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tonguetiedraven · 3 years ago

Note

can you do something with the prom of the cram school kids going to the monastery yukio and rin were raised for a mission? like lets pretend lighting never went or smth

Thanks for the prompt! I'm sorry it took me a while to answer it. It took me a while to think of a good story to go with it.

I'm not quite sure this is the sort of thing you were wanting (feel free to let me know if you wanted something a little different), but it's the cram group getting an assignment to go to the Monastery, and Rin working through some things (not particularly well) and dealing with having to see the place Shirou died again.

Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and mentions of Shirou's death. No ships, but could be bonrin if you want it.

————— “Nagatomo will be your lead.” Tsubaki snapped his file shut, gave his head a short nod, and turned to exit the room.

“Uh,” Yukio stepped forward, stopping Tsubaki’s exit. Rin watched him in mild confusion, not understanding Yukio looked so tense. It was just a report of a few lowly dog ghouls. It was something they could easily handle. Honestly, it was probably a bit beneath their current skills.

“Did you say Nagatomo?”

Tsubaki nodded. Yukio adjusted his glasses and nodded. “Of the Southern Cross Monastery?”

Rin’s tail abruptly went straight in the air as he realized the glaringly obvious. Of course they were part of True Cross. Of course that was the Nagatomo that they were talking about. Of course it was the group having a problem with ghoul dogs. Rin had been attacked by dozens of those things on his dash back to the Monastery with Shirou.

“Yes. Is… is that going to be a problem?”

“No, sir. Not at all.” Yukio held his and out for the file with the politest of smiles. Rin could feel the other exwires, all of their friends, watching Yukio, and he could feel his own expression was one of utter shock.

Tsubaki left and Rin moved up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Yukio so he could peer at the file.

A picture of the Monastery they’d grown up in decorated the front of the report. Rin raised his eyes and shared a thoroughly concerned look with his twin.

“Right,” Yukio swallowed, forced a smile, and regarded the rest of the exwires, “everyone, gather your gear. We’ll be leaving in an hour.”

Ryuuji, unsurprisingly, was the one that asked the question. “Everything okay?”

Yukio’s smile widened, and looked all the crazier for the motion. “Of course. We’ll meet by the front gates.”

A beat passed, and then another, but finally the exwires left them alone. Yukio’s smile vanished as his eyes dropped back to the file.

“They’re okay?”

“Probably. They’re high enough in the order that ghouls of any sort wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Good. Then… it’s not like they’ll need to see the whole place. They probably won’t need to go past the offices. Hell, they may not even hafta go in at all.”

“Of course,” Yukio murmured. He didn’t look at all convinced.

—————

It wasn’t that Rin didn’t want his friends to know about the place he was raised it was just… well, a lot of things.

He hadn’t seen any of them since he left for True Cross. Since the funeral and every horrible thing around it. His friends didn’t know a lot about his childhood, and most of those memories were embarrassing or bittersweet.

He’d sworn he wouldn’t go back until he’d defeated Satan. He’d promised himself he would avenge his father, and only then would he be able to go back without drowning in guilt.

But… mostly, he didn’t want to face the sanctuary again. They’d have repaired it by now, but it wouldn’t erase the memory of what it was.

Going back now would feel like a failure.

Rin didn’t know if Yukio felt the same way, but he did know Yukio did not like the idea of the exwires seeing where they grew up. It was the same reason he still went tense when they had a shared meal together. Yukio would probably always feel the need to stay at least a little apart from all of them.

It still meant they were both sitting at the front of the car, shoulder to shoulder, quietly murmuring about the ‘plan’ when they arrived.

“I’ll handle the introductions. If we’re formal, they should follow that lead. They know we’re all professionals.”

“Yeah,” Rin was not convinced, but he could feel Ryuuji, Renzou, and Konekomaru watching them like hawks. Shiemi had Izumo distracted, or they’d be staring too.

“We’ll get the information we need, and we’ll leave.”

At least Shura wasn’t here so she couldn’t out rank him and draw the whole thing out. Because she absolutely would if she thought Yukio was embarrassed.

“Just don’t act odd.”

“We’re already acting odd.”

Yukio immediately glared at him. Rin grinned, and tried to remind himself that the last thing Nagatomo had said to him was that he was always welcomed back. He was stronger than when he left. Maybe… maybe they’d be waiting outside and he wouldn’t have to go in. Maybe… maybe he could keep his promise to himself.

—————

They were all out front. Nagatomo, as the head priest, was the only one they had to meet. The others should be going about their business, but they weren’t. They were waiting for them to arrive.

“Rin! Yukio!” They were immediately waiving like wild as if Rin or Yukio might miss them. It made him immediately blush and duck his head. Tadashi ran the fastest and grabbed them both in a hug before they could even reach the gate.

“Hey,” Rin choked as Naoya joined the hug. Izumi and Maruta stood in the doorway to the Sanctuary, both laughing as Naoya messed up their hair.

“Stop!” Yukio sputtered. “We’re here on business!”

Rin could hear someone snickering behind them.

“Let them breathe,” Seishiro called with his own laugh. “And at least introduce yourself the others.” He tugged the gate open, walked past Rin and Yukio with an affectionate pat to their shoulders, and moved on towards the rest of the exwires. He introduced himself and asked for their names in turn.

Rin finally broke free and stepped back as Seishiro motioned for them to go up to the monastery.

“Uh,” he sputtered, suddenly terrified, “shouldn’t we just, uh, go to the office? Get the info and stuff?” He could see into the sanctuary from the open door, not clearly enough to make the details out, but enough to feel like he was going to throw up the sandwich he’d eaten on the way over.

Tadashi let Yukio go. “Would the kitchen be more comfortable? We have coffee and tea?”

Rin could get to the kitchen without going through the sanctuary. He could just go in the side entrance.

“That will be acceptable.” Yukio, having also freed himself, fixed his glasses and tie, “we’ll convene inside. The report mentioned ghouls?”

Seishiro nodded as Yukio started up the steps. Rin took a nervous step back, and bumped right into Ryuuij.

Rin forced a huge smile, stepped away from Ryuuji, and almost bumped Shiemi. “Kitchen?” he managed hoarsley, “right.” Without waiting or saying anything else, he dashed like an entirely crazy person and ran for the side entrance. He reached it a moment later, tugged the door open (it wasn’t locked, why wasn’t it locked?) and stepped into the hall.

It still smelled the same, and Rin hadn’t even realized the place had a smell, but it hit him, like a brick to the face. It was enveloping, familiar, and it was enough to instantly make his throat thick.

“Yes, uh, we can go this way?” Rin jumped, just a little, as Seishiro came up behind him with the rest of the exwires. Yukio shoved his way to the front and stepped in next to Rin.

“Why the hallway?” Yukio muttered as he continued past him towards the kitchen. Rin, too thrown off by the scent of home and the sounds (had it always been this noisy? He could hear pipes, creaking, the hissing of all those candles, things settling, and the quiet shuffle of familiars at the other side of the Monastery.)

Rin didn’t get what he meant until Shiemi had shuffled past him as well and gasped. “Oh! Look how little you two were!”

Izumo and Renzou immediately joined her to peer at the pictures lining the wall. Konekomaru and Ryuuji did as well, at a far less eager pace. Yukio’s eyes went wide and shot to Rin like he was the reason they were seeing them.

Rin didn’t care about the pictures. He cared a lot about the door at the left of the hall.

It was just a picture of their first school year. He could see Shirou kneeling next to him, and they were all smiling. They were happy and together.

The crackling of the candles seemed to get louder.

“Did you make the lunches?” Ryuuji motioned towards the photo and grinned back at him.

Rin squinted, and yeah, he’d made their lunches for that day with only a little help from Shirou, and he’d been super proud of himself. Probably why he was holding his bento box with a huge smile and looked like he thought it was the most impressive thing ever.

“Yep!”

Ryuuji gave his head a fond shake. “Course ya did.”

The pictures were helpful in that they at least distracted everyone from the sanctuary and whatever else might have happened here. Rin was able to laugh about the numerous pictures, he got to see Yukio blush, the priests all grin and laugh as they pointed out the most embarrassing photos, and he got to urge them towards the kitchen without seeming weird. He could just act embarrassed about the pictures.

There was indeed tea and coffee set out, and a few cookies. Rin gave it a look over and tried not to stare too hard at the actual kitchen. It didn’t look right without Shirou leaning on the counter, trying to steal bites and teasing him about his lack of a social life.

He had one now. Shirou would still have been teasing him about them. He’d have given them one look and probably beamed, punched Rin’s shoulder, and asked him something embarrassing.

Rin grabbed one of the teas — the coffee was too bitter for his demonic taste buds — and added a generous helping of sugar before taking a seat at the table. Shiemi sat next to him (coffee with more cream than coffee), and Ryuuji did as well (tea, no sugar.)

“They’re coming at night, obviously,” Seishiro explained once everyone was sitting comfortably. “They haven’t done anything violent, yet, but we suspect that’s because they can’t actually get in. The ghouls in and of themselves would be a problem, we’re capable of dispelling them. No, the problem is the quantity. They’re gaining at least five a night.”

“At least?” Yukio asked, “What’s the largest increase you’ve seen?”

“Twelve.”

“The neighborhood pets are starting to disappear as well.” Tadashi added.

“Pet’s? It ain’t just dogs?” That seemed weird.

Seishiro nodded. Izumo and Konekomaru covered their mouth and Rin felt grateful he’d left Kuro at home. Better to be safe.

“Where are they attacking?”

Rin stared down at his cup as the others continued to talk, and tried not to think about how wrong their voices all sounded without Shirou’s mingled in. Even the tea didn’t quite look right. Shirou always over steeped it. He insisted he got more caffeine that way.

Ryuuji poked his arm. It was subtle enough of a motion that no one else would notice it. Rin blinked, offered a smile, and took too big of a drink of his tea.

Yukio was staring at him with a worried frown. Rin didn’t look at Ryuuji or the others. He was pretty sure Yukio wasn’t the only one staring.

—————

Rin actually did a pretty bang up job of avoiding the whole thing for most of the day. There were plenty of little things to distract the others with whenever the sanctuary or childhood was brought up. Despite how nosey his friends could be, they also knew some of the story and were kind enough not to poke at that particular and obvious wound. No one knew just how Shirou had died, but they knew he’d died here, and that Rin had seen it happen.

So Rin avoided the sanctuary, he volunteered to patrol the front yard at night, and he changed the subject whenever it seemed like he might have to leave the kitchen.

The others could tell something was up. Yukio had probably known the minute he got to the gate, the Ryuuji by the time they were drinking tea, Shiemi when he told her to go explore by herself, and the others after he refused to leave the kitchen after the third time it was brought up.

It came to a head when Tadashi started on dinner.

“You don’t need any help?” Yukio asked in a falsely polite way that let Rin immediately know he had soemthing else in mind than dinner.

Tadashi confirmed he didn’t need help.

“Wonderful, we’ll just check the seals around the windows then.” Yukio snagged his elbow. “Rin?”

“Nah, I think I’mma stay and —”

“Rin,” Yukio’s pitch lowered into an order, “we have to—” he tugged Rom towards the sanctuary door, and it wasn’t like Yukio could make him move, but the panic of it happening surged up his throat, choking him until he couldn’t breathe past it.

The flames came unbidden. They surged over his entire body until all he could see were flames. Someone yelled, and Rin jerked free. He stumbled back, dousing the flames, blinking the bright spot in his vision away.

The priests looked terrified.

Rin turned on his heel and ran.

—————

It took ten or so minutes for someone to find him. He wasn’t that surprised it happened, but he was surprised it was Ryuuji.

Ryuuji sat on the swing next to him without a word and passed him a marble soda.

“How’d ya find me?”

He smiled a little. “I asked Yukio. He gave me a few suggestions. We split them down the middle. Figured this one made the most sense so I started with it.” He typed something out as he spoke. Probably a message to Yukio.

Rin popped his top and took a long swig. He didn’t really know why Ryuuji would seek him out. Especially after he’d flamed up like an idiot.

Ryuuji sent the message and stuffed his phone in his pocket. “You’re upset?”

“Gee,” Rin muttered, “What gave it away? The flames?”

Ryuuji rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna let that go ‘cause you’re upset. But watch it.” He opened his own drink and took a sip. “Did you make a promise?”

Rin swallowed the soda and found his mouth felt dryer than it had before he drank the soda. “Huh?”

Ryuuji pushed back in the swing to stretch his long legs. “After everything went down, did you make a promise to yourself?”

Rin fiddled with his bottle. “Why?”

“‘Cause I did. With Kyoto? Swore I wouldn’t go back until I’d proved them wrong. Until I was strong enough to fight and lead and rebuild it all.”

Oh. Wow. He hadn’t known that. It made sense, but he’d never thought of it. The first time at Kyoto had mostly been a tense blur. Everyone had been so tense, but…

He probably wasn’t the only reason for that. He’d been too stuck in his own head to consider that they might be upset about other things. They’d had a lot to be upset about.

Rin took another drink. “No matter you were so pissed.”

Ryuuji almost smiled as he rocked forward on the swing. “Yeah, it was a shitty couple of weeks.”

“Sorry about that.”

“It worked out,” Ryuuji stated. Rin gave him a long look. “Eventually,” he conceded with a poorly hidden smile.

Rin didn’t hide his own smile. He just leaned back in his own swing and stared up at the clouds. Ryuuji didn’t try to continue the conversation. He simply continued to swing and sip his tea until Rin broke the silence again.

“It happened here.” Rin’s hands tightened around the chains. “In the sanctuary.”

Ryuuji kept swinging, and Rin was grateful for that. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. It wrecked the entire thing. The first guy tore through the seals and gate, and then Satan just… fucked up the Sanctuary. Opened a gate. Right in the middle of the crossing. Broke the lectern and pulpit. Ripped up the floor and smashed most of the pews.”

Rin tried very hard not to remember the way it had looked, and failed entirely. He could smell the blood and hear the cracking of the wood as it had burned. The memory consumed him as his swing stilled.

Ryuuji reached across the space between them and pinched his wrist. Hard.

“Ow! What the hell?!”

“Looked like you were remembering some shit.” Ryuuji shrugged. “That kinda memory isn’t gonna do you any favors.”

“Forgetting it seems like a bad idea.”

“I didn’t say forget it, but you shouldn’t just dwell on it. You’ll get caught up in the memory and miss the now.”

Rin stopped swinging and crossed his arms over his chest. “Will not.”

“Then why are we out here when they’re serving dinner?” Ryuuji kept swinging and staring at the monastery’s windows in the distance. The stained-glass was glowing from the inside lights and just looked like a colorful blur. A warm, colorful blur. Welcoming. It always had been. Even after everything he’d done.

“I swore I wouldn’t come back until I killed him.”

Ryuuji’s swing stilled.

“I swore I’d make him pay, and then I’d come back. And now I’m back, and he’s still out there. Still ruining lives.” The tears pricked at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. “I promised and I failed.” Just like he had that night. He always failed.

“You didn’t fail. You’re not coming back. Not really.”

“But I did. And I just…” Rin shook his head with frustration at himself. “I failed that night, and I failed now. I haven’t gotten any closer to killing that bastard.” The angry tears were getting harder to hold in. They were threatening to spill over at any moment and he didn’t want to cry in front of Ryuuji.

“That’s not even remotely true.”

“And every time I go in there, I just, all I can see is the gate and —”

“Then don’t go back in.”

“What?”

“There’s a lot of the monastery. Don’t go back in the Sanctuary. We don’t all have to go in there. There isn’t any reason for that. We’ll be able to finish the ghouls tonight. We’ll go home tomorrow, and we’ll keep getting stronger. Then when you come back, and I mean really come back, you can come back the way you want.”

Ryuuji got up off the swing as he spoke, determination making him look almost angry, though anger seemed to be what his expression defaulted to. He turned on Rin, suddenly shoving his hand forward and motioning for Rin to take it. “Come on,” he added, “we’re gonna get our dinner, keep a wide berth to the sanctuary, and we’re gonna go over the ghoul information Yukio kept trying to tell you about on the train.”

Rin, with an overly dramatic groan, accepted the hand and let Ryuuji pull him out of the swing. “Fine, but I ain’t promisin’ I’ll remember any of it.”

Ryuuji laughed and shoved him towards the monastery. “That’s why I’m on the team. You’re just here to burn and stab shit.”

“Hey!”

With another laugh, Ryuuji dashed towards the building, and Rin followed after him, feeling almost like he could laugh himself.

One day he’d come back here for real, but in the meantime, he was grateful for the people he’d brought with him.

#rin okumura #asks #aoex #blue exorcist #ao no exorcist #hurt/comfort #ryuuji suguro #yukio okumura #southern cross boys' monastery #i think it would be really hard for them to go back there after everything #might expand this before i post it on ao3 #ryuji suguro #bon suguro #my tumblr fics

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mishinashen · 3 years ago

Photo

Self-Portrait by Alphonse Mucha, 1899

Alfons Maria Mucha (Czech: 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, and designs, which became among the best-known images of the period.

In the second part of his career, at the age of 43, he returned to his homeland of Bohemia-Moravia region in Austria and devoted himself to painting a series of twenty monumental canvases known as The Slav Epic, depicting the history of all the Slavic peoples of the world, which he painted between 1912 and 1926. In 1928, on the 10th anniversary of the independence of Czechoslovakia, he presented the series to the Czech nation. He considered it his most important work. It is now on display in Prague.

Alphonse Mucha was born on 24 July 1860 in the small town of Ivančice in southern Moravia, then a province of the Austrian Empire (currently a region of the Czech Republic). His family had a very modest income; his father Ondřej was a court usher, and his mother Amálie was a miller's daughter. Ondřej had six children, all with names starting with A. Alphonse was his first child with Amálie, followed by Anna and Anděla.

Alphonse showed an early talent for drawing; a local merchant impressed by his work provided him with paper for free, though it was considered a luxury. In the preschool period, he drew exclusively with his left hand. He also had a talent for music: he was an alto singer and violin player

After completing volksschule, he wanted to continue with his studies, but his family was not able to fund them, as they were already funding the studies of his three step-siblings] His music teacher sent him to Pavel Křížkovský, choirmaster of St Thomas's Abbey in Brno, to be admitted to the choir and to have his studies funded by the monastery. Křížovský was impressed by his talent, but he was not able to admit and fund him, as he had just admitted another talented young musician, Leoš Janáček.

Křížovský sent him to a choirmaster of the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul, who admitted him as a chorister and funded his studies at the gymnasium in Brno, where he received his secondary school education. After his voice broke, he gave up his chorister position, but played as a violinist during masses.

He became devoutly religious, and wrote later, "For me, the notions of painting, going to church, and music are so closely knit that often I cannot decide whether I like church for its music, or music for its place in the mystery which it accompanies." He grew up in an environment of intense Czech nationalism in all the arts, from music to literature and painting. He designed flyers and posters for patriotic rallies.

His singing abilities allowed him to continue his musical education at the Gymnázium Brno in the Moravian capital of Brno, but his true ambition was to become an artist. He found some employment designing theatrical scenery and other decorations. In 1878 he applied without success to the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, but was rejected and advised to "find a different career". In 1880, at the age of 19, he traveled to Vienna, the political and cultural capital of the Empire, and found employment as an apprentice scenery painter for a company which made sets for Vienna theaters. While in Vienna, he discovered the museums, churches, palaces and especially theaters, for which he received free tickets from his employer. He also discovered Hans Makart, a very prominent academic painter, who created murals for many of the palaces and government buildings in Vienna, and was a master of portraits and historical paintings in grand format. His style turned Mucha in that artistic direction and influenced his later work. He also began experimenting with photography, which became an important tool in his later work.

To his misfortune, a terrible fire in 1881 destroyed the Ringtheater, the major client of his firm. Later in 1881, almost without funds, he took a train as far north as his money would take him. He arrived in Mikulov in southern Moravia, and began making portraits, decorative art and lettering for tombstones. His work was appreciated, and he was commissioned by Count Eduard Khuen Belasi, a local landlord and nobleman, to paint a series of murals for his residence at Emmahof Castle, and then at his ancestral home in the Tyrol, Gandegg Castle. The paintings at Emmahof were destroyed by fire in 1948, but his early versions in small format exist (now on display at the museum in Brno). He showed his skill at mythological themes, the female form, and lush vegetal decoration. Belasi, who was also an amateur painter, took Mucha on expeditions to see art in Venice, Florence and Milan, and introduced him to many artists, including the famous Bavarian romantic painter, Wilhelm Kray, who lived in Munich.

Count Belasi decided to bring Mucha to Munich for formal training, and paid his tuition fees and living expenses at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He moved there in September 1885. It is not clear how Mucha actually studied at the Munich Academy; there is no record of his being enrolled as a student there. However, he did become friends with a number of notable Slavic artists there, including the Czechs Karel Vítězslav Mašek and Ludek Marold and the Russian Leonid Pasternak, father of the famous poet and novelist Boris Pasternak. He founded a Czech students' club, and contributed political illustrations to nationalist publications in Prague. In 1886 he received a notable commission for a painting of the Czech patron saints Cyril and Methodius, from a group of Czech emigrants, including some of his relatives, who had founded a Roman Catholic church in the town of Pisek, North Dakota. He was very happy with the artistic environment of Munich: he wrote to friends, "Here I am in my new element, painting. I cross all sorts of currents, but without effort, and even with joy. Here, for the first time, I can find the objectives to reach which used to seem inaccessible." However, he found he could not remain forever in Munich; the Bavarian authorities imposed increasing restrictions upon foreign students and residents. Count Belasi suggested that he travel either to Rome or to Paris. With Belasi's financial support, he decided in 1887 to move to Paris.

Mucha moved to Paris in 1888 where he enrolled in the Académie Julian[18] and the following year, 1889, Académie Colarossi. The two schools taught a wide variety of different styles. His first professors at the Academie Julien were Jules Lefebvre who specialized in female nudes and allegorical paintings, and Jean-Paul Laurens, whose specialties were historical and religious paintings in a realistic and dramatic style. At the end of 1889, as he approached the age of thirty, his patron, Count Belasi, decided that Mucha had received enough education and ended his subsidies.

When he arrived in Paris, Mucha found shelter with the help of the large Slavic community. He lived in a boarding house called the Crémerie at 13 rue de la Grande Chaumière, whose owner, Charlotte Caron, was famous for sheltering struggling artists; when needed she accepted paintings or drawings in place of rent. Mucha decided to follow the path of another Czech painter he knew from Munich, Ludek Marold, who had made a successful career as an illustrator for magazines. In 1890 and 1891, he began providing illustrations for the weekly magazine La Vie populaire, which published novels in weekly segments. His illustration for a novel by Guy de Maupassant, called The Useless Beauty, was on the cover of 22 May 1890 edition. He also made illustrations for Le Petit Français Illustré, which published stories for young people in both magazine and book form. For this magazine he provided dramatic scenes of battles and other historic events, including a cover illustration of a scene from the Franco-Prussian War which was on 23 January 1892 edition.

His illustrations began to give him a regular income. He was able to buy a harmonium to continue his musical interests, and his first camera, which used glass-plate negatives. He took pictures of himself and his friends, and also regularly used it to compose his drawings. He became friends with Paul Gauguin, and shared a studio with him for a time when Gauguin returned from Tahiti in the summer of 1893. In late autumn 1894 he also became friends with the playwright August Strindberg, with whom he had a common interest in philosophy and mysticism.

His magazine illustrations led to book illustration; he was commissioned to provide illustrations for Scenes and Episodes of German History by historian Charles Seignobos. Four of his illustrations, including one depicting the death of Frederic Barbarossa, were chosen for display at the 1894 Paris Salon of Artists. He received a medal of honor, his first official recognition.

Mucha added another important client in the early 1890s; the Central Library of Fine Arts, which specialized in the publication of books about art, architecture and the decorative arts. It later launched a new magazine in 1897 called Art et Decoration, which played an early and important role in publicizing the Art Nouveau style. He continued to publish illustrations for his other clients, including illustrating a children's book of poetry by Eugène Manuel, and illustrations for a magazine of the theater arts, called La Costume au théâtre.

#czech art #art noveau

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vajranam · 3 years ago

Text

Diamond Cutter Sutra

Vagrakkhedika

The Diamond Cutter

ADORATION to the blessed Ârya-pragñâ-pâramitâ (perfection of wisdom).

Thus it was heard by me: At one time Bhagavat (the blessed Buddha) dwelt in Srâvastî, in the grove of Geta[1], in the garden of Anâthapindada[2], together with a large company of Bhikshus (mendicants), viz. with 1250 Bhikshus[3], with many noble-minded Bodhisattvas[4].

1. Geta, son of king Prasenagit, to whom the park belonged before it was sold to Anâthapindada.

2. Another name of Sudatta, meaning, literally, he who gives food to the poor.

3. The number of 1250 is explained by a Chinese priest Lun-hin, in his commentary on the Amitâyur-dhyâna-sûtra. According to the Dharmagupta-vinaya, which he quotes, the number consisted of 500 disciples of Uruvilva-kâsyapa, 300 of Gayâ-kâsyapa, 200 of Nadî-kâsyapa, 150 of Sâriputra, and 100 of Maudgalyâyana. The Chinese translators often mistook the Sanskrit expression 'half-thirteen hundred,' i.e. 1250. See Bunyiu Nanjio, Catalogue of Tripitaka, p. 6.

4. Higher beings on the road to Bodhi or perfect knowledge. They are destined hereafter to become Buddhas themselves.]

Then Bhagavat having in the forenoon put on his undergarment[1], and having taken his bowl and cloak, entered the great city of Srâvastî to collect alms. Then Bhagavat, after he had gone to the great city of Srâvastî to collect alms, performed the act of eating[2], and having returned from his round in the afternoon[3], he put away his bowl and cloak, washed his feet, and sat down on the seat intended[4] for him, crossing his legs[5], holding his body upright, and turning his reflection upon himself. Then many Bhikshus approached to where Bhagavat was, saluted his feet with their heads, turned three times round hira to the right, and sat down on one side. (1)

II.

At that time again the venerable Subhûti came to that assembly and sat down. Then rising from his seat and putting his robe over one shoulder, kneeling on the earth with his right knee, he stretched out his folded hands towards Bhagavat and said to him: 'It is wonderful, O Bhagavat, it is exceedingly wonderful, O Sugata, how much the noble-minded Bodhisattvas have been favoured with the highest favour by the Tathâgata, the holy and

1. In Pâli pubbamhasmayam nivâsetva, the technical expression for putting on the robes early in the morning; see Childers, s.v. nivâseti.

2. In Pâli katabhattakikko, see Childers, s.v.

3. In Pâli pakkhâbhattam pindapâtapatikkânta, see Childers, s.v. pindapâta. Vig. observes that pakkhabhattam pindapâtapatikkânto is a {Greek ú!oteron próteron}, as it means, having returned from his rounds, and then made his meal on the food obtained on his rounds.

4. Pâli paññata.

5. Burnouf, Lotus, p. 334.]

fully enlightened! It is wonderful how much the noble-minded Bodhisattvas have been instructed[1] with the highest instruction by the Tathâgata, the holy and fully enlightened! How then, O Bhagavat, should the son or the daughter of a good family, after having entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas, behave, how should he advance, and how should he restrain his thoughts?'

After the venerable Subhûti had thus spoken, Bhagavat said to him: 'Well said, well said, Subhûti! So it is, Subhûti, so it is, as you say. The noble-minded Bodhisattvas have been favoured with the highest favour by the Tathâgata, the noble-minded Bodhisattvas have been instructed with the highest instruction by the Tathâgata. Therefore, O Subhûti, listen and take it to heart, well and rightly. I shall tell you, how any one who has entered on the path of Bodhisanvas should behave, how he should advance, and how he should restrain his thoughts.' Then the venerable Subhûti answered the Bhagavat and said: 'So be it, O Bhagavat.' (2)

III.

Then the Bhagavat thus spoke to him: 'Any one, O Subhûti, who has entered here on the path of the Bodhisattvas must thus frame his thought: As many beings as there are in this world of beings, comprehended under the term of beings (either born of eggs, or from the womb, or from moisture, or miraculously), with form or without form, with name or without name, or neither with nor without name, as far as any known world of beings is known, all these must be delivered by me in the perfect world of Nirvâna. And yet, after I have thus delivered immeasurable beings, not one single being has been delivered. And why? If, O Subhûti, a Bodhisattva had any idea of (belief in) a being, he could not be called a Bodhisattva (one who is fit to become a Buddha). And why? Because, O Subhûti, no one is to be called a Bodhisattva, for whom there should exist the idea of a being, the idea of a living being, or the idea of a person.' (3)

[1. I have followed the Chinese translator, who translates parîndita by instructed, entrusted, not by protected.]

IV.

'And again, O Subhûti, a gift should not be given by a Bodhisattva, while he believes[1] in objects; a gift should not be given by him, while he believes in anything; a gift should not be given by him, while he believes in form; a gift should not be given by him, while he believes in the special qualities of sound, smell, taste, and touch. For thus, O Subhûti, should a gift be given by a noble-minded Bodhisattva, that he should not believe even in the idea of cause. And why? Because that Bodhisattva, O Subhûti, who gives a gift, without believing in anything, the measure of his stock of merit is not easy to learn.'--'What do you think, O Subhûti, is it easy to learn the measure of space in the eastern quarter?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat.'--Bhagavat said: 'In like manner, is it easy to learn the measure of space in the southern, western, northern quarters, below and above (nadir and zenith), in quarters and subquarters, in the ten quarters all round?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed,

[1. To believe here means to depend on or ta accept as real.]

O Bhagavat.' Bhagavat said: 'In the same manner, O Subhûti, the measure of the stock of merit of a Bodhisattva, who gives a gift without believing in anything, is not easy to learn. And thus indeed, O Subhûti, should one who has entered on the path of Bodhisattvas give a gift, that he should not believe even in the idea of cause.' (4)

'Now, what do you think, O Subhûti, should a Tathâgata be seen (known) by the possession of signs[1]?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, a Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs. And why? Because what has been preached by the Tathâgata as the possession of signs, that is indeed the possession of no-signs.'

After this, Bhagavat spoke thus to the venerable Subhûti: 'Wherever there is, O Subhûti, the possession of signs, there is falsehood; wherever there is no possession of signs, there is no falsehood. Hence the Tathâgata is to be seen (known) from no-signs as signs[2].' (5)

VI.

1. Qualities by which he could be known.

2. It would be easier to read lakshanâlakshanatvatah, from the signs having the character of no-signs. M. de Harlez translates rightly, 'c'est par le non-marque de marquer que la Tathâgata doit être vu et reconnu.'

3. I have changed Pañkâsatî into Pañkasatî, because what is intended here is evidently the last of the periods of 500 years each, which, according to the Mahâyâna-Buddhists, elapsed after the death of Buddha. The following extract from the Mahâsannipâta-sûtra (Ta-tsi-king, No. 61 in Tripitaka), given to me by Mr. B. Nanjio, fully explains the subject. 'It is stated in the fifty-first section of the Mahâsannipâta-sûtra, that Buddha said: "After my Nirvâna, in the first 500 years, all the Bhikshus and others will be strong in deliberation in my correct Law. (Those who first obtain the 'holy fruit,' i.e. the Srota-âpannas, are called those who have obtained deliberation.) In the next or second 500 years, they will be strong in meditation. In the next or third 500 years, they will be strong in 'much learning,' i.e. bahusruta, religious knowledge. In the next or fourth 500 years, they will be strong in founding monasteries, &c. In the last or fifth 500 years, they will be strong in fighting and reproving. The pure (lit. white) Law will then become invisible."'

The question therefore amounts to this, whether in that corrupt age the law of Buddha will be understood? and the answer is, that there will be always some excellent Boddhisatvas who, even in the age of corruption, can understand the preaching of the Law.]

of the decay of the good Law, who, when these very words of the Sûtras are being preached, will frame a true idea[1]?' The Bhagavat said: 'Do not speak thus, Subhûti. Yes, there will be some beings in the future, in the last time, in the last moment, in the last 500 years, during the decay of the good Law, who will frame a true idea when these very words are being preached.

'And again, O Subhûti, there will be noble-minded Bodhisattvas, in the future, in the last time, in the last moment, in the last 500 years, during the decay of the good Law, there will be strong and good and wise beings, who, when these very words of the Sûtras are being preached, will frame a true idea. But those noble-minded Bodhisattvas, O Subhûti, will not have served one Buddha only, and the stock

[1. Will understand them properly.]

of their merit will not have been accumulated under one Buddha only; on the contrary, O Subhûti, those noble-minded Bodhisattvas will have served many hundred thousands of Buddhas, and the stock of their merit will have been accumulated under many hundred thousands of Buddhas; and they, when these very words of the Sûtras are being preached, will obtain one and the same faith[1]. They are known, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-knowledge; they are seen, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-eye; they are understood, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata. All these, O Subhûti, will produce and will hold fast an immeasurable and innumerable stock of merit. And why? Because, O Subhûti, there does not exist in those noble-minded Bodhisattvas the idea of self, there does not exist the idea of a being, the idea of a living being, the idea of a person. Nor does there exist, O Subhûti, for these noble-minded Bodhisattvas the idea of quality (dharma), nor of no-quality. Neither does there exist, O Subhûti, any idea (samgñâ) or no-idea. And why? Because, O Subhûti, if there existed for these noble-minded Bodhisattvas the idea of quality, then they would believe in a self, they would believe in a being, they would believe in a living being, they would believe in a person. And if there existed for them the idea of no-quality, even then they would believe in a self,

[1. I am doubtful about the exact meaning of ekakittaprasâda. Childers gives ekakitta, as an adjective, with the meaning of 'having the same thought,' and kittaprasâda, as faith in Buddha. But ekakittaprasâda may also be 'faith producted by one thought,' 'immediate faith,' and this too is a recognised form of faith in Buddhism. See Sukhâvatî, pp. 71, 108.]

they would believe in a being, they would believe in a living being, they would believe in a person. And why? Because, O Subhûti, neither quality nor no-quality is to be accepted by a noble-minded Bodhisattva. Therefore this hidden saying has been preached by the Tathâgata: "By those who know the teaching of the Law, as like unto a raft, all qualities indeed must be abandoned; much more no-qualities[1]"' (6)

VII.

And again Bhagavat spoke thus to the venerable Subhûti: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, is there anything (dharma) that was known by the Tathâgata under the name of the highest perfect knowledge, or anything that was taught by the Tathâgata?'

After these words, the venerable Subhûti spoke thus to Bhagavat: 'As I, O Bhagavat, understand the meaning of the preaching of the Bhagavat, there is nothing that was known by the Tathâgata under the name of the highest perfect knowledge, nor is there anything that is taught by the Tathâgata. And why? Because that thing which was known or taught by the Tathâgata is incomprehensible and inexpressible. It is neither a thing nor no-thing. And why? Because the holy persons[2] are of imperfect power[3].' (7)

1. The same line is quoted in the Abhidharmakosha-vyâkhyâ.

2. Âryapudgala need not be Bodhisattvas, but all who have entered on the path leading to Nirvâna.

3. Harlez: 'Parceque les entités supérieures sont produites telles sans être réelles et parfaites pour cela.' If samskrita can be used in Buddhist literature in the sense of perfect, and prabhâvitâ as power, my translation might pass, but even then the 'because' remains difficult.]

VIII.

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, if a son or daughter of a good family filled this sphere of a million millions of worlds with the seven gems or treasures, and gave it as a gift to the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas, would that son or daughter of a good family on the strength of this produce a large stock of merit?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, O Bhagavat, yes, O Sugata, that son or daughter of a good family would on the strength of this produce a large stock of merit. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, what was preached by the Tathâgata as the stock of merit, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-stock of merit. Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A stock of merit, a stock of merit indeed!"' Bhagavat said: 'And if, O Subhûti, the son or daughter of a good family should fill this sphere of a million millions of worlds with the seven treasures and should give it as a gift to the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas, and if another after taking from this treatise of the Law one Gâthâ of four lines only should fully teach others and explain it, he indeed would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit immeasurable and innumerable. And why? Because, O Subhûti, the highest perfect knowledge of the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas is produced from it; the blessed Buddhas are produced from it. And why? Because, O Subhûti, when the Tathâgata preached:

1. See Childers, s.v. Lokadhâtu.

2. Or should it be, bhâshate*punyaskandhah punyaskandha iti, i.e. he preaches no-stock of merit is the stock of merit? It would not be applicable to later passages, but the style of the Sûtras varies.]

"The qualities of Buddha, the qualities of Buddha indeed!" they were preached by him as no-qualities of Buddha. Therefore they are called the qualities of Buddha.' (8)

IX.

Bhagavat said: 'Now, what do you think, O Subhûti, does a Srota-âpanna think in this wise: The fruit of Srota-âpatti has been obtained by me?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, a Srota-âpanna does not think in this wise: The fruit of Srota-âpatti has been obtained by me. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, he has not obtained any particular state (dharma). Therefore he is called a Srota-âpanna. He has not obtained any form, nor sounds, nor smells, nor tastes, nor things that can be touched. Therefore he is called a Srota-âpanna. If, O Bhagavat, a Srota-âpanna were to think in this wise: The fruit of Srota-âpatti has been obtained by me, he would believe in a self, he would believe in a being, he would believe in a living being, he would believe in a person.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, does a Sakridâgâmin think in this wise: The fruit of a Sakridâgâmin has been obtained by me?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, a Sakridâgâmin

1. This phrase is wanting in the Sanskrit MSS., but it is found in the Chinese translation of Dharmagupta, of the Sui dynasty (A. D. 589-618).

2. Srota-âpanna, a man who has obtained the first grade of sanctification, literally, who has entered the stream. The second grade is that of the Sakridâgâmin, who returns once. The third grade is that of the Anâgâmin, who does not return at all, but is born in the Brahman world from whence he becomes an Arhat and may obtain Nirvâna.]

does not think in this wise: The fruit of a Sakridâgâmin has been obtained by me. And why? Because he is not an individual being (dharma), who has obtained the state of a Sakridâgâmin. Therefore he is called a Sakridâgâmin.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, does an Anâgâmin think in this wise: The fruit of an Anâgâmin has been obtained by me?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, an Anâgâmin does not think in this wise: The fruit of an Anâgâmin has been obtained by me. And why? Because he is not an individual being, who has obtained the state of an Anâgâmin. Therefore he is called an Anâgâmin.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, does an Arhat think in this wise: The fruit of an Arhat has been obtained by me?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, an Arhat does not think in this wise: The fruit of an Arhat has been obtained by me. And why? Because he is not an individual being, who is called an Arhat. Therefore he is called an Arhat. And if, O Bhagavat, an Arhat were to think in this wise: The state of an Arhat has been obtained by me, he would believe in a self, he would believe in a being, he would believe in a living being, he would believe in a person.

'And why? I have been pointed out, O Bhagavat, by the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata, as the foremost of those who dwell in virtue[1].

[1. Aranâvihârin. Rana is strife, then sin, therefore arana might be peace and virtue, only the a would be short. Probably aranavihârin was formed with reference to âranya-vihârin, living in the forest, retired from the world, and in peace, just as arhan, worthy, was changed into arahan, the destroyer of sin. Beal translates, 'one who delights in the mortification of an Aranyaka (forest devotee).' De Harlez: 'chey de ceux qui ne sont plus attachés à la jouissance.']

I, O Bhagavat, am an Arhat, freed from passion. And yet, O Bhagavat, I do not think in this wise: I am an Arhat, I am freed from passion. If, O Bhagavat, I should think in this wise, that the state of an Arhat has been obtained by me, then the Tathâgata would not have truly prophesied of me, saying: "Subhûti, the son of a good family, the foremost of those dwelling in virtue, does not dwell anywhere, and therefore he is called a dweller in virtue, a dweller in virtue indeed!"' (9)

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, is there anything (dharma) which the Tathâgata has adopted from the Tathâgata Dîpankara[1], the holy and fully enlightened?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat; there is not anything which the Tathâgata has adopted from the Tathâgata Dîpankara, the holy and fully enlightened.'

Bhagavat said: 'If, O Subhûti, a Bodhisattva should say: "I shall create numbers of worlds," he would say what is untrue. And why? Because, O Subhûti, when the Tathâgata preached: Numbers of worlds, numbers of worlds indeed! they were preached by him as no-numbers. Therefore they are called numbers of worlds.

'Therefore, O Subhûti, a noble-minded Bodhisattva should in this wise frame an independent

[1. A former Buddha.]

mind, which is to be framed as a mind not believing in anything, not believing in form, not believing in sound, smell, taste, and anything that can be touched. Now, for instance, O Subhûti, a man might have a body and a large body, so that his size should be as large as the king of mountains, Sumeru. Do you think then, O Subhûti, that his selfhood (he himself) would be large?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, O Bhagavat, yes, O Sugata, his selfhood would be large. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, when the Tathâgata preached: "Selfhood, selfhood indeed!" it was preached by him as no-selfhood. Therefore it is called selfhood.' (10)

XI.

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, if there were as many Gangâ rivers as there are grains of sand in the large river Gangâ, would the grains of sand be many?' Subhûti said: 'Those Gangâ rivers would indeed be many, much more the grains of sand in those Gangâ rivers.' Bhagavat said: 'I tell you, O Subhûti, I announce to you, If a woman or man were to fill with the seven treasures as many worlds as there would be grains of sand in those Gangâ rivers and present them as a gift to the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgatas--What do you think, O Subhûti, would that woman or man on the strength of this produce a large stock of merit?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, O Bhagavat, yes, O Sugata, that woman or man would on the strength of this produce a large stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable.' Bhagavat said: 'And if, O Subhûti, a woman or man having filled so many worlds with the seven treasures should give them as a gift to the holy and enlightened Tathâgatas,

and if another son or daughter of a good family, after taking from this treatise of the Law one Gâthâ of four lines only, should fully teach others and explain it, he, indeed, would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable.' (11)

XII.

'Then again, O Subhûti, that part of the world in which, after taking from this treatise of the Law one Gâthâ of four lines only, it should be preached or explained, would be like a Kaitya (holy shrine) for the whole world of gods, men, and spirits; what should we say then of those who learn the whole of this treatise of the Law to the end, who repeat it, understand it, and fully explain it to others? They, O Subhûti, will be endowed with the highest wonder[1]. And in that place, O Subhûti, there dwells the teacher[2], or one after another holding the place of the wise preceptor[3].' (12)

XIII.

After these words, the venerable Subhûti spoke thus to Bhagavat: 'O Bhagavat, how is this treatise of the Law called, and how can I learn it?' After this, Bhagavat spoke thus to the venerable Subhûti: 'This treatise of the Law, O Subhûti, is called the Pragñâ-pâramitâ (Transcendent wisdom), and you should learn it by that name. And why? Because, O Subhûti, what was preached by the Tathâgata as the Pragñâ-pâramitâ, that was preached by the

1. With what excites the highest wonder.

2. Sastâ, often the name of Budha, Pâli sattha.

3. This may refer to a succession of teachers handing down the tradition one to the other.]

Tathâgata as no-Pâramitâ. Therefore it is called the Pragñâ-pâramitâ.

'Then, what do you think, O Subhûti, is there anything (dharma) that was preached by the Tathâgata?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagvat, there is not anything that was preached by the Tathâgata.'

Bhagavat said. 'What do you think then, O Subhûti,--the dust of the earth which is found in this sphere of a million millions of worlds, is that much?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, O Bhagavat, yes, O Sugata, that dust of the earth would be much. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, what was preached by the Tathâgata as the dust of the earth, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-dust. Therefore it is called the dust of the earth. And what was preached by the Tathâgata as the sphere of worlds, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-sphere. Therefore it is called the sphere of worlds.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, is a holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata to be seen (known) by the thirty-two signs of a hero?' Subhûti said: 'No indeed, O Bhagavat; a holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the thirty-two signs of a hero. And why? Because what was preached by the Tathâgata as the thirty-two signs of a hero, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-signs. Therefore they are called the thirty-two signs of a hero.'

Bhagavat said: 'If, O Subhûti, a woman or man should day by day sacrifice his life (selfhood[1]) as

[1. Âtmabhâva seems to refer here to the living body, not to the spiritual Âtman, which, according to Buddha, can be got rid of by knowledge only. Buddha himself sacrificed his life again and again, and a willingness to die would probably be accepted for the deed.]

many times as there are grains of sand in the river Gangâ, and if he should thus sacrifice his life for as many kalpas as there are grains of sand in the river Gangâ, and if another man, after taking from this treatise of the Law one Gâthâ of four lines only, should fully teach others and explain it, he indeed would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable.' (13)

XIV.

At that time, the venerable Subhûti was moved by the power of the Law, shed tears, and having wiped his tears, he thus spoke to Bhagavat: 'It is wonderful, O Bhagavat, it is exceedingly wonderful, O Sugata, how fully this teaching of the Law has been preached by the Tathâgata for the benefit of those beings who entered on the foremost path (the path that leads to Nirvâna), and who entered on the best path, from whence, O Bhagavat, knowledge has been produced in me. Never indeed, O Bhagavat, has such a teaching of the Law been heard by me before. Those Bodhisattvas, O Bhagavat, will be endowed with the highest wonder[1], who when this Sûtra is being preached hear it and will frame to themselves a true idea. And why? Because what is a true idea is not a true idea. Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A true idea, a true idea indeed!"

'It is no wonder to me, O Bhagavat, that I accept and believe this treatise of the Law, which has been preached. And those beings also, O Bhagavat,

[1. Will possess miraculous powers, and will be admired.]

who will exist in the future, in the last time, in the last moment, in the last 500 years, during the time of the decay of the good Law, who will learn this treatise of the Law, O Bhagavat, remember it, recite it, understand it, and fully explain it to others, they will indeed be endowed with the highest wonder.

'But, O Bhagavat, there will not arise in them any idea of a self, any idea of a being, of a living being, or a person, nor does there exist for them any idea or no-idea. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, the idea of a self is no-idea, and the idea of a being, or a living being, or a person is no-idea. And why? Because the blessed Buddhas are freed from all ideas.'

After these words, Bhagavat thus spoke to the venerable Subhûti: 'So it is, O Subhûti, so it is. Those beings, O Subhûti, who when this Sûtra was being recited here will not be disturbed or frightened or become alarmed, will be endowed with the highest wonder. And why? Because, O Subhûti, this was preached by the Tathâgata, as the Paramapâramitâ, which is no-Pâramitâ. And, O Subhûti, what the Tathâgata preaches as the Paramapâramitâ, that was preached also by immeasurable blessed Buddhas. Therefore it is called the Paramapâramitâ.

'And, O Subhûti, the Pâramitâ or the highest perfection of endurance (kshânti) belonging to a Tathâgata, that also is no-Pâramitâ. And why? Because, O Subhûti, at the time when the king of Kalinga[1] cut my flesh from every limb, I had no idea of a self, of a being, of a living being, or of

[1. The Chinese text points to Kalirâgâ. On this Kalirâgâ or Kalinripa see Lalita-vistara, p. 191.]

a person; I had neither an idea nor no-idea. And why? Because, O Subhûti, if I at that time had had an idea of a self, I should also have had an idea of malevolence. If I had had an idea of a being, or of a living being, or of a person, I should also have had an idea of malevolence. And why? Because, O Subhûti, I remember the past 500 births, when I was the Rishi Kshântivâdin (preacher of endurance). At that time also, I had no idea of a self, of a being, of a living being, of a person. Therefore then, O Subhûti, a noble-minded Bodhisattva, after putting aside all ideas, should raise his mind to the highest perfect knowledge. He should frame his mind so as not to believe (depend) in form, sound, smell, taste, or anything that can be touched, in something (dharma), in nothing or anything. And why? Because what is believed is not believed (not to be depended on). Therefore the Tathâgata preaches: "A gift should not be given by a Bodhisattva[1] who believes in anything, it should not be given by one who believes in form, sound, smell, taste, or anything that can be touched."

'And again, O Subhûti, a Bodhisattva should in such wise give his gift for the benefit of all beings. And why? Because, O Subhûti, the idea of a being is no-idea. And those who are thus spoken of by the Tathâgata as all beings are indeed no-beings. And why? Because, O Subhûti, a Tathâgata says what is real, says what is true, says the things as they are; a Tathâgata does not speak untruth.

'But again, O Subhûti, whatever doctrine has been

[1. See before, chap. iv.]

perceived, taught, and meditated on by a Tathâgata, in it there is neither truth nor falsehood. And as a man who has entered the darkness would not see anything, thus a Bodhisattva is to be considered who is immersed in objects, and who being immersed in objects gives a gift. But as a man who has eyes would, when the night becomes light, and the sun has risen, see many things, thus a Bodhisattva is to be considered who is not immersed in objects, and who not being immersed in objects gives a gift.

'And again, O Subhûti, if any sons or daughters of good families will learn this treatise of the Law, will remember, recite, and understand it, and fully explain it to others, they, O Subhûti, are known by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-knowledge, they are seen, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-eye. All these beings, O Subhûti, will produce and hold fast an immeasurable and innumerable stock of merit.' (14)

XV.

'And if, O Subhûti, a woman or man sacrificed in the morning as many lives as there are grains of sand in the river Gangâ and did the same at noon and the same in the evening, and if in this way they sacrificed their lives for a hundred thousands of niyutas of kotîs of ages, and if another, after hearing this treatise of the Law, should not oppose it, then the latter would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable. What should we say then of him who after having written it, learns it, remembers it, understands it, and fully explains it to others?

'And again, O Subhûti, this treatise of the Law is

incomprehensible and incomparable. And this treatise of the Law has been preached by the Tathâgata for the benefit of those beings who entered on the foremost path (the path that leads to Nirvâna), and who entered on the best path. And those who will learn this treatise of the Law, who will remember it, recite it, understand it, and fully explain it to others, they are known, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-knowledge, they are seen, O Subhûti, by the Tathâgata through his Buddha-eye. All these beings, O Subhûti, will be endowed with an immeasurable stock of merit, they will be endowed with an incomprehensible, incomparable, immeasurable and unmeasured stock of merit. All these beings, O Subhûti, will equally remember the Bodhi (the highest Buddha-knowledge), will recite it, and understand it. And why? Because it is not possible, O Subhûti, that this treatise of the Law should be heard by beings of little faith, by those who believe in self, in beings, in living beings, and in persons. It is impossible that this treatise of the Law should be heard by beings who have not acquired the knowledge of Bodhisattvas, or that it should be learned, remembered, recited, and understood by them. The thing is impossible.

'And again, O Subhûti, that part of the world in which this Sûtra will be propounded, will have to be honoured by the whole world of gods, men, and evil spirits, will have to be worshipped, and will become like a Kaitya (a holy sepulchre).' (15)

XVI.

And, O Subhûti, sons or daughters of a good family who will learn these very Sûtras, who will

remember them. recite them, understand them, thoroughly take them to heart, and fully explain them to others, they will be overcome[1], they will be greatly overcome. And why? Because, O Subhûti, whatever evil deeds these beings have done in a former birth, deeds that must lead to suffering, those deeds these beings, owing to their being overcome, after they have seen the Law, will destroy, and they will obtain the knowledge of Buddha.

'I remember, O Subhûti, in the past, before innumerable and more than innumerable kalpas, there were eighty-four hundred thousands of niyutas of kotîs of Buddhas following after the venerable and fully enlightened Tathâgata Dîpankara, who were pleased by me, and after being pleased were not displeased. And if, O Subhûti, these blessed Buddhas were pleased by me, and after being pleased were not displeased, and if on the other hand people at the last time, at the last moment, in the last 500 years, during the time of the decay of the good Law, will learn these very Sûtras, remember them, recite them, understand them, and fully explain them to others, then, O Subhûti, in comparison with their stock of merit that former stock of merit will not come to one hundredth part, nay, not to one thousandth part, not to a hundred thousandth part, not to a ten millionth part, not to a hundred millionth part, not to a hundred thousand ten millionth part, not to a hundred thousands of niyutas ten millionth part. It will not bear number, nor fraction, nor counting, nor comparison, nor approach, nor analogy.

'And if, O Subhûti, I were to tell you the stock of

[1. Paribhûta is explained by despised, but the sense, or even the non-sense, is difficult to understand.]

merit of those sons or daughters of good families, and how large a stock of merit those sons or daughters of good families will produce, and hold fast at that time, people would become distracted and their thoughts would become bewildered. And again, O Subhûti, as this treatise of the Law preached by the Tathâgata is incomprehensible and incomparable, its rewards also must be expected (to be) incomprehensible.' (16)

XVII.

At that time the venerable Subhûti thus spoke to the Bhagavat: 'How should a person, after having entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas, behave, how should he advance, and how should he restrain his thoughts?' Bhagavat said: 'He who has entered on the path of the Bodhisativas should thus frame his thought: All beings must be delivered by me in the perfect world of Nirvâna; and yet after I have thus delivered these beings, no being has been delivered. And why? Because, O Subhûti, if a Bodhisattva had any idea of beings, he could not be called a Bodhisattva, and so on[1] from the idea of a living being to the idea of a person; if he had any such idea, he could not be called a Bodhisattva. And why? Because, O Subhûti, there is no such thing (dharma) as one who has entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas.

'What do you think, O Subhûti, is there anything which the Tathâgata has adopted from the Tathâgata Dîpankara with regard to the highest perfect knowledge? 'After this, the venerable Subhûti

[1. See chap. iii, p. 114.]

spoke thus to the Bhagavat: 'As far as I, O Bhagavat, understand the meaning of the preaching of the Bhagavat, there is nothing which has been adopted by the Tathâgata from the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata Dîpankara with regard to the highest perfect knowledge.' After this, Bhagavat thus spoke to the venerable Subhûti: 'So it is, Subhûti, so it is. There is not, O Subhûti, anything which has been adopted by the Tathâgata from the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata Dîpankara with regard to the highest perfect knowledge. And if, O Subhûti, anything had been adopted by the Tathâgata, the Tathâgata Dîpankara would not have prophesied of me, saying[1]: "Thou, O boy, wilt be in the future the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata called Sâkyamuni." Because then, O Subhûti, there is nothing that has been adopted by the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata with regard to the highest perfect knowledge, therefore I was prophesied by the Tathâgata Dîpankara, saying: "Thou, boy, wilt be in the future the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata called Sâkyamuni."

'And why, O Subhûti, the name of Tathâgata? It expresses true suchness. And why Tathâgata, O Subhûti? It expresses that he had no origin. And why Tathâgata, O Subhûti? It expresses the destruction of all qualities. And why Tathâgata, O Subhûti? It expresses one who had no origin whatever. And why this? Because, O Subhûti, no-origin is the highest goal.

'And whosoever, O Subhûti, should say that, by the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata, the highest

[1. This prophecy is supposed to have been addressed by Dîpankara to Sâkyamuni, before he had become a Buddha.]

{p. 134}

perfect knowledge has been known, he would speak an untruth, and would slander me, O Subhûti, with some untruth that he has learned. And why? Because there is no such thing, O Subhûti, as has been known by the Tathâgata with regard to the highest perfect knowledge. And in that, O Subhûti, which has been known and taught by the Tathâgata, there is neither truth nor falsehood. Thetefore the Tathâgata preaches: "All things are Buddha-things." And why? Because what was preached by the Tathâgata, O Subhûti, as all things, that was preached as no-things; and therefore all things are called Buddha-things.

'Now, O Subhûti, a man might have a body and a large body.' The venerable Subhûti said: That man who was spoken of by the Tathâgata as a man with a body, with a large body, he, O Bhagavat, was spoken of by the Tathâgata as without a body, and therefore he is called a man with a body and with a large body.'

Bhagavat said: 'So it is, O Subhûti; and if a Bodhisattva were to say: "I shall deliver all beings," he ought not to be called a Bodhisattva. And why? Is there anything, O Subhûti, that is called a Bodhisattva?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, Bhagavat, there is nothing which is called a Bodhisattva.' Bhagavat said: 'Those who were spoken of as beings, beings indeed, O Subhûti, they were spoken of as no-beings by the Tathâgata, and therefore they are called beings. Therefore the Tathâgata says: "All beings are without self all beings are without life, without manhood[1], without a personality."

[1. Sans croissance, Harlez; see Childers, s.v. poriso.]

'If, O Subhûti, a Bodhisattva were to say: "I shall create numbers of worlds," he would say what is untrue. And why? Because, what were spoken of as numbers of worlds, numbers of worlds indeed, O Subhûti, these were spoken of as no-numbers by the Tathâgata, and therefore they are called numbers of worlds.

'A Bodhisattva, O Subhûti, who believes that all things are without self, that all things are without self, he has faith, he is called a noble-minded Bodhisattva by the holy and fully enlightened Tathâgata.' (17)

XVIII.

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the bodily eye?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the bodily eye.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the heavenly eye?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the heavenly eye.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the eye of knowledge?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the eye of knowledge.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the eye of the Law?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the eye of the Law.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, has the Tathâgata the eye of Buddha?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, the Tathâgata has the eye of Buddha.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, as many grains of sand as there are in the great river Gangâ--were they preached by the Tathâgata as grains of sand?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, so it is, O Sugata, they were preached as grains of sand by the Tathâgata.' Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, if there were as many Gangâ rivers as there are grains of sand in the great river Gangâ; and, if there were as many worlds as there are grains of sand in these, would these worlds be many?' Subhûti said: 'So it is, O Bhagavat, so it is, O Sugata, these worlds would be many.' Bhagavat said: 'As many beings as there are in all those worlds, I know the manifold trains of thought of them all. And why? Because what was preached as the train of thoughts, the train of thoughts indeed, O Subhûti, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-train of thoughts, and therefore it is called the train of thoughts. And why? Because, O Subhûti, a past thought is not perceived, a future thought is not perceived, and the present thought is not perceived.' (18)

XIX.

'What do you think, O Subhûti, if a son or a daughter of a good family should fill this sphere of a million millions of worlds with the seven treasures, and give it as a gift to holy and fully enlightened Buddhas, would that son or daughter of a good family produce on the strength of this a large stock of merit?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, a large one.' Bhagavat said: 'So it is, Subhûti, so it is; that son or daughter of a good family would produce on the strength of this a large stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable. And why? Because what was preached as a stock of merit, a stock of merit indeed, O Subhûti, that was preached as no-stock of merit by the Tathâgata, and therefore it is called a stock of merit. If, O Subhûti, there existed a stock of merit, the Tathâgata would not have preached: "A stock of merit, a stock of merit indeed!"'(19)

XX.

'What do you think then, O Subhûti, is a Tathâgata to be seen (known) by the shape of his visible body?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, a Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the shape of his visible body. And why? Because, what was preached, O Bhagavat, as the shape of the visible body, the shape of the visible body indeed, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-shape of the visible body, and therefore it is called the shape of the visible body.'

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, should a Tathâgata be seen (known) by the possession of signs?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, a Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs. And why? Because, what was preached by the Tathâgata as the possession of signs, that was preached as no-possession of signs by the Tathâgata, and therefore it is called the possession of signs.' (20)

XXI.

Bhagavat said: 'What do you think, O Subhûti, does the Tathâgata think in this wise: The Law has been taught by me?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, does the Tathâgata think in this wise: The Law has been taught by me.' Bhagavat said: 'If a man should say that the Law has been taught by the Tathâgata, he would say what is not true; he would slander me with untruth which he has learned. And why? Because, O Subhûti, it is said the teaching of the Law, the teaching of the Law indeed. O Subhûti, there is nothing that can be perceived by the name of the teaching of the Law.'

After this, the venerable Subhûti spoke thus to the Bhagavat: 'Forsooth, O Bhagavat, will there be any beings in the future, in the last time, in the last moment, in the last 500 years, during the time of the decay of the good Law, who, when they have heard these very Laws, will believe?' Bhagavat said: 'These, O Subhûti, are neither beings nor no-beings. And why? Because, O Subhûti, those who were preached as beings, beings indeed, they were preached as no-beings by the Tathâgata, and therefore they are called beings.' (2 1)

XXII.

'What do you think then, O Subhûti, is there anything which has been known by the Tathâgata in the form of the highest perfect knowledge?' The venerable Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat, there is nothing, O Bhagavat, that has been known by the Tathâgata in the form of the highest perfect knowledge.' Bhagavat said: 'So it is, Subhûti, so it is. Even the smallest thing is not known or perceived there, therefore it is called the highest perfect knowledge.' (22)

XXIII.

'Also, Subhûti, all is the same there, there is no difference there, and therefore it is called the highest perfect knowledge. Free from self, free from being, free from life, free from personality, that

ighest perfect knowledge is always the same, and thus known with all good things. And why? Because, what were preached as good things, good things indeed, O Subhûti, they were preached as no-things by the Tathâgata, and therefore they are called good things.' (23)

XXIV.

'And if, O Subhûti, a woman or man, putting together as many heaps of the seven treasures as there are Sumerus, kings of mountains, in the sphere of a million millions of worlds, should give them as a gift to holy and fully enlightened Tathâgatas; and, if a son or a daughter of a good family, after taking from this treatise of the Law, this Pragñâpâramitâ, one Gâthâ of four lines only, should teach it to others, then, O Subhûti, compared with his stock of merit, the former stock of merit would not come to the one hundredth part,' &c.[1], till 'it will not bear an approach.' (24)

XXV.

'What do you think then, O Subhûti, does a Tathâgatas think in this wise: Beings have been delivered by me? You should not think so, O Subhûti. And why? Because there is no being, O Subhûti, that has been delivered by the Tathâgata. And, if there were a being, O Subhûti, that has been delivered by the Tathâgatas, then the Tathâgata would believe in self, believe in a being, believe in a living being, and believe in a person. And what is called a belief in self, O Subhûti, that is preached as no-belief by the Tathâgata. And this is learned by children and ignorant persons; and they who were preached as children and ignorant persons, O Subhûti, were preached as no-persons by the Tathâgata, and therefore they are called children and ignorant persons.' (25)

[1. As before, in chap. xvi.]

XXVI.

'What do you think then, O Subhûti, is the Tathâgata to be seen (known) by the possession of signs?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, O Bhagavat. So far as I know the meaning of the preaching of the Bhagavat, the Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs.' Bhagavat said: 'Good, good, Subhûti, so it is, Subhûti; so it is, as you say; a Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs. And why? Because, O Subhûti, if the Tathâgata were to be seen (known) by the possession of signs, a wheel-turning king also would be a Tathâgata[1]; therefore a Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs.' The venerable Subhûti spoke thus to the Bhagavat: 'As I understand the meaning of the preaching of the Bhagavat, a Tathâgata is not to be seen (known) by the possession of signs.' Then the Bhagavat at that moment preached these two Gâthâs:

They who saw me by form, and they who heard me by sound, They engaged in false endeavours, will not see me.

[1. This probably refers to the auspicious signs discovered in Sâkyamuni at his birth, which left it open whether he should become a king or a Buddha.]

A Buddha is to be seen (known) from the Law; for the Lords (Buddhas) have the Law-body; And the nature of the Law cannot be understood, nor can it be made to be understood. (26)

XXVII.

'What do you think then, O Subhûti, has the highest perfect knowledge been known by the Tathâgata through the possession of signs? You should not think so, O Subhûti. And why? Because, O Subhûti, the highest perfect knowledge would not be known by the Tathâgata through the possession of signs. Nor should anybody, O Subhûti, say to you that the destruction or annihilation of any thing is proclaimed by those who have entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas.' (27)

XXVIII.

'And if, O Subhûti, a son or a daughter of a good family were to fill worlds equal to the number of grains of sand of the river Gangâ with the seven treasures, and give them as a gift to holy and fully enlightened Tathâgatas; and if a Bodhisattva acquired endurance in selfless and uncreated things, then the latter will on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable.

'But, O Subhûti, a stock of merit should not be appropriated by a noble-minded Bodhisattva.' The venerable Subhûti said: 'Should a stock of merit, O Bhagavat, not be appropriated by a Bodhisattva?' Bhagavat said: 'It should be appropriated, O Subhûti; it should not be appropriated; and therefore it is said: It should be appropriated.' (28)

XXIX.

'And again, O Subhûti, if anybody were to say that the Tathâgata goes, or comes, or stands, or sits, or lies down, he, O Subhûti, does not understand the meaning of my preaching. And why? Because the word Tathâgata means one who does not go to anywhere, and does not come from anywhere; and therefore he is called the Tathâgata (truly come), holy and fully enlightened.' (29)

XXX.

'And again, O Subhûti, if a son or a daughter of a good family were to take as many worlds as there are grains of earth-dust in this sphere of a million millions of worlds, and reduce them to such fine dust as can be made with immeasurable strength, like what is called a mass of the smallest atoms, do you think, O Subhûti, would that be a mass of many atoms?' Subhûti said: 'Yes, Bhagavat, yes, Sugata, that would be a mass of many atoms. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, if it were a mass of many atoms, Bhagavat would not call it a mass of many atoms. And why? Because, what was preached as a mass of many atoms by the Tathâgata, that was preached as no-mass of atoms by the Tathâgata; and therefore it is called a mass of many atoms. And what was preached by the Tathâgata as the sphere of a million millions of worlds, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-sphere of worlds; and therefore it is called the sphere of a million millions of worlds. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, if there were a sphere of worlds, there would exist a belief in matter; and what was preached as a belief in matter by the Tathâgata, that was preached as no-belief by the Tathâgata; and therefore it is called a belief in matter.' Bhagavat said: 'And a belief in matter itself, O Subhûti, is unmentionable and inexpressible; it is neither a thing nor no-thing, and this is known by children and ignorant persons.' (30)

XXXI.

'And why? Because, O Subhûti, if a man were to say that belief in self, belief in a being, belief in life, belief in personality had been preached by the Tathâgata, would he be speaking truly?' Subhûti said: 'Not indeed, Bhagavat, not indeed, Sugata; he would not be speaking truly. And why? Because, O Bhagavat, what was preached by the Tathâgata as a belief in self, that was preached by the Tathâgata as no-belief; therefore it is called belief in self.'

Bhagavat said: 'Thus then, O Subhûti, are all things to be perceived, to be looked upon, and to be believed by one who has entered on the path of the Bodhisattvas. And in this wise are they to be perceived, to be looked upon, and to be believed, that a man should believe neither in the idea of a thing nor in the idea of a no-thing. And why? Because, by saying: The idea of a thing, the idea of a thing indeed, it has been preached by the Tathâgata as no-idea of a thing.' (31)

XXXII.

'And, O Subhûti, if a noble-minded Bodhisattva were to fill immeasurable and innumerable spheres of worlds with the seven treasures, and give them as a gift to holy and fully enlightened Tathâgatas; and if a son or a daughter of a good family, after taking from this treatise of the Law, this Pragñâpâramitâ, one Gâthâ of four lines only, should learn it, repeat it, understand it, and fully explain it to others, then the latter would on the strength of this produce a larger stock of merit, immeasurable and innumerable. And how should he explain it? As in the sky:

Stars, darkness, a lamp, a phantom, dew, a bubble. A dream, a flash of lightning, and a cloud--thus we should look upon the world (all that was made).

Thus he should explain; therefore it is said: He should explain.'

Thus spoke the Bhagavat enraptured. The elder Subhûti, and the friars, nuns, the faithful laymen and women, and the Bodhisattvas also, and the whole world of gods, men, evil spirits and fairies, praised the preaching of the Bhagavat. (32)

Thus is finished the Diamond-cutter, the blessed Pragñâpâramitâ.

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shinobis-of-ninjago-au · 4 years ago

Text

Shinobis of Ninjago

Pilot 1: Way of the Ninja

Prologue (Pilot 1, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Pilot 2, Episode 1

They spent the night at the weapons-smith shop, getting many visitors asking if the siblings were okay, scared that the skeletons harmed them. When they asked about Jay, Skylor lied, saying he was upstairs sick.

Skylor told their neighbours that she would be leaving for a while, though she wasn't sure how long. The farmers said they would look after the shop and collect the money from the orders that had to be picked up and give it back to them when they returned. They also said they would keep an eye out for new shipments of metal and jewels. Nightfall soon came, visitors leaving and Skylor set up the orders that would be picked up when she was gone and closed down the shop.

Once morning came, they set off. Mystake said it would be a five day journey on foot, travelling through forests and mountains. They would stop in towns for meals, but be walking the rest of the day. On the evening of the fifth day they reached the base of a mountain, one of the tallest in the southern region of Ninjago.

Skylor looked at Mystake as if she had grown a second head. Mystake simply smiled and started walking around the base of the mountain until she came upon an old willow tree. She pushed aside the branches, revealing a stone staircase carved into the side of the mountain. Skylor sighed, hoisting up the pack on her shoulders.

An hour later, they reached the summit. White stone walls circled around the top, bright red circular doors engraved with a golden dragon marking the entrance. Skylor notched a wooden contraption off the end of a platform. Upon the end of inspection she concluded that it was a handmade elevator.

"¿¡De Verdad!? Are you kidding me? I climbed this mountain for nothing!" Mystake simply shrugged like she had no idea what Skylor was talking about. "How long is this training supposed to be?" Skylor asked. "I'm in a rush. Trying to save my brother, y'know. Oh wait, you do know. Because you were the one who let him get taken."

Mystake opened the large double doors, used to the blame of Jay's capture being thrown her way as it had been the topic of discussion for the past two days. "You will be ready when you are ready. Not a minute sooner." She walked down the few steps into a large open courtyard, a simple golden dragon statue in the middle.

Skylor followed, dropping her pack at the base of stairs and looking around. "A monastery? You expect me to learn how to fight in a place of peace?"

"Not fight, train." Mystake corrected. "To become a true ninja, to carry the honourable name of the Garmadon Clan on your back, you must first be able to see what others do not."

"But there's nothing here!" Skylor yelled, clearly distraught.

Mystake gestured to the small golden dragon statue beside her. There was another in the same spot on the opposite side of the stairs. She gave the post a little tap with her staff, and the statue fell back, revealing a tiny button. Skylor stared at it curiously as Mystake pressed it.

There was a faint sound of whirring before the dragon in the centre slowly raised out of the ground, four pillars in the corners following it soon after. Wooden planks and beams came next, filling up the space between each pillar, forming some sort of obstacle course.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Skylor asked, hand on her hip as she gazed around. "I thought you were going to teach me to fight–sorry, train me–so I could rescue my brother. Not do some stupid elementary school exercise."

"My, my, what a way with words you have. If you want to save your brother, complete the course before I finish my tea." Mystake walked over to the porch that lined the building on the opposite side of the courtyard. A teapot, along with a tray had been set up. Mystake sat down, crossed her legs and placed a cloth in her lap. She poured her tea and popped in two sugar cubes. After downing the cup in a few seconds, she looked to when Skylor was standing, unmoving from where she was thirty seconds ago.

"Today you fail. Come now, we must take care of that concussion of yours. Until you recover, you will rest and learn the way of the ninja."

"No way. I'm getting through this course today and saving my brother." Skylor said, planting her feet in the ground.

"We will see when you cannot even make it down the mountain. Come now, I have dinner waiting."

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

It took a few more days for Skylor to recover from her concussion. It had been a very small one and Mystake mentioned something about Elemental Masters healing at over twice the rate of regular humans, and her helmet had protected her from any further head injuries. For the next week, she spent the mornings studying with Mystake and training in hand-to-hand combat. The afternoons she spent trying to get through the obstacle course. So far, everyday, she had failed, her anger and frustration growing.

After over two weeks of staying at the monastery, Skylor walked out into the courtyard with a new mindset. If she could get through the course, she could not only save Jay, she could prove Mystake wrong. And that was enough motivation for her.

The course at first glance seemed simple, but in reality, it was quite hard. As soon as Mystake made a motion to grab her napkin, Skylor took off, army-crawling under swinging planks. She continued to race through the course. When she was about a third of the way through the course, she threw the wooden sword he had been armed with at Mystake, knocking the cup out of her hands.

Mystake looked down at the soiled napkin in her lap, reaching for another. When she was done making her second cup of tea, she looked up at the course, only to find Skylor missing.

"Was that one sugar, or two?"

Mystake looked to her right and saw Skylor leaning against the porch holding out the bowl of sugar cubes, smirking smugly up at the woman. Mystake scoffed and stood up, taking the bowl from Skylor and placing on the tray along with the rest of her tea set.

"So, am I going to learn this spinjitzu I've been hearing so much about?" Skylor asked, getting to her feet and dusting herself off.

"You already have." Mystake replied. "Your final test comes tomorrow. My advice is to get some sleep, you might need it."

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

That night, Skylor was uneasy. She laid in bed, unable to fall asleep. She tried reading, training, chamomile tea, but nothing was working. Maybe it was nerves about her final test, or perhaps she was anxious about rescuing her brother after two weeks. Who knew what he had been through.

She rolled over in bed, staring at the wall when she heard a faint thud above her head. Turning on the lantern next to her bed, she gazed upwards. Not seeing anything, she crawled back under the covers, keeping the light on. A few minutes later, another thud, this time coming from the other side of her room. Tossing the covers to the foot of her bed, Skylor got to her feet.

Cautiously creeping to the other side of the room, lantern in hand, Skylor shone the light on the corners. She froze when the light caught something. It was brief, but the glimpse of metal was all she needed.

"I know you're there, come out."

Three figures stepped out of the shadows. All were clad in black and had a weapon in their hands: a bo-staff, a trident, and a whip.

Slowly walked backwards as the three advanced and made a dash for her dresser. She hopped on top and pulled herself up into the rafters of the monastery. The three followed her through the roof until Skylor jumped down over the main foyer. She ran through the doors into the courtyard, looking around for anything that might prove useful.

Spotting the small dragon statues by the staircase, Skylor darted across the courtyard. Flipping back the dragon, she pressed the button, watching her three attackers fail to overcome their surprise and receive a few bruises from the obstacle course.

After the shock of the course springing up, the three warriors were filled with a new emotion for the red-haired girl. Abandoning their weapons on the ground, they charged towards Skylor. Soon, Skylor found herself on top of one of the warriors, but flattened under the other two. Skylor raised her fist in the air, only to have it grabbed by the two on top of her. Before it could escalate further, a cry rang out through the courtyard.

"Stop!"

The four stopped, looking up at Mystake who was standing in the doorway. They slowly got off each other, heads hanging as they moved into a line. "Hai, Sensei," The four said in unison, bowing.

"Wait, wait, wait. I thought I was your only student. You have more?" Skylor asked. Mystake nodded and Skylor placed a hand on her hip, looking to each person. "No impresionada." ('Not impressed.')

"Hey!" One cried. "You couldn' take us down, remember tha'. You needed the obstacle course to save ya butt." They had a bit of a drawl to their voice.

"With all due respect, Sensei Mystake, you never said anything about a fourth. I thought we were to retrieve the weapons, the three of us." Another said, they spoke with a bit of an accent, hinting that Ninjanese wasn't their first language. Mystake tilted her head curiously, so they continued, wringing their hands nervously. "What I mean is, us three have trained together. We are solid."

"No me pareció tan sólido," ('Didn't look so solid to me,') Skylor muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.

Two of them shot her deadly glares as the third spoke to Mystake. "Master Mystake, I am afraid I do not understand. What is the meaning of this?"

"Each of you have received a gift passed down through generations of your families. An ability in tune with elemental properties. But first, change into these." Mystake went inside for a few seconds before emerging with four neatly folded ninja-yorois.

Minutes later, the four emerged out of the monastery, gathering in the courtyard. Orange, maroon, navy blue, and purple. The yorois were soft and loose, though Skylor wasn't sure what the scabbards attached to her belt were for.

"Not bad." Skylor complimented. "But why the colour coding? Can't tell us apart, old woman?"

"There are reasons behind my methods. Remember that." Mystake snapped. She turned to the rest of her students. "You four have been gifted with special elemental properties. Skylor, Master of Absorption, the ability to absorb another's power for a limited time through skin contact." She said, placing her staff on on Skylor's shoulder. "You shall be the team's konran, the agitator. I think it fits you well."

Mystake moved her staff to the girl beside Skylor who was wearing a maroon gi. She had short raven hair and grey eyes that shone as Mystake directed her attention to her. "Nya, Master of Water. Ability to control and manipulate water. Also referred to as hydrokinesis. You will make a wonderful teiastsu."

Mystake moved her staff to her next student, a dark skinned girl with bright pink hair that had a blue streak running through it. "Seleil, Master of Phantom. Stealthy like shadows. Your special skill set will serve you well as a kishu." Seliel bowed respectively as Mystake moved on to the last girl. "Pixal, Master of Technology. Like her name, she is ahead of her time and seer with sixth sense. An excellent Kanchō.

"You four are the chosen ones who will protect the four Weapons of Spinjitzu from Lady Misako."

"Hold on, you said we were saving my brother first! What about him, or did you forget, old woman." Skylor sneered.

Nya gasped, missing the point of Skylor's statement. "We're saving a boy? Is he cute?"

"Nya..." Seliel warned, watching as Skylor's eye twitched dangerously.

"I-I just wanna know what we're getting ourselves into. Ya know how hard it is to get a date when ya live on a mountain." She said. She leaned in close to Skylor, whispering, "Does he like maroon?"

"Back. Off. Or so help me, I will steal your kneecaps while you sleep." Skylor threatened.

Seliel nodded approvingly. "Creative insult."

"Oh trust me, chica, I got tons more."

Mystake interrupted before the argument could go any further. "If you want to save your brother, we need the weapons to do so. Come now, we will set off for the first weapon at dawn."

"Whoa, hold on a minute. You said you were going to teach us spinjitzu." Seliel said.

"I already have." Mystake answered. She turned around, heading back inside and leaving the doors open for her students.

Seliel sighed as Nya complained, "ugh, why she always gotta be so cryptic?"

"No clue. All I know is that I was stuck with crap like that for two days with nothing else to do." Skylor huffed. She stretched, starting towards the door. "Since you interrupted my sleep, I'm going to go get some shut eye. Noche, señoras."

"Yeah, well, ya weren't actually sleeping so we didn't wake ya up! So... ha!" Nya called after her. She sighed, disappointed in how her words came out.

Seliel patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay, Nya, she's not worth it. Come on, let's go get some rest."

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cincinnatusvirtue · 4 years ago

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Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885, Balkan nationalism shows its face following centuries of Ottoman rule...

Two nations that have a similar history, culture and predominant religion, yet two separate nations they remain and in 1885, despite their similarities they went to war, the first of many in the modern age. Those two nations are Bulgaria & Serbia and this is the tale of the brief two-week war that foreshadowed the greater tensions of the Balkan region as well as the power politics of the Great Powers of Europe in the 19th century and rising tides of romantic European nationalism.

Prelude: Two nations of similar origins, diverge...

-Bulgaria and Serbia share a number of things in common as differences. In common, they share a common ethnogenesis as Southern Slavs. Descendants of the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe in the 6th and 7th centuries, crossing the Danube into the frontiers of the then Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. These migrations from their homelands believed to be in Eastern Europe, were said to be numerous and despite Roman attempts to stop them eventually resulted in permanent settlement of the new Southern branch of Slavs. The Slavs eventually assimilated the local Thracians, Illyrians, Romans and Celts into their own society adopting a common language, customs and identity.

-In Bulgaria, the added mix of a semi-nomadic group of Turkic speaking peoples coming from the Eurasian steppes, known as Bulgars also made its way south of the Danube and in time formed a ruling military elite over the Slavs and Romanized Thracians. In 681 they formed the First Bulgarian Empire which lasted until the 11th century. The Bulgars however in time were also assimilated into the Slavic majority of these lands and began to speak the Slavic language, this particular dialect morphed into Old Bulgarian and a true Bulgarian identity formed from these times with the Slavs keeping the names of the Bulgars along with some customs from the Bulgars and the Thracians they absorbed. They kept the Slavic language and adopted the Eastern Orthodox branch of Christianity from the Byzantines and added that to the Bulgarian cultural identity. In addition, Bulgarians were among the first to use the Cyrillic alphabet based off of Greek characters. This alphabet was developed by St. Methodius and Cyril (the alphabet’s namesake) who wanted to have an alphabet to translate the bible as they preached to South Slavs and converted them to Christianity. Soon the Cyrillic alphabet would spread to other Slavic peoples and is used by Bulgarians, Serbs, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians to this day.

-The Serbs likewise developed their own principality in the 8th-9th centuries and at times fought against the Bulgar expansion, sometimes as allies of the Byzantines who began to see the Bulgars as their greatest rivals in the Balkans. The Serbs likewise developed their own national identity through its own Southern Slavic dialect and the assimilation of the various peoples into the new Slavic majority. In time in the Middle Ages, they too adopted the Orthodox faith by 1219 established the Serbian Orthodox Church separate from the Bulgarian or Greek Orthodox branches that had preceded them. This too became a very centrifugal feature of Medieval Serbian identity.

-By 1018, the First Bulgarian Empire was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire under the rule of Emperor Basil II “The Bulgarslayer” meanwhile there was a period of anarchy in Serbia that the Byzantines used to invade and restore direct Byzantine rule or the establishment of Byzantine vassalage over more remote Serb areas of rule.

-Circa 1090, the Serbs established their own Grand Principality of Serbia which formed in part due to Byzantine distractions elsewhere since post Basil II the rule of the Byzantine Empire, so rulers who were more or less corrupt or incapable of their responsibility. The Grand Principality eventually became a kingdom and eventually empire which lasted until the 14th century.

-Bulgaria meanwhile renewed self-rule with the establishment of the Second Bulgarian Empire which came into being in 1185 and would last until almost the 15th century.

Ottoman Conquest: 14th-19th centuries

-Serbia suffered Ottoman incursions in the 1370′s and 80′s. Finally matters came to a head in the Battle of Kosovo in June 1389. The battle was nominally inconclusive and saw the deaths of both ruling Serb Prince Lazar as well as the Ottoman Sultan Murad I. While technically a draw, the heavy losses on both sides impacted the less numerous Serbs who had less manpower than the Turks. In time, they became vassals to the Turks with the conquest completed by the mid-15th century.

-Likewise, Bulgaria divided by rival internal struggles by the late 14th century was in a weakened state when the Ottoman Turks completed their conquest circa 1396.

-Both Bulgaria and Serbia saw an influx of Turkish settlers who became landowners while Christians were peasants in many instances. Both countries saw the establishment of mosques and some efforts at local conversion to Islam, though this was not especially successful but did occur in smaller numbers. Additionally, the laws of the Ottoman Empire, placed Christians as second class citizens. Christians for example couldn’t testify in court against Muslims for grievances but Muslims could testify against Christians, eventually separate courts were maintained. Also, Christians were with some exemptions required to pay the jizya tax which served as nominal recognition of Islam’s primary place in the religious and social hierarchy of the empire. While they could practice their religion, they had to pay this tax for “protection” as subjects of the sultan. Furthermore, the Janissaries (elite Ottoman troops) which served as bodyguards to the sultan were derived from Balkan Christian families with young boys being confiscated or given up from their families in order to converted to Islam and brought up for a life of servitude to the sultan and his army. Sometimes, this was done for a life that was allowed more social advancement than life as a peasant in the Balkans but it was strict and more often than not it was a result of forcible removal, a so called blood tax. The practice was eventually ended centuries later.

-There was little note of Bulgarians and Serbs as distinct peoples in the Ottoman millet system, instead they were considered Christians and classified by religion and as Orthodox Christians were included religiously under the Greek run Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople. In part, the preservation of uniquely Bulgarian and Serbian aspects of Orthodoxy by monks living in monasteries in remote parts of the country helped to preserve their unique language and cultural elements for future generations.

-While there were numerous rebellions over the centuries, they all failed. It was not until the Ottoman defeat in the Great Turkish War (1683-1699) which saw the Ottomans defeated by Austria, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Venice that the first cracks in their hold on the Balkans was felt. Austria temporarily controlled Serbia’s Belgrade and northern regions as a frontier region and numerous Serbs found themselves in Austrian territory or serving as frontiersmen soldiers in the Hapsburg military. Though the Ottomans later regained it, the hope of overthrowing the Turkish yoke seemed somewhat plausible.

-Indeed as the 18th century progressed, the Ottoman Empire continued to stagnant relative to its European counterparts, in part due to expanding Russian interference and numerous Russian victories in war. Likewise, national identities were being stirred by the Southern Slavs throughout Ottoman territories. The French Revolution and subsequent Napoleonic Wars and the related conflicts from them gave birth to a new European romantic movement in art, culture and politics and this lead also found steam in the Balkans.

-The early 19th century saw a Serbian revolution first from 1814-1817 lead by the man known as Karadorde or Black George, it was included Milos Obrenovic. Both men would leave rival dynasties that would shape Serbia’s future well into the 20th century. The revolution was brutal in its treatment on both sides and Black George was killed by agents of his rival rebel Obrenovic. Ultimately, the Serbs prevailed and established a mostly-autonomous principality that self-governed but had to pay tribute to the sultan for this privilege.

-1821-1830 also saw a Greek War of Independence which likewise saw a fully independent Greece revived with help from Britain, France and Russia. Again, the Ottomans faced numerous internal challenges and could hardly afford a war with the Great Powers of Europe who increasingly showed political and economic influence over the future of the Ottoman Empire which was in need of political and military reform and deeply in debt to foreign creditors.

-Milos Obrenovic became Prince of Serbia from 1817-1839 and again from 1858-1860. His dynasty ruled for much of the 19th century and was more aligned with the Austrian Empire and its successor the reformed Austria-Hungary. While the Karadordevic dynasty had Russia’s backing briefly ruled from 1842-1858 before the Obrenovic resumed control in 1858 and ruled until the 1903.

-Bulgaria for its part was still under Ottoman control but things changed rapidly in 1876 following the April Uprising, the rebellion while suppressed caught international attention. This was due to the reports of atrocities committed against Bulgarian inhabitants which may have resulted in the deaths of some 20-30,000 people including women and children. Faced with condemnation political isolation the Ottomans now faced a vengeful Russian Empire, lead by Tsar Alexander II who saw himself as protector of his fellow Orthodox Christians in particular his fellow Slavs in the Balkans from the predations of Ottoman aggression. Joined by Romania, Montenegro, Serbia and Bulgarian rebels, the Ottomans were soundly defeated by the Russian coalition in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.

-Fallout from this war saw a fully independent Serbia, Montenegro and Romania no longer paying tribute to the Ottoman Sultan. In the subsequent Treaty of San Stefano it also saw a greatly enlarged and independent Bulgaria. However, the Great Powers of Europe, always looking to balance power saw this as too much Russian influence in the Balkans and Serbia, Greece nor Romania felt they could tolerate an enlarged Bulgarian state and so the Congress of Berlin hosted in Germany in 1878 made amendments to this. It created a smaller semi-independent Bulgaria but left the southern portion with a majority Bulgarian population to become a mostly autonomous region within the borders of the Ottoman Empire proper, called Eastern Rumelia. This frustrated Bulgarian nationalists but placated Serbs.

-The newly created Principality of Bulgaria had virtual de-facto independence from the Ottomans but remained a nominal vassal of the Turks and would officially remain so until 1908 when it declared unilateral independence, something the Turks would be unable to prevent and have to accept.

-At the head of this new Principality was a German Prince, Alexander of Battenberg, from the House of Hesse-Darmstadt. Alexander was nephew to the Russian Tsar which made this an agreeable choice.

-Alexander was caught between Russia which wanted him as their puppet ruler and Bulgarian factions who aggressively wanted to pursue independent actions in the realm of national expansion which could threaten the stability of the region.

-Alexander however did suspend the constitution in 1881 and came into a period of absolute rule, though this alienated the more liberal and radical element of Bulgarian politics.

-Meanwhile, in Serbia Milan IV became Milan I, King of Serbia in 1882. This elevated status was to give the country more prestige and a sign of its rising influence in the world. However, Milan was beset by political issues, he was viewed as too influenced by the Austrians who sought to curb Serb and indeed Southern Slav ambition, making him unpopular. Since the Austrians controlled Slovenia, Croatia and de-facto controlled Bosnia, Serbia’s expansion and Bulgaria’s were viewed as upsetting the balance the Hapsburgs sought to maintain, though a secret treaty tolerated Macedonian expansion by the Serbs.

-Additionally, the Russians were sponsoring anti-Obrenovic elements in the Timok Rebellion of 1883 which lead to government suppression of those elements in Serbia which sought reform of old feudal privileges remaining in Serbian society. Serbia was very much caught in the power struggle between Austria-Hungary and Russia’s influence along with its own ambitions.

-The leaders of the rebellion sought asylum in Bulgaria and were not returned which caused tension between Bulgaria and Serbia. However, the real catalyst came in Bulgarian’s unilateral unification of the Principality with Eastern Rumelia, again a part of the Ottoman Empire de jure albeit with a Bulgarian majority.

-The declaration occurred in Plovdiv, capital of Eastern Rumelia in September 1885. This essentially meant a de-facto expanded Bulgaria, Alexander of Bulgaria endorsed this union by Bulgarian revolutionary nationalists. Both Bulgaria and Serbia also sought Ottoman Macedonia which had a large ethnic Bulgarian population as well as a number of Serbs and Greeks but at this time it was not included.

-The Plovdiv declaration happened in September and while lauded in Bulgaria was decried elsewhere, namely in Serbia and Greece who felt threatened by a Greater Bulgaria, namely in Macedonia. Russia didn’t like the development due to what is saw as a loss of influence and it called for a conference in Constantinople Britain supported this measure but tacitly supported Bulgarian expansion. France and Germany supported a conference. Austria-Hungary was opposed since it could mean a Southern Slav state of great power on its southern borders as some point. Plus it frustrated efforts to have Serbian interests facing southward rather than northward into Austrian held territory. The Turks weren’t sure how to react, no military action took place as many expected. In part because the prior Treaty of Berlin forbade unilateral Ottoman intervention in Eastern Rumelia unless at the request of the governor who was Bulgarian though nominally a civil administrator in the Ottoman Empire, no request was made and essentially it became a matter of fact. Additionally, the Turks were warned by Britain and Russia, either war measures or lack of help would come their way in they took military action, so the Turks likewise were forced to accept the fait accompli.

-The one party who could accept the matter was Milan I of Serbia. He saw the issue as a way to alleviate his inner turmoil following the Timok Rebellion, he would initiate a war with Austrian support against Bulgaria in opposition to the unification which he hoped would gather popular support from his fellow Serbs and this set into motion the road to war...

War: Two weeks in November to remember...

-Milan was confident of victory, the Serbs had a professional army that had succeeded against the Turks in 1877-78, he thought he had the popular support of his people, he had Austrian secret backing and his army had up to date infantry rifles. Plus the Bulgarian strategic situation was rife with issues...

-The Bulgarians had placed many troops on the borders of Eastern Rumelia and the rest of the Ottoman Empire, in defense against a Turkish offensive that never came. The roads of Bulgaria were in muddy poor condition and this created many logistical issues, a Serbian attack from the west would catch the bulk of the army by surprise. The Bulgarians additionally had no officer structure beyond that of captain in rank as all other higher ranks were at the time held by Russians, its professional army was still very much organizing. The Russians had withdrawn these officers in protest of the Plovdiv declaration.

-However, Bulgaria had procured modern artillery from other countries, namely Germany and it was superior in quality to the Serbs even if the Serbs had better infantry rifles. Secondly, their cause was patriotic and unlike the Serbs would have familiarity of the land and popular support of the people, meaning higher morale for their troops.

-The declaration of war from Milan came as a surprise to his own people and troops who initially thought they’d support their Southern Slav brethren in Bulgaria against the Turks as they had before, instead they found themselves planning to invade Bulgaria itself.

-The Bulgarians had to march their troops from Eastern Rumelia on bad roads to the western regions of the country to contain the Serbs. Their plan was viewed in one of two ways, the one supported by Alexander envisaged surrendering Sofia, the capital without a fight and drawing the Serbs into an overextending line and fighting them. The other Bulgarian camp sought to contain the Serbs prior to reaching Sofia so as to avoid the political humiliations and potential for the intervention of the Great Powers. This second plan won out in the end.

-Milan, made many blunders in that he recalled leadership of the army from his best commanders, taking personal command so as to take the glory of the victory he was so self-assured of. Also fearing the potential mutiny, Milan mobilized only half his troop strength. Finally, the Serbs were largely untested with their new rifles though of good quality, they had little training rendering them prone to issues in their usage on the battlefield.

-Serbia crossed the border on November 14th a day after the war’s declaration, crossing in three columns aimed towards Sofia.

-Alexander had to move the Bulgarian troops from Eastern Rumelia in the south to the west near the Serbian border to counter this invasion. This could take five to six days for full strength defense.

-The Bulgarian defenses in place though light managed to tangle up the Serb advance which was dealing with logistical issues of its own, not to mention the aforementioned issues of being untrained in the use of their new rifles.

-The Serbs advanced to Slivnitsa, west of Sofia. This proved to be the turning point of the war, only 3 days actively in combat at this point. Here the Bulgarians planned to make their major stand against any Serb drive towards the capital.

-Creating redoubts and trenches along the heights of hilly and mountain ridges in front of the village of Slivnitsa, the Bulgarians could intercept a Serbian advance on the main road to Sofia which needed to pass through the village. The battle took place from the 17th to 19th of November and saw the concentration of 32,000 Bulgarian troops, including 3 battalions of Macedonian Bulgarian volunteers and 6,000 Muslim Bulgarian volunteers which included ethnic Turks who remained in Bulgaria and Bulgarian converts to Islam (Pomaks). The Serbs had 40,000 troops mobilized at full strength. The lack of artillery advanced artillery on the Serb side was serious defect which combined with surprising Bulgarian counter attacks created setbacks for the invaders.

-Ultimately, well timed fresh arrivals from Preslav, Bulgaria saved their weaker left flank which the Serbs tried to break through. This resulted in horrible casualties for the Serbs as did failures to drive through the center and another flanking move. Finally, the Bulgarians launched a counter attack all out that drove the Serbs back by surprise, only nightfall prevented a completed pursuit that very night on the 19th.

-However, the Serbs were in full retreat back to Serbia having been unable to break the Bulgarian defenses.

-Bulgaria pursued and now counter-invaded Serbia, crossing the border chasing the Serb army into Eastern Serbia by November 24th.

-The Bulgarians caught up with the Serbs in the first major eastern Serb city of Pirot, where the Serbs held the heights near the city, attempting their own Slivnitsa like defense, to no avail. The Bulgarians launched a successful flanking maneuver which drove the Serbs from the heights. The Serbs now retreated Nis, the next major eastern city and began to mobilize their reservists. As Bulgaria planned to advance on Nis, the Austro-Hungarian ambassador in Sofia, receiving orders from Vienna advised that any further advance or lack to make a ceasefire will result in Austrian intervention along with the other Great Powers. Vienna wanted a status quo accepted realizing the Serbs had lost and lost badly. Bulgaria accepted this, having achieved a successful defense of their country, an unexpected counter attack and would be able to claim victory.

-November 28th saw a general ceasefire which held and Bulgaria would honor its agreement to withdraw troops from Serbia following its brief occupation.

-March 3, 1886 saw the Treaty of Bucharest signed in neutral Romania. No territory was changed, Bulgaria withdrew its troops from Serbia and most importantly, Serbia and the Great Powers accepted the unification of Eastern Rumelia with the Principality of Bulgaria. Meaning a somewhat expanded Bulgaria was now a reality and one to stay.

-In the aftermath, Bulgaria and Serbia had rivalry that only intensified. Bulgaria saw the war as a betrayal on Serbia’s part, forgoing their common disdain for the Turks and common Southern Slav-Orthodox ethnocultural heritage for Serbia’s interference in Bulgarian affairs. They also saw it as a vindication of their nationalist ambitions, though this would severely tested in the later Balkan Wars of 1912-13, both as ally of Serbia and rival of it, in the First and Second Balkan Wars respectively. Namely, both nations rival ambitions over Macedonia along with Greece’s interest in that region would be the catalyst for many issues.

-Additionally, the Serbo-Bulgarian War not only planted the seeds of the Macedonian Question and its rivalry, it didn’t break but it did somewhat tense the Austro-Hungarian and Serbian alliance, which the Serbs saw as increasingly antithetical to its own ambitions and saw a war partially egged on by Austria result in defeat and no gain. These strains would build over the decades which coupled with Russian influence in Serbia, namely in replacing the Obrenovic dynasty after 1903 with the more Russian friendly Karadordevic dynasty once more would culminate in the outbreak of World War I, following the assassination of the Austrian heir, Franz Ferdinand by Serbian nationalists in Bosnia.

#serbo-bulgarian war #19th century #europe #balkans #military history #bulgaria #serbia #ottoman empire #austro-hungarian empire #russian empire #great powers #1885

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qveensbury · 5 years ago

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Try Not to Hurt Yourself

gift fic for @babyfairybaekhyun/ @xheavenisnear

Dadko/Momtara fic based on this post

AO3

The move to Caldera City was less than ideal.

It was the last possible thing Zuko wanted to do after graduating high school and finding life outside the Fire Nation.

But Iroh had been like a father to him. And when Iroh asked Zuko to be interim CEO and oversee business until a new one was selected following Iroh’s retirement, the least Zuko could do was honor his wishes.

The kids said they were fine. Kya and Iroh II (affectionately called Ni) were fighters, from genes they inherited from both sides of their family tree. Like water they adapted and like fire they charted their own path.

It didn’t mean Katara and Zuko weren’t prepared for the tipping point.

Moving from Ba Sing Se to Caldera City was an adjustment. They went from a mosaic of browns and beiges to a homogenous pot. Having supportive parents and an excited-to-see-their-grandkids grandma and great-uncle helped.

But life happens.

When Kya’s school called in the middle of the day asking both parents to come pick Kya up, everything was put on hold.

The nice thing about running your uncle’s company was knowing the “family first” values weren’t only for display.

Zuko pulled the key out of his car’s ignition and responded to Katara’s text.

[[zuko: just parked. see you soon.]]

In all fairness, Zuko and Katara had their reservations about the school.

Fire Sages Academy: Equipping Tomorrow’s Leaders.

An elite school serving the city’s most prominent families.

Katara wanted the kids to keep attending public school. She wanted them to have a relatable experience and to stay as grounded as possible.

As the daughter of Uqsuaqtuq Bay’s mayor, she knew how important it was to know and stay connected to a diversity of backgrounds.

And Zuko, the alum of Fire Sages Academy, agreed.

But his family had so much weight in Caldera City and FSA knew how to handle high profile families. Administrators knew how to deal with parents and shepherd children and protect them from paparazzi and other predators.

“In addition to shielding the kids from any enemies my father or sister may have created, we don’t have to play with kid gloves on at Fire Sages. They know when a parent is throwing a tantrum versus starting a battle. We would have to walk on eggshells at the public schools here Tara. At least at Fire Sages, we don’t have to pull punches.”

For a while, it seemed like they’d made the right choice.

Zuko navigated his way to the principal’s office.

Kya sat in the lobby of the administrative wing. Through the glass above her head, he could see other desks and offices.

“Kya.”

Sitting up straight, she looked at him. Nearly Katara’s twin when she was fourteen, her dark eyes were the only striking difference.

“Are you okay?” Zuko asked in Inuktitut. They wanted their biracial children to know both of their ancestors’ tongues. And in a city where everyone was fluent in Japanese, Inuktitut was their secret code.

Kya snorted. “Mom asked the same thing. I’m fine.”

“What happen—“

“Mr. Ryuku!” An older woman startled as she walked into the small lobby. “We didn’t expect to see you. Let me tell Principal Nakahara.” She hurried back inside.

“Liar.”

“Kya!”

“It’s true! Mom told them you were coming. They think I can’t hear them but they’ve been trying to speed things up so they wouldn’t have to deal with you.”

A divot formed on Zuko’s forehead. “Me?”

“Something about how you were as a student or how you press teachers in parent-teacher conferences that makes them nervous. Like you’re unpredictable or…like…”

“Volatile,” he crossed his arms. A word he’d heard enough times at Fire Sages.

“Yea, I couldn’t think of the word in Inuktitut.”

“And you’re sure—“

“Mr. Ryuku, right this way.”

Before following the older woman, he nodded at Kya. She nodded back.

The fidgeting of the receptionist was one thing. The number of staff watching him walk by was another.

The walls were made of eyes.

When do you think the Ryuku kid is going to burst?

Letting go of a breath he’d been holding, Zuko reminded himself, Whatever. You’re here for your daughter. Let’s stay present, Zuko. Let’s provide support to our daughter and reduce the trauma she experiences here.

The receptionist opened the door for him.

“Mr. Ryuku, Principal Nakahara.”

“It’s Ryuku-Kuruk. I didn’t get a chance to corr— say so earlier.”

“I’m terribly sorry,” she mumbled before closing the door behind him.

“Mr. Ryuku, have a s—“

“Ryuku-Kuruk,” he leaned over kissing Katara’s forehead.

She didn’t move.

“R-right. Have a seat, please. I’ve already told your wife about the incident and the school has a pretty clear policy about being disruptive in the classroom.”

“Kya disrupted class?” Zuku’s eyes grew before his earlier expression of confusion returned. “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”

‘Well, there were several eyewitnesses and she doesn’t dispute the account. So—“

‘Why don’t you tell my husband what happened, Principal Nakahara.” Katara stood up, “Excuse me while you do. I’ll be right back.”

The shift in Katara’s career was the most notable visible change since moving to Caldera City. In Ba Sing Se, she served as a Councilwoman’s Chief of Staff. Katara was always in a pantsuit or sheath dress and sensible pumps.

Now, as a stay at home mom-slash-charity board of directors member, her wardrobe was far more relaxed. Sweaters and slacks, sundresses. It fooled people who assumed she was weaker than she looked.

If Katara’s taking a lap, this is bad.

After signaling for the principal to begin, Zuko folded his hands.

The principal cleared his throat. “L-like I said, Kya disrupted class. The history class was talking about the Hundred Years War.”

Tension wound up Zuko’s jaw.

The Hundred Years’ War that the Fire Nation slowly waged on the other nations around it. It ended when he and Katara were teenagers but reconciliation efforts were still needed between the four countries.

Katara and Zuko had had conversations with Kya and Ni about the war, especially because the children’s forefathers fought on opposite sides.

Zuko realized and understood the sins of his people. But not everyone had.

“The teacher says Kya raised her hand and accused him of burying facts.” The principal chuckled.

A scowl took root on Zuko’s face.

“When he asked her to mind her manners, she refused to stop talking. It made other students uncomfortable and Kya stood up on her chair at one point. Clearly, you can see how a teacher might have difficulty keeping the class in line after a stunt like that.”

Zuko’s phone vibrated. “Excuse me,” he mumbled.

[[katara: stall]]

“As I said before,” Nakahara continued, “we have a no tolerance policy on—“

“Was he burying the facts?”

“Excuse me?”

“Was the teacher’s lecture on the Hundred Years’ War one-sided?”

Chuckling, Principal Nakahara shifted, “I don’t see why that matters.”

“Is this the account Kya gave?”

“She admitted she disrupted the class and that’s all w—“

“Did you ask her why?"

“Honestly, Mr. Ryuku—“

Zuko crossed his arms leaning back.

“—we hope this won’t be a big fuss. Like I told your wife, this is Kya’s first offense. So we won’t need to take any action that would appear on her permanent record. We’re simply asking for her to apologize to the class and to write a formal apology to Mr. Katsura.”

“An apology?”

“M-Mr. Ryuku, we wouldn’t want to anger you.”

Zuko raised an eyebrow. “Come again.”

The principal cleared his throat. “N-now, see here. This is a pretty lax punishment considering we would want other students to respect their teachers. Principal Nakahara tapped a student handbook as if to make his point.

Zuko took the book and flipped through it. “What page is that policy on?”

Nakahara stammered. “I don’t recall.”

The occasional turn of the page filled the silence.

“So, there’s no policy?”

“I never sa—“

“Well, I don’t see it here.” Zuko closed the book.

“Let’s be rational. No need to let emotions cloud your judgment. Everyone thinks their child is perfect. No need for any t-temper.”

“You’re concerned about me? I think a teacher trying to silence my daughter’s concerns about a war that claimed the life of her grandmother is plenty reason to be angry. The fact that you won’t say what the teacher said or Kya said is pretty suspect. You don’t know where this policy is.” Zuko crossed his arms. “But you shouldn’t be worried about me, and quite frankly I’m livid. You should be worried about my wife.”

The door opened behind him.

“Did you fill Mr. Ryuku-Kuruk in?“

“He did.” Zuko pulled the chair out for Katara.

“Splendid,” she sat down, squeezing his hand to thank him. Opening the textbook in her hand, Katara flipped to the page where she had a bookmark. “Principal Nakahara,” she looked at him, “how would you describe the Fire Nation’s relationship with the Earth Kingdom during the Hundred Years’ War?”

“Well, the Earth Kingdom was colonized.”

“Huh,” she looked at the textbook, “here, the textbook for high school sophomores said they were ‘business arrangements between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom.’ That’s strange.” She turned to another page. “What about the Massacre at the Southern Air Temple? Were those war crimes or a rare epidemic?”

“War crimes.”

“Hmm,” Katara read. “‘Unfortunately, an unknown illness spread affecting the entire monastery. There were no survivors.’” She pinned the principal with a stare. “When I was in school, they taught us the Fire Nation had the monks face firing squads.”

“W-well.”

“I think,” Katara closed the textbook, “you have a bigger problem on your hands than a student bruising a teacher’s ego. While I can’t say I’ve made up my mind because I haven’t discussed this with my husband, I’m strongly considering pulling our children out of Fire Sages Academy. I want to raise my children to be responsible global citizens and that requires them to know an accurate historical account. Zuko, do you have anything to add?”

“No. I think we have a lot to discuss.”

Nodding, Katara turned back to Principal Nakahara. “In that case.”

“N-no, now. Let’s not be hasty—“

“Hasty?” Katara frowned. “You called us in for a conference about a disrupted class.”

“You can’t tell us what our daughter said, which suggests this was done without gathering the appropriate evidence,” Zuko said.

“We discussed all we could at this moment.” Katara stood up.

“Why are we paying these teachers to teach if they can’t control their students?”

“P-please—“

“I think we’ve heard enough,” Zuko stood. “Let’s go, dear.”

“I’ve already sent for Iroh. Let’s pick up the kids. Mr. Nakahara, good day.”

Principal Nakahara continued to call for them but they didn’t stop.

Ni sat next to his sister. His tawny skin was a couple shades lighter than his sister. He had his father’s chin and his mother’s blue eyes.

“Time to roll,” Katara handed the textbook back to Kya.

“What’s happening?”

“Mrs. Ryuku-Kuruk.”

“Mr. Nakahara, we’ll be in touch. Don’t worry.”

“C’mon kids.” Zuko beckoned his head.

Kya frowned but stood anyway. Crossing her arms, she led the way.

Ni took his mother’s hand, excited to get out of school early.

“Want to grab lunch?” Zuko asked in the elevator to the ground floor.

“Can we go to Bandit’s Keep?” Ni bounced on his toes.

“Hmm. How about we see if your cousins are free to go next weekend, sweetie?”

“Ok.”

“What’s going on?” Kya asked again.

“You’re not in trouble,” Katara said.

“Not with us anyway.”

“Your dad and I have to talk about what we’re gonna do.”

“But, you did the right thing,” Zuko looped his arm around her shoulders.

“We’re so proud of you.”

“I mean I only did it because I know you guys have my back.” She wrapped an arm around her dad as they walked out.

“Always love,” Katara said immediately. She hummed, “How about that place that does Earth style street food?”

“Yes, I’ve been craving cabbage rolls!” Kya said.

“Ok, it’s settled.”

“Don’t you have work, Dad?”

“I’ll go back this afternoon. You know I always have time for family.”

Kya nodded against her dad. “Can I ride with you?”

“Sure,” he handed her the car keys.

“Ni, why don’t you go buckle yourself in?” Katara unlocked the door for him.

They watched their kids get in their cars.

Katara sighed.

“Long time, Madam Prosecutor.”

She scoffed, “We almost made it a year with no issues.”

“There were issues.”

Groaning, she nodded her head. “Let’s talk about it later. I was serious about considering pulling them out.”

“If you want to, let’s do it. It’s gonna cause a splash but we gave enough lip service. It might be the bad publicity they need.” Zuko crossed his arms.

Katara snorted. “As if you care about prestigious Fire Sages Academy’s reputation. I wouldn’t bat an eye if they closed.”

“Kid gloves completely off, huh?”

“Completely,” she laughed.

“We raised some pretty impressive kids, huh, Mrs. Ryuku-Kuruk.”

“We sure did, Mr. Ryuku-Kuruk.”

A/N: Uqsuaqtuq means calm seas in the South Qikiqtaaluk dialect of Inuktitut; Ni means two in Japanese; title from Beyonce’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself”

#mr. and mrs. ryuku kuruk; please and thank you #zutara fanfiction #zutara AU #atla #ATLA AU

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autodidact-adventures · 5 years ago

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Siberian History (Part 6): The Time of Troubles

By the late 1500s, Russia was one of the largest nations on earth. Its many principalities had been united by stealth & force under the reign of Moscow, and now that the Khanates of Kazan & Astrakhan on the Volga River had been subjugated, Russia was now a multinational state.

From Ivan the Terrible onwards, the tsar claimed to rule by “divine right”. This was already common in Europe, but the Russian tsar's power was autocratic and absolute. One contemporary wrote about Ivan, “like Nebuchadnezzar, he slew, had beaten, elevated, or humbled whomsoever he wished.”

The state bureaucracy was growing, and near the top was the Boyar Dumar, the royal council made up mostly of men of noble birth. There was also an inner cabinet of councillors, whom the tsar could consult. But it was said of Ivan that he often did so “in the manner of Xerxes, the Persian Emperor, who assembled the Asian princes not so much to secure their advice...as to personally declare his will.”

Russia had a population of about 13 million people, mostly impoverished peasants who worked on large estates, or worked their garden-like plots in tiny hamlets across the land.

The old aristocracy had been humbled somewhat, and the service gentry had arisen to take its place. The difference between the two was that the old aristocracy inherited their titles & land by inheritance, whereas the service gentry were awarded estates for service to the tsar. However, the service gentry would eventually acquire many of the prerogatives of the aristocracy, including titles and inheritable estates.

Russia had no true middle class, independent merchant guilds, or any mercantile economy of the sort that was beginning to grow in many European countries. The gosts (“great merchants”) were appointed by the Crown. All offices & positions were in the employ of the state, i.e. “state service”.

Travel within Russia was restricted, and travel abroad was almost unknown, “that Russians might not learn of the free institutions that exist in foreign lands.” Police surveillance was widespread, and people had the “duty to denounce” – no matter what rank or standing people had, they had to politically inform on each other, and report whatever they knew or heard about disloyal acts or thoughts.

Punishments were harsh, and torture was common. People could be torn to pieces with iron hooks, beheaded or impaled, branded with red-hot irons, have their limbs cut off, or beaten with the knout. The “knout” was a short whip with a tapered end, and attacked to this tapered end were three tongs of hard tanned elk hide, which cut like knives.

The roads were poor, and there were no inns between towns for travellers. Alcoholism was a major problem throughout the nation. There was little intellectual curiosity – even a simple knowledge of astronomy, such as the ability to predict eclipses, could lead to a charge of witchcraft.

One foreign diplomat said that the habit of oppression had “set a print into the very mindes of the people. For as themselves are verie hardlie and cruellie dealte withall by their chiefe magistrates and other superiours, so are they as cruell one against an other, specially over their inferiours and such as are under them. So that the basest and wretchedest [peasant] that stoupeth and croucheth like a dog to the gentleman, and licketh up the dust that lieth at his feete, is an intollerable tyrant where he hath the advantage.”

Foreigners saw the Russians as a semi-barbaric, insular people and state, arrogantly self-assured as the true bearer of Christianity, but rife with ignorance, supersitition and immorality. One visitor to Muscovy made up a rhyme about it:

Churches, ikons, crosses, bells, / Painted whores and garlic smells, / Vice and vodka everyplace – / This is Moscow's daily face.

To loiter in the market air, / To bathe in common, bodies bare, / To sleep by day and gorge by night, / To belch and fart is their delight.

Thieving, murdering, fornication / Are so common in this nation, / No one thinks a brow to raise – / Such are Moscow's sordid days.

But it was not as bad as foreigners claimed. The common people were genuinely religious, and a renaissance was taking place – through trade and other contracts, Western cultural influences were beginning to have an effect. These influences, combined with Russia's rich Byzantine heritage, might have brought about a true renaissance, but these currents would be overwhelmed by the bloody legacies of the immediate past.

Ivan the Terrible's tyrrany had divided the nation in two; and the social enmities he had created would outlive him. In 1581, he killed his eldest son, Tsarevich Ivan Ivanovich, during an argument. When he died himself in 1584, his son Fyodor succeeded him.

Fyodor I was absent-minded and reluctant to be monarch, and he relied heavily on the boyars appointed to be his guardians. Plots sprung up, a power struggle ensued, and Boris Godunov became the dominant figure behind the throne. Boris was a noble of Tatar origin, and his sister was married to Fyodor. Soon, he was recognized as Lord Protector (as the English called him), and the de facto head of state.

Under Godunov's reign, trade prospered, revenue increased, taxes decreased, and peace returned. Fugitive peasants returned to their homesteads, more arable land was cultivated, grain prices fell, and granaries recorded large surpluses. Construction increased, with stone walls around Moscow and Smolensk; many new churches, expanded port facilities at Arkhangel, and the completion of the Ivan the Great Belltower in the Kremlin, reaching upwards in three tapering octagonal tiers.

There was military progress as well. Godunov made headway against the nomadic peoples in the southern steppes (between Russia and the Crimea), established a series of important fortified towns, recoered territory lost to Sweden during the Livonian War, and pushed Siberian conquest eastwards from the Ob River.

When Fyodor died in 1598 without an heir, Godunov was offered the crown. He denied it three times, to demonstrate the inevitability of his succession, and looked to the masses for his support. At his coronation (in the Dormition Cathedral on September 1st, 1598) , he declared: “As God is my witness, there will not be a poor man in my stardom!” and tore the jewelled collar froms his gown. Jealous nobles called him Rabotsar, which means “the Tsar of slaves”.

There are no known contemporary portraits of Godunov, but this is what he probably looked like.

After Godunov's coronation, favours were announced, army & administration officials received a substantial salary increase, merchants were granted tax breaks, and the natives of Western Siberia were exempted from taxes for a year. Godunov said: “We take a moderate tribute, as much as each can pay...And from the poor people, who cannot pay the tribute, no tribute is to be taken, so that none of the Siberian people should be in need.”

But this could not solve all the problems. The biggest problem was the competition among landed proprietors for peasants to work their estates. The more prosperous of them tempted peasants away from their smaller holdings. Many of these small holdings were held on military tenure, so their decline affected the security of the nation.

The government tried to solve this problem by binding the peasants to the soil. Peasants' freedom of movement had already been severely curtailed over the years, but now new decrees pushed them towards serfdom.

The service gentry squeezed everything they could from their peasants, who were already near breaking point because of state taxation. As a consequence, violence spread. In Russia's heartland, bands of highwaymen (who were once peasants) ransacked monasteries & manorial estates. Along the southern frontier, legions of the disaffected accumulated. Things were moving towards rebellion.

From 1601 – 03, protracted crops failures led to famine and mass starvation. Godunov distributed money and grain from the public treasury to those who were destitute, but widespread hoarding & profiteering by landlords & merchants (including the Stroganov family) not only negated his actions but made it worse.

Whole villages were wiped out. People ate cats, dogs and rats, as well as bark and straw. Human flesh was sold in public markets. An eyewitness wrote that every day in Moscow, “people perished in their thousands like flies on winter days. Men carted the dead away and dumped them into ditches, as was done with mud and refuse, but in the morning, “bodies half devoured, and other things so horrible that the hair stood up on end” could be seen. A court apothecary rescued a little girl from starvation, and entrusted her to a peasant family; he later learned that they had eaten her.

Thousands of unemployed labourers, and peasants abandoned to their fate by uncaring masters, scavenged throughout the countryside, or fled into the wilderness. This was the Time of Troubles, which lasted from 1598 to 1613.

It was beyond Godunov's control, and his standing fell. He was a legitimate tsar, properly elected; but he couldn't claim any dynastic link with Russia's “sacred” past. People soon began to see him as a ruthless usurper who had taken the throne through violence, crime and deceit. Rumours spread that he'd murdered Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich (Ivan the Terrible's 9-year-old son by his seventh wife); that he'd poisoned his own sister; that he'd poisoned Fyodor I himself. Godunov's spy network uncovered many plots, but discontent was still growing stronger.

There was an uprising in 1603 by peasants, fugitive slaves and bandits, which the army put a stop to. The people began to long for the protection of a “born tsar”, romanticizing even the worst parts of their past.

Then a rumour sprang up that Tsarevich Dmitry had miraculously survived his assassination, and was about to retake the throne. The pretender (known later as False Dmitry I) was backed by the Poles, and in October 1604 he crossed into Muscovy, leading an army of mercenaries and volunteers. This False Dmitry was conventionally ugly, “a strange and ungainly figure with facial warts and arms of unequal length”. He was a charismatic leader, and many people joined his cause. His army was over 16,000 men by November. Godunov, feeling helpless, turned to sorcery & divination to try and alter his fate.

False Dmitry I.

Godunov died on April 13th, 1605, from poison or a stroke. His wife and son were murdered within the next few weeks, and the Kremlin was stormed. False Dmitry I ruled for nearly a year, from June 10th, 1605, to May 17th, 1606.

Then he was toppled by Vasily Shuisky, who became Tsar Vasily IV. Shuisky had the right pedigree, but not popular support.

New uprisings and foreign invasions followed this. In June 1607, False Dmitry II, again backed by the Poles, advanced on Moscow. This led to Vasily IV's deposition in July 1610, and the installation of a Polish tsar, Vladislav I (he would later become King of Poland, in 1632).

Vasily IV (17th-century painting).

It seemed as if Muscovy would be partitioned. Russian popular armies rose up in the north and east, and advanced with patriotic fervour. On October 25th, 1612, the Polish garrison in the Kremlin capitulated, and the foreigners were driven out.

On February 21st, 1613, a national assembly elected a new tsar. This was Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov (Mikhail I), the grand-nephew of Anastasia Romanova, Ivan the Terrible's first wife. The Time of Troubles then came to an end.

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lukeskywaker4ever · 5 years ago

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King João & Queen Philippa 3rd child: Prince Henrique the Navigator

Infante Dom Henrique, Duke of Viseu, (Porto, March 4, 1394 - November 13, 1460) was a Portuguese prince and the most important figure of the beginning of the Age of Discovery, also known in history as Infante de Sagres or Navigator.

Infante D. Henrique was born in Porto, on Ash Wednesday, a day that was considered unfit for the birth of a child. He was the fifth son (the 3rd surviving child) of King D. João I, founder of the Avis Dynasty, and Queen Filipa de Lencastre.

The infant was baptized a few days after his birth, and his godfather was the Bishop of Viseu. His parents named him Henrique possibly in honor of his maternal grandfather, Duke Henry of Lencastre and his uncle Henry IV.

Little is known about the infant's life until he is fourteen. The infant and his brothers (the so-called Incredible generation) had as their master a knight of the Order of Avis.

In 1414, he persuaded his father to mount the Ceuta conquest campaign on the North African coast near the Straits of Gibraltar. The city was conquered in August 1415, assuring the Kingdom of Portugal the control of the maritime trade routes between the Atlantic and the Levant.

In 1415, he was armed knight and received the titles of Duke of Viseu and Lord of Covilhã.

On 18 February 1416, he was entrusted with the Government of Ceuta. It was up to him to organize the maintenance of the Moroccan Square in the kingdom.

In 1418, he returned to Ceuta in the company of D. João, his younger brother. The Infantes commanded a relief expedition to the city, which this year suffered the first major siege, imposed jointly by the forces of the kings of Fez and Granada. The siege broke down and D. Henrique immediately tried to attack Gibraltar, but bad weather prevented him from disembarking: the Infantry's recklessness and anti-Muslim fervor was once again manifested. Upon his return to Ceuta, he was ordered by King João I, not to pursue such an undertaking, so he returned to the kingdom in the early months of 1419. At this time he set up a Corsican fleet, which operated in the Strait of Gibraltar from Ceuta He had one more source of income, and many of his men thus became accustomed to the sea. Some of them would later be diverted to other trips to new destinations.

In 1419–1420 some of his squire, João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristao Vaz Teixeira, then landed on the islands of the Madeira archipelago, which had been visited by Portuguese sailors since the previous century. The islands proved to be of great importance producing large quantities of cereals, minimizing the scarcity that afflicted Portugal. The archipelago was donated to D. Henrique by King D. Duarte, successor of D. João I, in 1433.

On May 25, 1420, D. Henrique was appointed leader of the Order of Christ, which succeeded the Order of the Templars, a position he would hold until the end of his life. Concerning his interest in the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean, his position in the Order was also important throughout the 1440s. This is because the Order controlled vast resources, which helped finance the exploration, the prince's true passion. .

In 1427, their navigators discovered the first islands of the Azores (possibly Gonçalo Velho). Also these uninhabited islands were later colonized by the Portuguese.

With a new vessel, the caravel, the expeditions were greatly boosted. Cape Bojador was reached in 1434 by Gil Eanes and Cape Branco was reached in 1441 by Nuno Tristão and Antão Gonçalves. Arguim Bay in 1443, with consequent construction of a fort in 1448.

Dinis Dias arrives at the Senegal River.

Guinea is visited. Thus the southern boundaries of the great Sahara desert are crossed. From then on, D. Henrique fulfills one of his objectives: to divert the Sahara trade routes and access the riches in Southern Africa. In 1452 the arrival of gold was sufficient to coin the first golden crusaders.

In the 1450s the Cape Verde archipelago was discovered. From that time, commissioning an old world map of the world from Fra Mauro, a Venetian monk.

By 1460 the coast was already explored to what is today Sierra Leone.

In the same year, on November 13th D. Henrique died. He is resting in the Founder’s Chapel inside Batalha Monastery near his parents and family.

To celebrate the 500 years of his death a monument was built: The Discoveries Monument a monument with a shape of a caravel, where D. Henrique is the central figure holding a small caravel.

The Order of Infante D. Henrique is a Portuguese honorary order, created on June 2, 1960 at the 5th Centenary of the death of Infante D. Henrique and reformulated and enlarged in 1962, which aims to distinguish the provision of relevant services to Portugal, at home or abroad, or services in the expansion of Portuguese culture, its History and its values

Because he was the brain behind the Discoveries, Prince Henrique the Navigator is one of the most famous persons and dear to the us the Portuguese.

#infante d. henrique #prince henry the navigator #age of discoveries #portugal #reblog

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jesbelle-writes · 6 years ago

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Chapters: 14/14 Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation Rating: Explicit Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy & James T. Kirk, James T. Kirk & Spock, Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Nyota Uhura, Spock & Original Character(s), Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Original Character(s), Spock & Deanna Troi, Leonard "Bones" McCoy & Deanna Troi, Spock & Saavik, Sarek & Spock, David McCoy & Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Spones, Amanda Greyson & Spock Characters: Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Spock, James T. Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Pavel Chekov, Christine Chapel, Janice Rand, Hikaru Sulu, Lwaxana Troi, Deanna Troi, Ian Troi, Saavik, Valeris, Mara, David McCoy, Sarek, Amanda Grayson, Jean-Luc Picard, T'Pau, Curzon Dax, Worf, Data, Lewis Zimmerman, Azetbur, Beverly Crusher, Gracie, Sybock, Original Vulcan Character(s), Original Andorian Character(s), Original Klingon Character(s), Original Human Character(s), Original Non-Human Character(s) Additional Tags: Telepathic Sex, Long-Term Relationship(s), Marriage, Aging, Pon Farr, References to mass murder, References to Genocide, References to racism, Xenophobia, Terminal Illnesses, Narratively Expedient Space Magic, Anxiety Disorder, Depression, Surgery, Arranged Marriage Summary:

An Emotional Mess makes a logical decision and a Man of Science follows his heart. Everyone already knows about their Epic Adventures. This is the stuff that happened in between.

Another one from the vaults.

Long excerpt for a long fic:

Like most holy sites on Vulcan, one had to walk some distance to reach the monastery of K’lon. Unlike any of the others, that walk was through polar ice and snow. There was no reason for the walk other than to impress upon the walker a sense of the isolation of their destination. Ancient Vulcans must have been much easier to impress. Even at 137 years old, Spock found the hour’s exercise in the cold to be invigorating, if anything. He held his hand over the panel near the door, and shortly, one of the novices, a tall priestess, admitted him and led him to the office of K’lon’s Master.

“Master Vanok, Ambassador Spock has arrived.”

“Spock,” said Vanok. “Of course, we were expecting you. May I offer you some spice tea?” He indicated a sideboard where the novice was already pouring two cups.

“Thank you, Master Vanok.” Spock took a cup and seated himself in one of the room’s few chairs. Vanok took his own cup and sat opposite Spock.

“You are dismissed, T’Sala.” The novice bowed and left.

“It is the custom here to offer some provision to those who have traveled to us,” said Vanok.

“I see,” replied Spock.

“I trust that your journey was uneventful.”

“Yes.”

“Many find the ice road challenging.”

“I reached K’lon at the appointed hour and encountered no difficulties along the way,” said Spock, wondering how much more of a difficulty Vanok was planning to be. Such inanities were mere politeness in some species, but they indicated obstructionism in a Vulcan, and he had already encountered enough impediments merely acquiring an appointment here.

“Yes, I assume that you have become inured to many climates and terrains in your travels off-world.”

“Indeed,” said Spock.

Having exhausted his observations on this topic, Vanok turned to the reason for Spock’s visit. “The document you seek is most obscure.”

“As are all of the works housed herein.”

“Of course, but in the entire history of this monastery, no one has requested this one.”

“Were you unable to locate it?”

“No, our archivists are quite thorough.”

Spock merely raised an eyebrow.

“It is a most irregular text,” said Vanok.

“It contains nothing that is forbidden.” All forbidden texts were kept at Mount Seleya.

“That is true, but I fail to see why any Vulcan would be interested in the ritual it describes.”

“You were interested enough to read it,” Spock pointed out.

“Merely out of intellectual curiosity.”

“Then you have no objection to my intellectual curiosity also being satisfied.”

“As I said, the text is most irregular. There can be no motivation to perform this ritual beyond the sentimental.”

“I have been studying this subject for some time. I have exhausted the archive at Mount Seleya, and I find that I cannot complete my research without also viewing the document in your keeping.”

Vanok considered this. “If the Masters of Mount Seleya have authorized you to pursue this matter, I can raise no objection,” conceded Vanok. He stood and walked to the intercom on his desk.

“T’Sala, attend me.”

The novice returned to the room.

“Take Spock to the reading room and give him the document he requested.”

“Yes, Master Vanok.” She bowed. “Ambassador Spock, if you will follow me?”

Spock stood, setting his teacup on the sideboard. He nodded slightly in Vanok’s direction. “Master Vanok, your assistance is noted.” He left the room with the novice.

The text turned out to be quite short. As he had expected, the ritual was simple, though clearly, it would be difficult and time-consuming to perform. Having memorized the document, he handed it to T’Sala, and thanked her for her effort.

Vanok had been correct to be suspicious. Spock fully intended to perform this ritual, and his reasons were entirely sentimental.

Spock arrived at his home near ShiKahr in the early afternoon. His aide, Tellek, was there to greet him. Both the home and the aide had been a part of Spock’s life since he had become a Federation ambassador.

The house was typical of Vulcan residential architecture – a low stone and thermal concrete structure the same color as the limestone hillside it was built into. Spock passed through the formal entry garden and into the large main room of the dwelling. The interior of the house was similarly buff and the furnishings were both sparse and spartan, but the walls and shelves held a profusion of artworks – paintings, sculptures, tapestries – the accumulation of over seventy years.

“We arrived an hour ago,” said Tellek. “Dr. McCoy is in the inner courtyard.”

“Thank you.” Spock handed his heavy black cloak to Tellek, revealing a sand-colored robe over a black tunic and trousers.

Spock passed through to the courtyard. Unlike the formal garden, this one was an abundance of as many flowering and green plants as he and Tellek (and some rather sophisticated environmental controls) could coax into thriving. Along the eastern wall was laid a long block of black stone that served as a bench. McCoy was seated there, his back against the southern wall where the block butted up to it, his legs stretched out along the length of the stone, ankles crossed. He was wearing Earth-style clothing – a dark brown suit and a sage-green shirt. He had removed his jacket and laid it at the far end of the bench. His eyes were closed against the sun, still high in the sky.

“Welcome home,” said Spock.

“Welcome home, yourself,” said McCoy, opening his eyes.

“I had meant to return before you.”

“We decided to leave early. I just wanted to come home.”

The bench was deep and McCoy was skinny, so there was plenty of room for Spock to sit facing him, one leg up on the seat. He leaned toward McCoy and tucked an errant strand of white hair back in with the rest. He offered McCoy his first two fingers, and, after a moment’s pause, McCoy rested his own fingers against Spock’s.

Their minds slid together along well-worn pathways. Spock saw what McCoy had hesitated to show him.

“Later,” said McCoy.

[petition, acceptance]

“Later,” Spock agreed.

Their hands separated, but their minds remained touching.

“How was the monastery at the bottom of the world? Did you find what you were looking for?” asked McCoy.

“Yes, despite some minor irritations.”

“Well, do you think it will work, or is it just hocus-pocus?”

“Vulcan mysticism is hardly ‘hocus-pocus,’ Doctor, but to answer your question – anything of this nature does require a… leap of faith.”

“I think I can manage that,” said McCoy, smiling.

“The ritual is this – we would relive key parts of our lives together, anything that seems significant or representative of the whole. We would do this together, with our minds touching.”

“That seems simple enough.”

“Yes, but the text was adamant that we not neglect painful subjects. It will be difficult at times.”

“Most things worth doing are.”

“Are you certain, Leonard? That this is something you want?”

“It’s something you want. What I want is the pleasure of giving it to you.”

[petition, acceptance]

“So,” said McCoy, “where do we begin?”

“At the beginning.”

“When I first met you and thought you were smug and insufferable?”

“When you first suggested that we begin a different kind of association.”

“When I still thought you were smug and insufferable.”

McCoy scooted down the bench a bit to allow Spock to sit with his back against the southern wall, then he settled his own back against Spock. Spock put his arms around McCoy.

“Tell me what you remember,” said Spock.

“I remember that you had a little problem, and that I had spent way too long reading Vulcan erotica.”

#star trek: tos #spones #spock x bones #spock x mccoy #fanfiction #mine

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everyryuujisuguro · 17 days ago

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#ryuuji suguro #blue exorcist #ryuji suguro #suguro ryuji #bon suguro #suguro ryuuji #manga ryuuji #ao no exorcist #lewin light #lewin lightning light #chapter 83 #southern true cross boys monastery

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voidcrow · 6 years ago

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Lord Alfred’s Homecoming

A historical treatise by Josephine Childress-Busey Published June the ninend, MMVII

St. Michael's Mount is a little island off the southern coast of Cornwall, on which a Catholic monastery was built sometime in the 900s. The following century, Pope Gregory guaranteed an indulgence to those who made a pilgrimage to the site, which led to the town of Marazion being built on the nearby coast.

In said town, on a muggy summer night in 1097, Alfred Codd came screaming into the world in a coating of amniotic jelly, and celebratory drinks were had among the local peasants. Legend has it that a sip of beer was given even to the newborn Alfred; if true, this answers a few questions about his life's deeds, but raises several more. He would leave Marazion at the age of four, his family being relocated to replenish the serf workforce at newly-conquered Rennes, but he never forgot his Cornish roots.

Codd grew up in a turbulent time for the Kingdom of England, for even as its foothold in northern France strengthened, ground was being lost on the isles of Britannia to a new wave of Viking raiders. His ambitions elevating beyond the mere plundering of English settlements for gold and slaves, King Snorri Ragnvaldsson of Norway was now dispatching warlords to claim Britannia's fertile land as well, rewarding those who succeeded with governance over the won territory.

One such Viking leader was Knut of Anslo. In 1113, embarking with a fleet of longships gathered from multiple coastal towns along the Skagerrak, he and his army rowed across the North Sea, then through the English Channel, and made landfall near Britain's southwestern tip. He swore on his arm ring (a bracelet traditionally worn by Norse pagans) that this land would be his, and when his raiders were successful in securing it, he became Jarl Knut of Cornwall. Finding St. Michael's Mount to be a fitting site for his throne, he enslaved the resident monks and repurposed their monastery as a mead hall.

In Rennes, a young Alfred Codd recieved this ill news. He simmered on it for years, pacified only by near-daily visits to the pub. Once he was adopted into the English nobility as a reward for his victory on the road to Caen, Alfred insisted upon having Cornwall's colors (a white cross against a black background) incorporated into his family's new coat of arms-- for, you see, he never forgot his roots. Nor was he of the sort to forgive.

Fortuitously, retribution was not far out of his reach; early in the year 1120, Lord Alfred was called across the Channel to do battle with the Norwegians once more. A collective of small earldoms swearing allegiance to the crown of Snorri Ragnvaldsson had perforated the isles of Britannia. Raids and even full-blown sieges were occuring with greater frequency across Enlgand and Scotland alike, and the kingdom of Wales was on the verge of collapse. Lord Alfred vowed that the English crown would reign supreme in Britain once more, and that the reclaimation would start with Cornwall, freeing the House of Codd's ancestral homeland.

Jarl Knut saw him coming. A well-placed spy in Rennes sent warning across the Channel, aleting the Norwegians occupying Cornwall to an imminent English attack. Knut consolidated his forces, gathering a total of about 830 Viking warriors in Marazion and sending 400 more to outposts along the southern coastline.

Lord Aflred made landfall in Britain quite some miles to the east of Marazion with a force of mailed knights, longbowmen and swordsmen that totaled a little over two thousand. The westward march to their destination would be a days-long slog through near-constant rainfall, and Jarl Knut laid multiple ambushes in the Britons' path. Yet Codd and his loyal subordinates were relentless. Despite the men lost each time, no Norwegian that lay in wait to hamper Alfred's army survived the Englishmen's wrath, and these victories spurred them ever onward.

On a rainy morning coming on the heels of a rainy night, Alfred Codd and his force regrouped outside of Marazion, reduced to about 650 men (mostly melee infantry), their tabards stained with mud and Viking blood, their chainmail rusting and their bellies growling, but their resolve little worse for wear. Inside the monastery at St. Michael's Mount, Jarl Knut heard a dire thunderclap and must have figured Thor was sending him a good omen, because he then casually ordered his second-- one Halfdan Nine-Fingers-- to assume command of Marazion's defenders in his stead.

Alfred's company charged forth into Marazion's streets, defying the armor that bogged them down in the mud and rain. Finding the opportunity ripe for a cavalry charge, Halfdan bade all of his mounted Vikings (a few hundred in total) to plow into what he assumed was a tired, vulnerable rabble of longswordsmen and archers.

Halfdan himself turned the corner to join his men and discovered, to his confusion and horror, that the aforementioned Norwegian cavalrymen were already decimated. The charge had broken against English shields. Alfred and his men clambered over the piled bodies of Vikings and their mounts as the few surviving horsemen fled in stark terror. Halfdan turned to make his own escape, but a yeoman's arrow found his back.

Leaderless, the remaining Norwegian forces fell back across the knee-deep strait between the Marazion mainland and St. Michael's Mount, so as to make a stand just outside the monastery. They hoped to use the strait as a chokepoint and rain down on the English with arrows, but did not take into account the superior range of their enemy's longbows, which thinned out their ranks before Alfred then ordered a charge onto the monastery grounds. By the time Lord Alfred captured the isle, his force was reduced to about 400 men, but the Norwegian defenders had been put to rout.

Inside his "mead hall," Jarl Knut listened as another thunderclap pierced the victory howls of his enemies. He was starting to think this weather was the omen of a different deity, particularly when Alfred Codd kicked open the door across from him and strode in, hair and tabard soaked but eyes ablaze with a terrible fury.

"This past year," said the English general, "When first I led the charge against Northmen, I expressed a degree of grudging respect for your kin. I reserve none of it for the Northman that now sits before me. For you walk on Cornish soil and call it your own, take Cornish monks and Cornish women as slaves, desecrate the house of God, and cower in it while your warriors fight and die!"

Knut disagreed. Accepting defeat, he stood up, arms spread out, and dared Lord Alfred to strike him down-- to send him to the halls of Valhalla, where he and his would drink in the company of the gods forever.

Alfred instead ordered him imprisoned. As the province came back under English rule, the Codds used their influence to ensure that the once and former Jarl of Cornwall would rot in a dungeon, denied the death in battle for which he had yearned.

And as Knut's long incarceration ensued, so did Alfred Codd's campaign to destroy the other Viking earldoms of Britannia.

#total war #Alternate History #story

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anastpaul · 7 years ago

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Saint of the Day – 11 July – St Benedict of Nursia OSB (c 480-547) Patron of Europe and Founder of Western Monasticism. Some of his many Patronages – Against Poison, Against Witchcraft, Agriculture, Cavers, Civil Engineers, Coppersmiths, Dying People, Farmers, Fevers, Inflammatory Diseases, Kidney Disease, Monks, Religious Orders, Schoolchildren, Temptations.

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St Benedict founded twelve communities for monks about 40 miles east of Rome, before moving to Monte Cassino, in the mountains of southern Italy. St Benedict’s main achievement is his “Rule”, containing precepts for his monks. The unique spirit of balance, moderation and reasonableness influences it and this persuaded most religious communities founded throughout Middle Ages, to adopt it. As a result, the Rule of St Benedict became one of the most influential religious rules in western Christendom. For this reason, Benedict is often called the “founder” of western Christian Monasticism.

St Benedict is the twin brother of St Scholastica and is considered patron of many things. He was born in Nursia, Italy and educated in Rome.

He was repelled by the vices of the city and around 500, fled to Enfide – thirty miles away. He decided to live the life of a hermit and lived in a cave for three years. Despite Benedict’s desire for solitude, his holiness became known and he was asked to be the Abbot by a community of monks at Vicovaro. He accepted but when the monks resisted his strict rule and tried to poison him, he returned to Subiaco and became a centre of spirituality and learning.

St Benedict and the Cup of Poison

He eventually moved back to Monte Cassino and destroyed a temple to Apollo on its crest and brought the people of the neighbouring area back to Christianity. In 530 he began to build the monastery that was to be the birthplace of western monasticism.

Monte Cassino in ruins after Allied bombing in February 1944 and today, below.

Soon, disciples again flocked to him as his reputation for holiness, wisdom and miracles spread far and wide. It wasn’t long and he organised his monks into a single monastic community and wrote his official Rule, prescribing common sense, a life of moderate asceticism, prayer, study, work and community under one superior. It stressed obedience, stability, zeal and had the Divine Office as the centre of monastic life. While ruling his monks, most of whom – including Benedict, were not ordained, he counselled rulers and Popes and ministered to the poor and destitute. He died at Monte Cassino on 21 March 547 and was named patron protector of Europe by Pope Paul VI in 1964. The Universal Church celebrates his feast day today.

The St Benedict medal is very popular among Christians to this day and are hung above doors and windows, for protection against evil. It is believed that evil cannot enter your house if you protect every opening with a St Benedict medal and Crucifix. The medal has an image of St Benedict, holding the Holy Rule in his left hand and a cross in his right. There is a raven on one side of him, with a cup on the other side. Around the medal’s outer margin are the words “Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur” – “May we, at our death, be fortified by His presence”. The other side of the medal has a cross with the initials CSSML on the vertical bar which signify “Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux” “May the Holy Cross be my light” and on the horizontal bar are the initials NDSMD which stand for “Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux” “Let not the dragon be my overlord”. The initials CSPB stand for “Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti” “The Cross of the Holy Father Benedict” and are located on the interior angles of the cross. Either the inscription “PAX” Peace or the Christogram “HIS” may be found at the top of the cross in most cases. Around the medal’s margin on this side are the initials VRSNSMV which stand for “Vade Retro Satana, Nonquam Suade Mihi Vana” ”Begone Satan, do not suggest to me thy vanities” then a space followed by the initials SMQLIVB which signify “Sunt Mala Quae Libas, Ipse Venena Bibas” “Evil are the things thou profferest, drink thou thy own poison”.

The Medal of St Benedict can serve as a constant reminder of the need for us to take up our cross daily and “follow the true King, Christ our Lord,” and thus learn “to share in his heavenly kingdom,” as St. Benedict urges us in the Prologue of his Rule.

More on St Benedict, his Rule and the Medal here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/saint-of-the-day-11-july-st-benedict-of-nursia-o-s-b-abbot-patron-of-europe-patronus-europae/

#stbenedict #stbenedictofnursia #july11stbenedict #catholic #catholicism

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years ago

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A Padre Pio Inspirational Story

Padre Pio – A Friend Forever – Part III

Prayer was the key to Padre Pio’s existence and the guarantee of his mission. Prayer was his daily activity. He also dedicated many hours of the night to prayer. It was the task which he felt was particularly his own, and which drew upon him the attention of the whole world. At the altar, in his cell, or in the monastery garden, with his hands folded in prayer or holding his Rosary, his world was God—to be contemplated, to be praised, to be entreated, to be propitiated. More than anything else, his was a life of prayer, of uninterrupted conversation with God. — Father Fernando of Riese Pio X _________

Laurino Costa was once given a photograph of Padre Pio. It made a tremendous impression on him. Laurino found himself gazing at the photo often. Shortly after receiving the photo, he began to have dreams about Padre Pio. Feeling a strong connection to the holy priest, he decided to write him a letter. Laurino had been out of work for many months. Try as he might, he was unable to find a job and he became extremely worried about his financial situation. In the letter, he asked Padre Pio to pray for him so that he would be able to find work. Right away, Laurino received an answer to his letter. Padre Pio wanted Laurino to “come to San Giovanni Rotondo at once.”

Laurino wanted to accept the invitation but there were many obstacles in his path. For one thing, he had no money for the train fare from Padua to Padre Pio’s monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. Nevertheless, the desire to visit Padre Pio was growing stronger and stronger each day. One day he decided to hitchhike to the train station in Padua, even though he did not have the money to buy a ticket.

When Laurino arrived at the train station, he happened to run into a friend. “What brings you here, Laurino?” his friend asked. “I am hoping to go to San Giovanni Rotondo to see Padre Pio,” Laurino said. “He has invited me to visit him.” Laurino then explained that he could not afford to purchase a ticket. It so happened that a man who was standing close by overheard the conversation. “If you would like to come along with me, I am driving to San Giovanni Rotondo,” the man said to Laurino. Laurino was amazed at the wonderful way things were working out in his favor. Without his even asking for help, he had been offered free transportation to San Giovanni Rotondo. He happily accepted the man’s invitation. The man turned out to be Dr. Giuseppe Gusso, a close friend of Padre Pio’s and the medical director of Padre Pio’s hospital, the Home for the Relief of Suffering.

At the monastery of Our Lady of Grace, Laurino attended Padre Pio’s early morning Mass. Afterward, he followed a large group of men into the sacristy to receive Padre Pio’s blessing. Among the many men who were gathered in the sacristy, Padre Pio noticed Laurino and stared at him intently. He motioned to Laurino with his hand to step forward.

Laurino became very nervous. “Padre Pio can’t be looking at me,” he said to himself. “He must be looking at one of the others. This is the first time I have visited his monastery. He doesn’t even know me.” Then he heard Padre Pio say, “Laurino, come here at once!” Laurino’s whole body began to tremble. How on earth did Padre Pio know his name? “Go over to the hospital and prepare the food for my sick,” Padre Pio said to Laurino. “I can’t do that,” Laurino replied. “I don’t know how to cook. I have never cooked in my life. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Padre Pio repeated the words a second time, “Laurino, go over to the hospital and prepare food for my sick.” Just the thought of it filled Laurino with profound fear. However, Padre Pio was insistent. “If I go to the hospital kitchen and try to cook, will you help me?” Laurino asked. “Yes, I will be there with you and I will assist you,” Padre Pio replied.

Laurino walked out of the church and across the plaza to Padre Pio’s hospital. The year was 1958. As soon as he entered the hospital, he was introduced to one of the nuns who worked there. “You must be the new cook for the hospital!” the nun exclaimed. “We have been waiting for you anxiously and are so glad that you have arrived!” Laurino was dumbfounded at her words.

Laurino was even more shocked when he walked into the hospital kitchen. Standing before him were a number of the kitchen employees. They stared at him in silence, obviously waiting for his instructions for the day’s meal preparation. He looked around and noticed the massive ovens, stoves, refrigerators, and sinks. The pots and pans looked large enough to feed an army. Just looking at the huge kitchen and the variety of cooking equipment was a frightening experience.

As Laurino continued to look around the kitchen, his fears began to subside. Suddenly, everything seemed strangely familiar to him, as though he had always been a cook. He felt confident that he could do what was required of him. He then proceeded to give the instructions to the kitchen staff. That first day on the job, Laurino cooked for 450 people.

Laurino had only intended to stay a day or two in San Giovanni Rotondo before returning to his family in Padua. But suddenly he had a steady job and an income. He was the head cook of the Home for the Relief of Suffering. It was unbelievable but true. He cooked not only for the patients but also for the doctors, nurses, and all other employees.

Padre Pio encouraged Laurino to bring his wife and children to live in San Giovanni Rotondo but Laurino did not want to. He felt sure that his family would not like living in the small southern town. His own first impressions of San Giovanni Rotondo had not been favorable. It was very different from Padua. But Padre Pio was insistent that Laurino bring his family to San Giovanni Rotondo and so he did.

Laurino was very grateful that he had a job. He knew that it was because of Padre Pio’s prayers that he had been hired on as the head cook at the hospital. It was a blessing to be working so close to the monastery and to have the opportunity to see Padre Pio regularly.

For a reason that he was not quite sure of, Laurino began to have doubts about Padre Pio. He began to question Padre Pio’s sanctity and could not seem to shake the doubts. “Yes, Padre Pio is a good priest,” Laurino would say to himself, “but I don’t think he is a saint.” The uncertainty about Padre Pio plagued Laurino for a period of three years. He never told anyone about it, not even his wife.

One day, when Laurino was about to make his confession to Padre Pio, he was shocked to see a deep cross on Padre Pio’s forehead. Blood was running down his face from the cross. Laurino began to tremble. He called out to Padre Pio but Padre Pio made no reply. He reached into his pocket for his handkerchief so that he could wipe the blood from Padre Pio’s face but his hand seemed to freeze in his pocket. He could not move. Padre Pio stared at Laurino in silence. All that Laurino was able to do was to stare back at him. He felt like he was going to faint.

Finally, after about ten minutes, Padre Pio made a deep and long sigh as though he was coming back to awareness of the world. He then asked Laurino how long it had been since his last confession. “It has been nine days,” Laurino replied. Padre Pio began to name, one by one, the sins that Laurino had intended to confess to him. As Padre Pio pronounced the words of absolution, the cross on his forehead began to disappear. The experience with Padre Pio had been so intense, that Laurino let out a shriek as he was leaving the confessional. The others who were waiting in line to make their confession thought that perhaps he had been reprimanded by Padre Pio. Laurino began to cry. He cried for three days and three nights. Try as he might, he could not get control of his emotions. He prayed the Rosary constantly. He lost his appetite. It was very difficult for him to get to sleep at night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Padre Pio bleeding from the cross in the center of his forehead. It was impossible for Laurino to get the image out of his mind.

At the Home for the Relief of Suffering, Laurino’s supervisor noticed the change in his behavior and had a heart to heart talk with him. “You must get control of yourself,” he said to Laurino. “You have a job to do here. You have a wife and children to think of. It is obvious that you need to calm down and get more rest.” Laurino wanted with all his heart to regain his peace of mind. His world had been turned upside down by his experience in the confessional. He decided to talk to one of the Capuchins about what had happened. He told Father Clemente the full story and asked him what he thought it meant. Father Clemente did not have an answer as to why Padre Pio had revealed himself to Laurino in such a way. He advised him to speak to Padre Pio directly and to ask for an explanation.

Laurino decided to do what Father Clemente had suggested. One day he walked to the monastery, intending to ask Padre Pio for an explanation as to what had happened in the confessional. He was almost at the monastery door, when he lost his courage and turned back to walk home. A short distance from his home, he decided to make another effort. Once again, he retraced his steps to the monastery.

At the monastery, Laurino went to the area where the Capuchins had their private quarters. He saw Padre Pio standing right outside of his cell, leaning against the door. As soon as Laurino came into view, Padre Pio looked in his direction. Laurino had the feeling that Padre Pio had been expecting him. Laurino suddenly became very nervous. He wanted to talk to Padre Pio about what had happened but at the same time, he knew that he did not have the courage to do so. He turned around to walk away but he suddenly felt frozen to the spot. He was unable to move. “Laurino, what is the matter?” Padre Pio asked. Try as he might, Laurino was not able to utter a single word.

Laurino finally found his voice and said, “Padre Pio, when I made my confession to you, I saw a cross on your forehead. Blood was dripping down your face from the cross. Why did you allow me to see you suffering so much? What did it mean? Is it because of my sins that you suffer like you do?” “No, of course not,” Padre Pio replied. “It was a grace that God gave you. It is that simple.” From that moment on, peace returned to Laurino’s heart. He finally understood. God had given him that experience in order to dispel the doubts he had about Padre Pio’s sanctity. After speaking to Padre Pio, the doubts vanished and never returned.

Laurino knew that Padre Pio had a deep affection for him and he always had the strong impression that Padre Pio did not want him to venture away from San Giovanni Rotondo. After he had worked at the Home for the Relief of Suffering for several years, he told Padre Pio that he was going to take some days off in order to visit his mother and father in Padua. “That will be ok,” Padre Pio said. “But after you visit your relatives, I want you to come straight back. Please don’t be gone too long.” Shortly before Padre Pio died, Laurino told him that he was going to take a brief vacation. “No, do not go,” Padre Pio said insistently. But Laurino explained to Padre Pio that he felt the need to take the time off. “How many days do you plan to be away?” Padre Pio asked. “I want to go for seven or eight days,” Laurino replied. “Use five days for your vacation but no more,” Padre Pio said. Laurino agreed to his request. It wasn’t long before Laurino understood why Padre Pio had insisted that he be gone for no more than five days. Laurino was back in San Giovanni Rotondo when Padre Pio passed onto his eternal reward. __________

What fame he (Padre Pio) had. How many followers from around the world. Why? Was it because he was a philosopher, a scholar, or because he had means at his disposal? No, it was because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from morning until night and was a marked representative of the stigmata of our Lord. He was truly a man of prayer and suffering. —Pope Paul VI __________

Sister Pia D’Apolito, who was born and raised in San Giovanni Rotondo, had contact with Padre Pio on several occasions during her youth. She was just fifteen years old when she met Padre Pio for the first time. She described him as being “very kind and very handsome, with gentle manners, even though he could be severe on occasion.” He was thirty years old at the time.

Like all of the other citizens of San Giovanni Rotondo, Sister Pia and her family were very much aware of Padre Pio’s reputation of holiness. They were also acquainted with his parents, Grazio and Giuseppa Forgione. Sister Pia never forgot the time Grazio and Giuseppa paid a visit to their home. They were very worried about Padre Pio’s exhausting schedule at the monastery and said, “Our poor son, they are going to kill him by making him stay so long in the confessional!” They were also deeply concerned about his deteriorating health but felt at a loss to know what to do to help him.

Sister Pia’s brother, Brother Giovanni Crisostomo, was one of the Capuchin students who lived at the monastery of Our Lady of Grace. In order to assist him in meeting his financial obligations, the superior of the monastery made a special arrangement. In exchange for the monthly fee of fifteen lire, which the family could not afford to pay, Sister Pia and her mother agreed to take care of the washing and ironing of the laundry of Giovanni Crisostomo and two other Capuchin students. Every Saturday the clean laundry was delivered to the monastery and the laundry that needed to be washed was picked up.

Sometimes, when Sister Pia’s younger brother was unable to deliver the laundry, she would take his place. On one occasion when Sister Pia knocked on the monastery door, she was greeted by Padre Pio rather than the regular doorkeeper. She was both surprised and elated to see Padre Pio standing right in front of her. After she handed him the laundry, he asked her to wait a moment. He came back with a large bar of chocolate. “This is for you,” he said. “I know how much you like chocolate.”

In the monastery of Our Lady of Grace, Brother Giovanni Crisostomo had been given the job of assisting Padre Pio with many of his daily tasks. Every morning he went to Padre Pio’s cell and helped him wash his wounds. He would describe in detail, the terrible wounds on Padre Pio’s body. Although the stigmata caused great pain and suffering to Padre Pio, he never complained, and that made Brother Giovanni Crisostomo admire him all the more. Later, Brother Giovanni Crisostomo was sent as a missionary to East Africa where he contracted malaria and passed away at the young age of thirty-two years. Padre Pio was very grieved when he learned about his death. As time passed, Sister Pia D’Apolito felt the call to a religious vocation and after much prayer and reflection, she made application to the Dominican congregation and was accepted. Later, she was sent to the monastery of St. Anthony in Gubbio, Italy, a town that was made famous by St. Francis of Assisi. From time to time she was able to return to San Giovanni Rotondo for a family visit. She spent most of the days in the church at Our Lady of Grace because she wanted to be close to Padre Pio. Throughout her life, he remained her inspiration. __________

My heart is at peace when I want what God wants, when I desire only what He desires…My mind is at peace when I know what God knows insofar as a creature can participate in the ocean of divine wisdom. My mind is at peace when I assent because I want to do whatever God has revealed. Not because I understand what this means or can explain the mysteries of revelation, but because I trust in God’s authority and submit my intellect to His. In a word, I have peace of mind when I have the truth. When my thoughts agree with God’s thoughts, and my judgments correspond to His, I have the truth and I am at peace. Peace of mind, then, is the experience of the truth. It is the result of truth. It is the fruit of truth. — Father John Hardon __________

My daughter Nicole was pregnant with identical twin girls and had a medical crisis. Her due date was Sept. 24, 2011. On Sunday, June 19, 2011, my daughter was feeling significant pain in her side and called her doctor to advise him. The doctor told her it was probably the twins resting on a nerve but scheduled an appointment for that Wednesday, June 22. The doctor examined Nicole and said that everything appeared to be fine but decided to do a sonogram. The sonogram indicated that one baby had too much fluid. This condition is called TTTS (twin to twin transfusion syndrome). They rushed Nicole to the hospital and she was met by a team of doctors. The doctors said she was in a stage 4 condition of TTTS which is very serious.

The twins had slight heart beats and the doctors suggested the following options to my daughter:

A) Cut the umbilical cord of baby Taylor, the twin with too much fluid. Taylor would then die but possibly baby Alexa would survive.

B) Take no action and at some point both babies would die.

C) Deliver the babies immediately although there was no guarantee that they would live.

My daughter had just a few minutes to make a decision and she chose option C and both babies were delivered via an emergency C-Section at Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, New York. The twins were delivered at 26 ½ weeks and a few minutes after birth were given the Apgar test which tells the general health of the newborn. The score is from one to ten, one being the lowest. Taylor received a score of one and medically had no chance of survival. Alexa was given a two to three score and had a slightly better chance of survival.

While this was happening I received a call that the twins were dying and that I should leave my hair salon business and come immediately to the hospital. While driving to the hospital, which was forty-five minutes away, I prayed and cried, asking the Lord to save the twins. I felt in my heart that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me saying that they would survive. It took seventeen minutes to stabilize Taylor who was in grave danger and then both babies were placed in two separate incubators. I was surrounded by bad news for days so I took a picture of St. Pio’s bleeding hands and put it in the incubator with Taylor who was in critical condition. Alexa was in stable but critical condition. I had a strong desire to put a picture of Blessed John Paul II in the incubator as well. I had a 5 by 7 plaque at home of John Paul II but it was too big to put in the incubator. I asked my sister and family and friends if anyone had a smaller picture of him but I had no success in finding one. At this point I asked the Lord for His will to be done and prayed to St. Pio and Blessed John Paul II to intercede.

A week went by and one of my customers came into the hair salon. He was seventeen years old and told me he had just returned from Rome and while praying in front of the tomb of John Paul II he felt led to get a picture of him and a medal and bring it to me. The young man said he didn’t understand it but he knew he had to do it. I put the picture in Taylor’s incubator and the rest was in God’s hands.

The twins are now four years old and weight over thirty-five pounds and are both in good health. We are not sure which doctor or nurse placed this on Taylor’s crib, but the morning of discharge from the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) there was a Certificate of Excellency on Taylor’s crib that read, "Taylor Walker, 114 days in the NICU — A True Miracle." —Mr. Raffaele Ferraioli __________

God has called you into existence. He wanted to, he meant you to exist. He shaped a life for you, an environment, an education, circumstances, natural gifts, an eternal destiny. You were the subject of his loving forethought, no less deliberately than if you had been the only thing he had created. If God created you so deliberately, thought of you as an individual person, he thinks of you as an individual person still. The Almighty Power, whose word sways the whole of creation, makes you the subject of his loving regard…God cares about you as if he had nobody else to care for. God is to be thought of as a Person in a very practical sense — that he knows us, loves us, and does for us. And we are persons so that we may love him, serve him, and do things for him. That is what we are here for. — Monsignor Ronald Knox

#padre pio

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paladin-andric · 7 years ago

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Character Bio: Lexius, Priest of the Order

Lexius stood silently, staring the soldiers down as they turned the monastery inside out. Relics overturned, incense on the floor, cloth torn and tossed about...the entire scene shook the priest. How could they do this?

This was the house of God.

This lovely, radiant temple dedicated to the Lord was nearly being desecrated. It looked as though a raiding party had swept through the place! Every room, every floor...all was in tatters.

And all because of their paranoia! Their disbelief that only humans resided in this monastery. They just HAD to search every nook and cranny in the hopes of finding a non-human stowaway.

...well, to be fair, they WERE correct. The servant was well concealed, however. Lexius could only watch in silence and hope they didn’t find the-

The priest felt his heart sink as a soldier pulled a rug away, revealing a trapdoor. The man smirked at the priest.

“Gotcha.”

Lexius quickly recovered, maintaining his emotionless mask of a face as he replied. “Just a storage room. Hasn’t been used in years.”

“Hah, we’ll see about that.”

While outwardly he was the essence of stoicism, inside the priest was in a panic. They were going to find him! Oh Lord, the little thing would give himself away, squealing in terror when he heard the soldiers...

Lexius slowly followed the soldier, climbing down the ladder even has he heard the other priests shouting at the rest of the soldiers. They were most enraged at the treatment the levies were giving this place. Of course Lexius was as well, but he had to maintain his calm facade...for HIS sake.

Lexius stood by the ladder, arms folded in front of him as he coolly eyed the soldier. The basement was small, musty, dark, and full of dust. It was quite true that no one ever used this room; the attic was far more appealing with its many candles, stairwell and larger size. This room was filled with old shelves, sacks and crates no one ever found any need to come and use.

The soldier quickly began opening boxes and knocking bags over, scouring the room for hiding spots. He went through the area feverishly, quickly going from one place to the next.

Lexius could feel his heart pounding in his chest. If he found the stowaway, no doubt the priests would be in just as much trouble as the servant.

Lexius gritted his teeth. It felt like hours had passed! How much longer would he be at it?!

The priest’s eyes widened as the soldier found a barrel in the corner of the room, having tossed all the junk in front of it aside.

“End of the line...” Lexius thought to himself.

The man opened the barrel, looking inside of the container...and then tossed the lid aside and turned around, eyes gazing back and forth.

“Satisfied?” Lexius asked, hands on his hips. The soldier walked up to the priest and leaned in close, staring into the priest’s eyes, face scrunched up in thought.

This strange standoff was driving Lexius mad with worry, but still he held his deadpan gaze.

“...hmph.” The soldier turned and climbed back up the ladder.

Lexius broke his cover for the first time since the soldiers had arrived, widening his eyes and wiping his forehead. How terribly close that was!

He followed the man back up to the main floor, putting his “mask” back on as he climbed out of the basement.

“All clear here, lads!” The soldier shouted, “We done?”

“Yeah, move out!” Another soldier replied, “We’ve still got more places to hit!”

Lexius crossed his arms as the men marched out of the monastery, other priests walking up to the door to watch.

As the soldiers got back on their horses and raced away, the priests approached Lexius.

“Lexius!” A woman cried, “Is he...?”

The priest smiled for the first time today. “Still tucked away safely.”

“Oh, thank the Lord.” One of the men muttered.

The group descended back into the basement. Lexius quickly grabbed the barrel the soldier had searched and pulled it away from the wall.

The priest was met with a terrified meep from the crevice under the wall.

“Whoops, probably should have made myself known...” Lexius thought, grimacing.

“Hey, it’s all right, Rascal. It’s me.” The priest smiled and crouched down, looking into the crevice.

A terrified looking kobold gazed back up at Lexius, eyes lighting up as he recognized the man. The little creature quickly scuttled out of his hiding spot, latching onto the priest’s robes.

“Haha, it’s alright, Rascal. They’re gone. They don’t know about you.”

“Can’t believe they got that close, though...” One of the priests chimed in.

The kobold made a distressed trilling noise, pulling the priest’s robes tighter.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry,” Lexius cooed, “Everything is okay! You’re safe now.” He patted the small servant on the back, eliciting a smile from the creature.

“Now than!” The priest said, standing up, “We’ve got some work to do. I know you usually just tidy up, but those men left this place a pigsty. You’re going to be busy today, as we all are!”

The kobold nodded and started walking, continuing to clutch onto Lexius’ robes as he and the other priests began walking away, ready to repair the devastated monastery.

Lexius’ life started off quite differently than how he lives today. The man was originally the son of a wealthy merchant, his father used his great wealth to marry into a poor noble house, effectively raising him from a lowborn commoner into low nobility. Lexius was raised with all the comforts a well-off son of a noble could expect. He was well educated, well trained, and lived rather comfortably.

All this changed once Lexius began reading the Holy Texts. He quickly became fascinated with God and the tales of the holy men of old at a young age. He read every last page of the Texts from front to back. Proverbs, the story of creation, the first faithful on Earth, the commandments and tales of heaven...it was all so terribly fascinating.

After convincing his father, Lexius shifted his studies towards theology, becoming more and more familiar with the scriptures and their meanings. He attended church regularly, and enrolled in many discussion groups and volunteer missions.

When he became an adult, Lexius decided he wanted to officially join the Order as an ordained priest. After a few classes and tests, the Order welcomed him as Brother Lexius. He was assigned to work at the Godwin Monastery, deep in the wild forests of Southern Geralthin.

Lexius excelled in holy arts. Blessing, healing, sanctifying and calling forth God’s power...he was quite skilled, though he rarely found use for these abilities in the monastery. It was very quiet and peaceful, with not much to occupy his time with.

While staying in the monastery and getting accustomed to life as a priest, some rustling in the attic woke some of the priests up one night. Fearing the worst, the group discussed what should be done. Lexius volunteered to go up into the attic, armed with nothing but a candlestick.

Shaking in fear, the priest quietly stalked the attic, flashes of lightning illuminating the pitch black room.

It was during one of these flashes of lightning that he was met with the face of a kobold, rifling through one of the sacks of supplies they kept in the attic.

It gazed up at him, its fear mirroring the priest’s own. For a moment, time seemed to freeze at they stared at each other.

Both of them screamed in terror, the kobold tripping and falling over while Lexius stumbled backwards and clutched onto the candlestick with all his might.

After regaining his senses, Lexius moved forward, ready to attack the monster that was desecrating the Lord’s house.

The beast, however, simply cowered in fear, holding his hands over his head and whimpering.

While he could very well have fought the creature, Lexius didn’t exactly feel comfortable with beating a helpless, cowering person to death with a candlestick.

After some time talking with the rest of the priests while the creature hid in one of the sacks, Lexius attempted to talk with the kobold. It didn’t appear to be able to speak, although it DID seem to be able to understand them. Strange, it knew the tongue of man, yet couldn’t speak it...

After some time hanging around the monastery, the kobold started visiting it frequently, hiding out in the attic during rain and approaching Lexius while he went about his duties. The little thing seemed to have formed some attachment to the priest.

Eventually, he stopped leaving altogether, slowly becoming more and more comfortable around the priests, as they stopped becoming alarmed when he made himself known around them. He began to watch the priests tend to the monastery, mimicking them. He started sweeping the floors, dusting the artifacts, and moving supplies to and from where they needed to go.

The priests dubbed the kobold “Rascal”, and let him do whatever chores he decided on doing each day. It was less work for them, at least.

Through all of this, he never spoke, even in his native tongue. Lexius had the creeping suspicion that he was mute, either physically or through choice.

Carrying along like this, Lexius became quite close with the tiny, easily frightened beast. He sat down with Rascal during supper, read the Holy Scriptures to him, and simply vented from time to time, the kobold always answering with a silent stare and a nod.

When the Exile happened, the monastery was lucky enough to be warned ahead of time. They hid Rascal away when the soldiers came, luckily managing to keep him concealed while the soldiers turned the place inside out. This close call was celebrated, and all were quite happy.

A couple of years later, the news of Palethorn came. Fog blanketed the city in darkness, rumors of demons roaming the city floated around. Whispers of the end times were heard...

Lexius made a choice. He couldn’t let this happen. By God’s will, the demonic darkness must be destroyed. Even though he had never fought a battle in his life, he couldn’t just sit around and hope the demonic fog went away. It wasn’t the right thing to do.

In the dead of night, Lexius slipped away from the monastery. Even the kobold was asleep, snoring loudly under Lexius’ bed. He left a note on his bedside, apologizing for leaving his brothers and sisters like this, but noting that this had to be done.

He took the small savings from his father with him, ordering a shortsword, wooden shield, and a suit of chainmail from a smithy in town.

Quivering with fear, Lexius took a deep breath and stepped into the darkness.

After reaching Palethorn, the devastation and emptiness of the city fueled his resolve. His cause was most righteous! After some time wandering, he came across some survivors who ushered him to the Citadel, the last bastion of life in the city.

With a small group of determined adventurers at his side, and zeal in his heart, Lexius seeks to destroy God’s most vile enemies once and for all.

Although, he isn’t thrilled about it. He has no experience in battle, and is clearly outmatched. And although he isn’t afraid to die, he DOES want to make it through this in one piece...

...after all, what would Rascal do without him?

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