comment: | wants to fundamentally change the place without recourse and the world or get rid of them in some way. Possibly do something to break the four inconvenient truths or add some followup. * Assemble the four truths and add a fifth truth that's less nihilist * Make the Ruler and the Minister of Ragged Things different factions ** Ideally not him * Question: "What good is enlightenment forced?" ** "Shouldn't everyone choose their own enlightenment?" ** "What good is an enlightenment that comes easily/is handed to someone?" ** "Can you achieve enlightenment without effort?" ** "How can one enlightenment be better than another?" ** Question: "What good is enlightenment without the journey?" ** Answer1: "You can show someone the path, but they themself must walk it." ** Answer2: "Self-discovery is a journey one walks alone." name: Siddartha player: Molly Schmidt gender: m stuff: | [[Wild]], [[Buddhism]], [[Royal]], [[RecognizeTruths]], [[BuddhaBlank]], [[Local]], [[BuddhaFake]] contacts: |- \ThomasMorgan{Founder of a faith or philosophy different than your own. While your belief systems have historically often co-existed successfully, \theirs does keep people mired in the meaningless authority structures of the world, rather than shedding their attachments.} \Max{An actor who has recently come to you for help with \their path to Enlightenment, which seems to be in danger due to some problems \they has been having with a friend of \their.} body: |- \cenquote{“You’re the Buddha, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want and blame it on other peoples’ irrational attachment!”}{-- Jane} Your way is the way of Enlightenment. Yours is the eternal struggle against Dukkha -- the tendency of the universe towards suffering. It's not easy. But you're Enlightened! That means you can get away with a lot of stuff. Besides, if people don't like it, that's just a consequence of their irrational attachment. However, Dukkha is a fundamental property of the world. That means that you struggle against a fundamental property of the world. Clearly, some change is required! And you're just the Buddha to do it. But change is tricky. There are rules the universe goes by. Those rules and subject to change, of course, but there are rules nonetheless. Out there, there are Answers that contain Truths. A long time ago, you used the Four Noble Truths\footnote{``All life is suffering'', ``suffering is caused by desire'', ``suffering can be ended'', and ``the way to end suffering is by following the Noble Eightfold Path''.} to help people escape suffering. That was quite a change! It basically replaced a world of inescapable suffering with something new. That was rather good, in fact. But there are other Truths out there. Some of these Truths are inconvenient. In fact, there's a set of exactly 4 Answers, just like yours were, that could replace the world of your truths with something else! Perhaps you can change that. Perhaps you can gather the 4 Inconvenient Truths and add a fifth Truth. Perhaps one that'd make the set less... nihilistic? There are also rules that govern this place, the Place Without Recourse. Those are subject to change as well. In fact, you're already noticed how things are changing. Now the horrid bulk that is Ii Ma lies dying, and you know that this realm needs a new Ruler. However, nobody new could have the power to rule the entire Place. That's why the job has to be split between two different people. One person will nominally rule the Place, while the other will become the Minister of Ragged Things. One controls the laws of this place, while the other determines who comes here. For best results, the two should have different philosophies. Those of you who have been here a long time (namely, the judges, not the actors) all belong to one of several philosophies. Yours is that of Chaos because you don't follow any of the other 4 mutually opposed philosophies. Not picking a side means Chaos! Now, the two people who end up with the positions of Ruler and Minister of Ragged Things don't have to have opposite philosophies, but they should be different. (Although you're not sure Chaos counts. You don't count -- that would be taking sides. Maybe Chaos could count if it were someone else, though.) This is the way you can lead others to Enlightenment and change the ways of the world. Speaking of leading others to Enlightenment, a poor soul in great need of your help came to you seeking aid recently. \Max has been having a lot of troubles with some friend of \Max{\their}, and you have agreed to help \Max sort out this difficulty. You just can't resist aiding someone on their path to Enlightenment. Suddenly, everything falls away before you (or was it really never there). You are now back to when you arrived here, confronted by Ii Ma's horrid bulk as he asks you the question that traps you here: **What good is enlightenment without the journey?** As you regain your senses (or is it just perception of illusion?), you realize that perhaps you will have an answer soon... == Goals == * Work to make the Warden and the Minister of Ragged Things from different factions, to bring balance to this place. Ideally neither would be you, though. You tried the whole royalty thing, it didn't really suit you. * Try to keep the various world qualities of this place balanced. * Gather the Inconvenient Truths and write a follow-up truth to break their nihilistic influence. * Help others shed their irrational attachments and achieve enlightenment and freedom from Dukkha. username: badgedesc: |- <> A Happy, Smiling Buddha number: <> castinghint: | Your character is Siddartha, a judge in the Place without Recourse. Of course, you're the Buddha, and your way is the way of the Enlightenment. However, you're rather more laid back than your reputation suggests... \mf{}{You're also physically female, which isn't how you're normally depicted, and is generally confusing.} Costuming:\\ Laid-back and simple. Buddhist robes optional. Suggested reading:\\ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha\\ http://imago.hitherby.com/2005/03/maundy-thursday-the-corpse-ix/\\ http://imago.hitherby.com/2005/03/holy-saturday-stories-of-deliverance/ wrapup: <> CR: <> password: <> claimedby: Eddy status: draft answers: | [[BuddhaAnswer1]], [[BuddhaAnswer2]] email: schmolly@mit.edu