In the presence of the buddhas, These deeds I confess in full. In the wholesome virtuous deeds Of all those dwelling in Jambudvipa, And those living in other worlds too, In these deeds, I rejoice. Likewise, whatever merit I have gathered Through body, speech and mind, By the force of this virtue’s ripening effect, May supreme enlightenment be attained. Deeds committed on samsara’s precarious wheel, Those actions influenced by a childish mind, Approaching the presence of the peerless ten powers, All these deeds, I confess individually. Through feeble birth, feeble existence, Feeble world and feeble volatile mind,

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ngakpakonchokdorjetsondonmystic · 4 years

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THE Sutra Of Golden Light CHAPTER 1 TO 3

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ierosolymitissa-blog · 6 years

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THE JESUS PRAYER AND ITS APPLICATION (Extract from the guide book by the Elder Arsenios Katerelos consisting of his consecutive lectures to an audience)

THE JESUS PRAYER AND ITS APPLICATION

Extract from the guide book

by the Elder Arsenios

Katerelos consisting of his consecutive lectures to an audience

FOREWORD

The single-minded Prayer – «Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me» –is the simplest, but also the most powerful «weapon» of prayer for the faithful – whether Monk or layperson. This brief prayer, which was delivered to us by our ancient, holy Fathers of the 6th century, is a condensed form of the entire confession of the Christological Faith of our Church, the complete dogma on the Incarnation of Christ and God, «in Whose name every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and below the earth» (Phil.2:10) and with Whose name the powers of perdition are «flogged» (Ladder of Divine Ascent, 21:7).

The book titled «The Jesus Prayer and its application», by the respected and beloved Elder Arsenios Katerelos – a very familiar Spiritual Father, Preacher and author in our Homeland – constitutes an invaluable aid for a Christian’s introduction to the art of the precious “Prayer”. The Archimandrite Elder Arsenios has deposited the sacred experiences and the teachings of the Elders, Saint Paisios the Hagiorite and Isaac the Lebanese, near whom he had learnt the monk’s way of life, enriched with the teaching of the holy Fathers, but also with the discretion that has been based on his own hesychastic experience. It is with joy that we are delivering this extremely useful guide in the English language, with our prayers that «the most sweet Jesus Christ» will grant the readers of this edition the supernatural delightfulness and benefit of the incessant Prayer. The Abbott of the Sacred Monastery “Pantokrator” of Melissohori † Archimandrite Kyrillos***********************************A FEW WORDS ABOUT ELDER ARSENIOS KATERELOSFather Arsenios Katerelos had become acquainted with the Blessed Paisios the Hagiorite in the summer of 1979, at the age of 17. From then on he continued to have a close and frequent spiritual contact with him, through to the repose of the Saint in 1994. When Fr. Arsenios was still a layperson, the Blessed Paisios had recommended Fr. Isaac the Lebanese as his Elder, who resided in the Hut of the Resurrection at Kapsala of the Holy Mountain (and reposed in 1998). The Elder Isaac was a genuine and very close pupil of the Blessed Paisios, who had also given him the Grand Angelic Schema. The Elder Isaac had abandoned Lebanon for the Blessed Paisios’ sake, and had relocated permanently to the Holy Mountain. During his time at the Holy Mountain (at Kapsala, Panagouda, etc.), Fr. Arsenios was given the opportunity – first as a layperson, later as a novice monk and eventually as a Hieromonk – to participate in many Services and Night-vigils with the Blessed Elder Paisios, along with certain other fathers. Generally speaking, Fr. Arsenios was able to actually hear the teachings of the Blessed Paisios, and was frequently given the opportunity (with the blessing and the exhortation of his Elder, Isaac), to pose various questions to him, on a variety of spiritual topics, both personal and general. 1. INTRODUCTION The evangelical word of our Lord Jesus Christ which says “you must always pray and not despair” (Luke 18:1) – in other words, the fact that we must pray at all times and not give up and be discouraged – is the lifelong experience of our Church’s Saints. Furthermore, Saint Gregory the Theologian, who summarizes the value of prayer but also man’s stance in his communication with God, would proclaim it dynamically, with one phrase: “Remembrance of God is better than breathing”. It was in the spirit of this instruction by the Lord, as well as the stance and guidance of the Fathers, that we organized a series of evening homilies regarding prayer - the general theme being “The Jesus Prayer”. These seven homilies took place in the year 1999 in the holy temple of the Most Holy Lady in the town of Lamia during synaxes of the faithful; they are self-inclusive and consecutive. They were delivered mostly to laypeople, which is why we adjusted the topic appropriately, to suit the spiritual capabilities of the audience. However, these homilies pertain to the entire pleroma – that is, including the clergy and monastics whose main opus is that of prayer. The chronologically last homily which is presented herein as first in line and titled “Elder Paisios and his teaching regarding prayer” took place during a solemn Vespers service in the sacred Metropolitan Temple of the Sacred Metropolis of Fthiotis in the year 2014; we have incorporated it herein, because it is directly linked to our aforementioned topic. As our beloved readers will discern, we are embarking on a purely practical level as regards the Jesus Prayer, by conveying experiences and opinions mainly of contemporary, blessed Elders. Furthermore, apart from the homilies, we have also included concise replies to the queries of pious attendees. We would like to stress that, albeit a theoretical topic, what is basically presented is the practical consideration of this noble and absolutely necessary labour of prayer – that is, especially of the Noetic Prayer of: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, the sinner”, which is usually recited with the use of a sacred prayer-rope. This “Prayer” – as the specific method of praying is called – is, among other things, a weapon against our three merciless enemies: the Devil, the world afar from God, and -first and foremost- our own, evil self. However this spiritual weapon is not for exclusive use by monastics, who must dutifully attend to it and apply it as a method and a way of life (as stressed by the Elder Ephraim of the Katounakia region of the Holy Mountain, that “a monk without the mental prayer is not a monk”), but is also at the disposal of all the faithful, according to the teaching of our Church, which is summarized by the herald of Grace, Saint Gregory Palamas. And it is all the more applicable in our day and age – an age of fatigue, confusion from every aspect, and most of all, of spiritual ignorance. The Jesus Prayer - both brief and extremely succinct- can be applied, not only “in every place of his dominion” (Psalm 102:22), but also at any hour of the day or night that the faithful himself desires. As for the results: they are extremely beneficial, as each person who desires to savour that “Christ is virtuous” (Psalm 33:9) will see for himself. As we all know, the work of praying cannot be taught; it is revealed to us and is recognized as being “from the Father of lights” wherever there is the proper disposition for struggle, but moreso wherever there is humility, the mother of prayer. However, being humans, it is the teaching and the methodology of the Holy Fathers on the matter which comprise the blessed path that allows the praying person to enter his room and there converse “face to face” with Jesus Himself. Of course we are not reassured that we have exhausted the overall topic of prayer with these homilies – especially on the noetic Prayer of the heart. On the contrary, we believe that by means of these homilies and these simplified texts we are giving every in-Christ brother who studies them “as a thirsting doe” the opportunity to hasten even more to the “springs of the waters” (Psalm 41/42:2), both for a theoretical instruction through the study of Patristic writings on the topic, as well as for the primarily practical application of the most holy and important labour on earth; that is, the work of sacred prayer, and especially of the noetic Prayer. We are certain of this, not only because the Prayer cultivates and opens horizons within the realm of our mind, rendering our spiritual heart a temple of God, but also because it provides us with the reason to become wiser, in accordance with the quote “give a wise man a reason, and he will become wiser” (Prov.9:9). Progress, therefore, in wisdom and in communication with God is attained through the Prayer. As for us here, it is understood that we invoke the wishes and the prayers of all the readers, so that the Gospel words: “but whosoever does and teaches….” (Matthew 5:19) may apply to our unworthy person also. Amen. On the 6th of June 2014 Archimandrite Arsenios Katerelos 2. THE ELDER PAISIOS AND HIS TEACHING REGARDING THE PRAYER Reverend Father and Priest, we shall attempt, in the cadre of your paternal exhortation and with your blessings, to provide certain indications regarding the multi-faceted topic that you asked of our unworthiness. The topic is “The Elder Paisios and his teaching regarding the Prayer”. As such, we shall mention –entirely epigrammatically- certain teachings and events that pertain to the blessed Elder and the topic in question, drawing mainly from personal notes that we had taken at the time, either from Elder Paisios’ replies and teachings, or from my Elder, Fr. Isaac the Lebanese Hagiorite… although, most of those notes are indelibly etched inside us. The Elder frequently used to say that prayer is the soul’s oxygen; it is the life of the soul; it is the mirroring of man’s spiritual progress and condition. Progress in spiritual matters is unthinkable without a personal improvement in prayer, which is where our spiritual condition can be seen. He would stress selflessness in spiritual living; a thing that naturally reflects in prayer also. Being a true emulator of Christ, his prayer would extend even as far as enemies. He would say that a Christian has to also embrace those who hate him; to also pray for his crucifiers. In fact, the Elder himself had at one time prayed with deep pain for God to be merciful even to demons. He pitied them, because he had discerned the demons’ “progress” in bestiality, in the host of evil things that they had been striving to outrightly and insidiously inflict on the Elder. In other words, he was pained by the increment of their personal damnation. However, during his prayer he had seen a demon that had transformed into a macabre, bloodthirsty dog’s head sarcastically poking its very long tongue out and cynically mocking him… The Elder used to say that we must constantly be in contact and preparedness for the Celestial Headquarters, like good Army and Heavenly Communications Officers of the Lord. We need to maintain a clear and strong contact with the Heavenly Station. Permit us to call it “Heavenly Internet” or “Divine-net”. To achieve this, it is imperative – according to the Elder always – that the powers of our soul execute their “chores”, their “handiwork” diligently (these were the Elder’s words); in other words, their potentials – the ones given to us by God. When the Elder was once asked: “Should we approach God using logic or the heart?” he replied with a simple, representative and wise word: “To locate and listen to a radio station we need to suitably adjust two buttons: the radio’s frequency and the volume. The volume is logic and the frequency is the heart.” In other words, both are necessary – at least at the beginning. In another context, when the Elder had embarked on a deeper discussion, he told us among other things that: “The noblest thing that the good Lord gave man is the mind – the ‘nous’ – the ‘holy trinity of our soul’. Because God only reveals Himself to the nous, where God’s uncreated energy unites with the essence of our nous and obviously with the Prayer; after the solidified ‘spiritual lubricant’ has softened, then all of the above are activated, with everything that this entails. The practical consequence of the aforementioned is the fine-tuning of our ‘receiver’ towards humility.” With these words, the Elder implied that this was the only way to attain an ontological, existential and live replenishment between us and God. The Elder never isolated the Prayer from the rest of his spiritual life. In certain cases, he would even stress that: “What we need here is more attention and less prayer.” He placed a huge importance on one’s humble mien and on proper thoughts. He would say: “A thought can ‘block’ or ‘unblock’ the Prayer; when we don’t forgive or ask for forgiveness, our prayer not only doesn’t fly up to Heaven, it doesn’t even rise above our own head.” He said this metaphorically of course… He obviously didn’t regard the Prayer as an end in itself, but rather, a necessary and perpetual means – together with other forms of ascesis – for the discarding of the old self and for our union with God. He used to say something along the lines of: “We should be contemplating God’s infinite benefactions, and our innumerable –known and unknown– sins, our omissions etc. These will all generate humility inside us; a salvific cardiac pain, and thus, the Prayer will not be a conventional and tiresome thing, but will instead become a personal, natural need for the invocation of divine mercy, but also for glorification.” He regarded this as far superior to the application of various praying techniques such as special breathing, or praying seated on stools, etc. He of course had respect for all these techniques, but regarded them as mere aids that would help the nous to concentrate on the Prayer. In parallel, he would not omit to point out various physical and spiritual dangers (such as imagining that we are doing something lofty), but would also point out the organic dangers that can arise, such as heart problems on account of the pressure exerted by the flesh. He would often say that, before counting knots on our prayer ropes, we should instead count our innumerable sins or read a patristic text in order to attain awareness, thus escaping from mundane things and focusing only on the words of the Prayer; that we should also ignore all of our musings without exception – the personal ones, the impassioned ones, the demonic ones, those “from the left”, those “from the right”, the beneficial ones, the blasphemous ones etc… He would stress the following: “We mustn’t be surprised (especially during prayers) that the enemy doesn’t rest. We can actually exploit him”, he used to say, “by making him an unpaid laborer who will actually prod us to persist in the incessant Prayer.” To clarify this comment, he told us of a spiritual struggler, who, when lying down to sleep would be besieged by demons that gave him unclean thoughts. To which he reacted by exclaiming: “It’s a good thing that you reminded me!” and would then get up and perform many prostrations… The Elder had commented that when we have a conscience like that man’s, then the little urchin isn’t a fool: when it scopes out (he would say this quite often) that it will lose the battle, it knows it is not to its advantage to persist (and thus work for free), because instead of causing us harm it is actually doing us good. The Elder placed great importance on one’s thoughts and one’s proper, healthy conscience, as well as on our proper spiritual placement opposite God, our fellow-man, etc.. “This is where we have a serious ‘oil leakage’, he would say, “which is why unfortunately there are no spiritual fruits.” He would stress that we should ask only for divine mercy in our prayers, in order to repent in a proper manner that is pleasing to God, and thus be forgiven so that we might see our wretched state, much more clearly and in depth. “Only thus,” he would say, “will God give you His grace, my blessed child, and whatever else is necessary for your salvation and your fellow man’s.” “Unless we come to abhor ourselves God-wise (without a trace of despair), we shall continue to tumble into new pitfalls - both latent and evident ones. This spiritual state naturally varies, from the novice to the perfected, given that it is a progress that never ends. This contemporary holy father used to say: “I’m only a tin can; just because sunlight is reflected off it sometimes, you think that I am the sun.” Other times he would say (and mean it, 100%): “I am just an unpolished tin can”. He would also say of a certain monk who was admittedly quite ascetic and of good repute: “All his prayer-ropes are useless…” The Elder must have “seen” something negative in him… which is why he often stressed that we shouldn’t perform a dry, tasteless ascesis, aspiring to (obviously or secretly) attain divine experiences, illumination, gifts, prophecies etc.. There are those, he would say, who increase their prayer-ropes while observing an external, formal precision in various rubrics (without the rubrics being to blame of course – quite the contrary), in their futile belief that they are faithfully observing the Philokalian texts. In a nutshell, they are only censing, projecting and sanctifying themselves. Should they encounter the praise of the faithful, the innocent, the naïve, the pseudo-pious, the inexperienced, the fanciful, the psychopaths, the cunning, the opportunist, the self-serving etc., then things become extremely dangerous from every aspect, as well as uncontrollable and unfortunately, most of the time almost incurable. This is because the “little urchin” exploits them, invisibly, with cunning mastery, and gives them what he called “urchinist” experiences, impressions and self-deceptions, supposed prophecies, coincidences, delusions upon delusions, of which there is no number… He would say that in spite of its difficulties, a God-pleasing prayer relaxes and creates an ineffable peace inside us. It’s shameful - he used to say - when Christ Himself offers us the potential to communicate with Him, for us not to be willing to – or, not to have the analogous awareness during such a communication. On the one hand we envy and regard as blessed those who lived during Christ’s time and were able to speak to Him, instead of stopping to think that we are in a far more advantageous situation - inasmuch as we are able to be in a continuous contact with Him, spiritually… In Christ’s time, people weren’t able to secure His personal attention very easily (vying as to who could be first in line to preoccupy Him) etc... The Elder not only stressed the quality of prayer, but also the quantity. When the latter is observed in the proper manner, the former is improved as well. He himself would naturally pray for hours on end, for endless nights and days. But what am I saying? The Elder obviously possessed the cardiac, effortless, self-acting noetic Prayer, during his sleep but also while awake, whether talking or whatever else he was preoccupied with. This of course was the fitting, God-sent fruit and gift that gave the Elder his many, personal spiritual parameters, struggles and “promotive” temptations. He was so dedicated to praying that – for example – when living as an ascetic at Sinai, away from the Monastery, all alone, young at the time and relatively unknown and obscure, he would go to the Monastery every now and then – that is, every fifteen days – for the sole purpose of receiving Holy Communion, and no other reason. One time –and only that one time- he underwent inconceivable tortures by the cunning one. He used to say “I felt as though I was nailed to the Cross”. Of course one can comprehend this statement, not when simply hearing it, but only when it is actually experienced, and to the degree it was experienced. Among other things, we humbly believe is it permissible for us to mention that the devil was the one prompting him to go to the Monastery – imagine, the devil prompting one to go to the monastery (!!) and attend services etc with the other fathers – in other words, in order to abandon his solitude. It was a move that the devil had preferred for a reason. At the time, Fr. Paisios had also braved various human pressures, even by spiritual persons… but let’s not say anything more on this. (After all, it wasn’t the sole instance at the time and only on that topic; there had been other instances and for other reasons, both earlier and later…) Anyway, the Elder had bravely resisted that will of the devil. But when he received Holy Communion at the Monastery after fifteen days, he savoured the Holy Communion as sweet-tasting meat – and not only that; he was filled with a divine sweetness: that of the Uncreated Light. Thus, with renewed spiritual powers and heavenly experiences, he would provoke (not the people of course - the Elder would never provoke people – only the devil) for the following fifteen days during his solitary ascesis, and would himself prod the devil, saying: “If you want, come on, let’s fight again!” Naturally, he was boasting in the Lord. And he was of course implying –among other things – that he wouldn’t allow anything to disturb his solitude, whatever that entailed. We need to make a necessary clarification here: What he did was possible, only thanks to the Elder’s spiritual measures. After all, he had also frequently stressed the value of common prayer. He used to say: “The temple is God’s house. Praying alone is one’s preparation for the common prayer.” To be sure, common prayer does have distractions etc., therefore at times it may be somewhat inferior; it is, however, more powerful – both because of the unity (very important, but we won’t analyze it here), as well as of the number of those praying. Dear brethren, quite frequently, when one has been observing his penance properly in his cell, but without God giving him any tangible “taste” of Grace, he may sometimes in church –entirely effortlessly and easily – be actually unable to stop the excessively sensuous waves of Grace... the Uncreated “divine rain”

The instances are of course innumerable and the topic requires special examination.

It is needless to mention that the Elder placed the utmost significance in one’s participation in sacramental ecclesiastic life - its highlight of course being the proper reception of Holy Communion. One time, when receiving Holy Communion in one of the cells on the Holy Mountain where the Elder felt cold on account of the lack of heating, his age, and the various ailments that he suffered from, he quite suddenly and entirely supernaturally felt warmed after Holy Communion, both spiritually and bodily – so much so, that on his return to his Cell, even the path he walked on had warmed up! Such a “squandering” of thermo-divine energy… The Elder strongly believed in the power and the benefit of prayer, which is why he would often humbly and systematically avoid contact with people, even for long periods of time. When at Sinai, he would even put up “danger” signs painted with skulls; his intention was to make visitors think that the area was a minefield and therefore too dangerous to approach. He was also very glib and witty, with an instinctive, beneficial sense of humour and a very dynamic and vivid character. For example, a visitor to the Holy Mountain went to the Elder’s cottage and rang the bell for him to open. After a long wait, the Elder opened the door and said: “Hey there, what do you want, young man?” “I wanted to see you, Elder”, he replied. “Well, didn’t you just see me? Would you also like me to do an about-face so you can see me better?” The visitor was taken aback, then, with a certain dose of anxiety, he said: “I would like you to pray for me, Elder”. And the Elder replied jokingly: “Go away so I can pray. If you don’t leave, how am I going to pray?” To another visitor who worried that war was going to break out, the Elder said: “Don’t be afraid, they haven’t recalled any ambassadors yet” (meaning the ambassadors of the countries involved). Then, jokingly, he continued: “If a recall of mediators does occur, only then should we say ‘With the mediations of the Theotokos, o Saviour, save us’.” The Elder was obviously utilizing a play on words wisely and beneficially, while also implying at the time that no war was imminent. Needless to say that –especially at the Elder’s cottage at Panagouda- the crowds who went there for his counsel had greatly increased. Very often the Elder – with his truly God-given insight, which he never “gave away” unnecessarily – knew when to open or not, and when to speak extensively or succinctly, and he would naturally hide this gift very artfully. There have been very few instances whern he revealed it very faintly- and with a ready alibi. It would usually be because of his love, or if he was mainly “pressured” by God to reveal it. One time, a pious lady who encountered him in “the world” said to him: “Elder, I constantly invoke you in your Cell on the Holy Mountain. Could you hear me?” To which he replied very plainly and with humour: “Why? Did you think I was deaf?” Despite his strictly observed spiritual measures he was afraid (because of the multitudes of pilgrims) of losing the submersion of his nous in extended prayer, where time-space stands still and is lost. As he used to say, “If the nous is dulcified inside the heart, it has no desire of departing from there.” In other words, to rephrase it more theologically, he meant the return of the nous’ energy to the nous’ essence. In this blissful state the nous stands still because of the tangible and excessive, hedonic divine Grace. At times, all contact with the environment is lost, and prayer essentially ceases. Divine Grace “transports” you wherever it wants, without asking you. Albeit a “divine constraint”, it is, nevertheless, the product of an ideal and proper, godly use of our self-government. However, there were two celestial events that we know of, which exhorted the Elder to thereafter to receive pilgrims. The one time (the second one that we are aware of), his own blessed Elder, Father Tychon the Russian appeared to him from heaven, ringing his doorbell like a terrestrial visitor. He said in a heavenly voice: “I’m glad that you’re receiving people”. The first time that Father Tychon had appeared to him – always from heaven – was on the 10/9/1971. Of course there was another time too, but beware: that time it was the devil who took on the form of Father Tychon in order to mislead him, but the Elder Paisios had his wits about him... The second event was when the Elder was instructed by the Holy Mother Herself to receive visitors… As a basic prayer rule he proposed the prayer rope for monks in their cell, but not only for cell-dwellers and not only for monks. To get a small “taste”, we will mention certain related numbers per “usage”, as follows: Initially, four “crossed” 300-knot prayer ropes, that is, with small prostrations – three to Christ, saying “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me” and the fourth to the Holy Mother, saying “Most holy Theotokos, save me”. Additionally, four “free” prayer ropes, that is, with or without crossing, as above, for ourselves. “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” and “Most holy Theotokos, save me”. Also, four more “free” (always 300-knot) prayer ropes for the living, saying with the first three “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us” and one “Most holy Theotokos, save us”. Then another four (300-knot) prayer ropes for the deceased, of which the first three with “Lord Jesus Christ, repose Thy servants” and the fourth to the Holy Mother, with “Most holy Theotokos, repose Thy servants”. Finally, a 300-knot prayer rope to the Saints of each day. “Saints of God, mediate for us”. In other words, 17 prayer ropes (of 300 knots) on a daily-nightly basis and many, many others, and other methods etc, which are not possible to mention at this time. He was especially concerned about not saying the Prayer quickly, so that we might fully absorb it, and in general (a detail that concerns us) the analogy of time dedicated to Christ and the Theotokos, which, according to the Elder should always be three to one (3:1), without this being absolute or compulsory. He of course recommended many “deep” prostrations (head touching the floor). He also told us of a certain monk who sometimes actually saw the Saints of the day, both the familiar and the unfamiliar ones. The chapter “Elder Paisios – the Prayer” is obviously an inexhaustible one. The Elder left behind a great many things; and yet, he took with him incomparably more, inasmuch as we would have been unable to interpret them – assuming he would have been more revealing… Once, when someone asked him about the Uncreated Light, the Elder (albeit “swimming” in it very many times himself) replied: “How should I know what that is? The stove that I have in my cell is certainly a created item!” He was referring to the Rumanian/Russian stoves that were built with firebricks. Finally, the Elder used to say: “When you feel grief, you’re lacking something”. That is why we beseech you, Reverend, who have so often in practice and over Time expressed your respect for the hallowed figure of Elder Paisios - as evident in the 2011 Calendar of the Sacred Metropolis of Fthiotis and in so many more ways – we beseech you to pray that this truly hallowed Elder bestows on each of us from the heavens the “spiritual vitamins” that we lack. That way, we shall all enter more and more deeply into a more Orthodox, personal spiritual orbit, which will stave off the sorrow of our sin and give us the peace of God, which are far above every nous. Source: Holy Monastery of Pantokrator

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