Guide to playing a Monk

Shinsei is always thinking, Seppun once remarked.

To the contrary, Hantei corrected, Shinsei is never
thinking.

Monks are, like shugenja, the spiritual leaders of Rokugan. Many of them tend shrines, live in temples
and teach. However, unlike shugenja, the vast majority of monks in Rokugan are not, and have never
been, samurai. This puts them in a unique place in the Celetial Wheel. As spiritual leaders they are
offered respect, even by high ranking samurai, but have next to no authority outside of spiritual
matters. This means that in court unless the topic touches on spiritual matters, which is a significant
area in Rokugan, there is no advise that they can give. Even on significant spiritual matters monks of
the Brotherhood can only offer advise, even the leaders of the Brotherhood. This can be frustrating for
a monk who sees a samurai heading down a path they should not and the best they can do is petition
that samurai's lord. They can even be ignored if a samurai so chooses. Conversely, unlike shugenja,
monks regularly interact with the heimin and hinin as by a strict reading of the social order they are
part of the heimin caste.

This unique position makes them a bridge between the samurai and the peasants, though only in as far
as spiritual matters are concerned. Samurai may interact with monks with no loss of face, as seeking
spiritual guidance is something many samurai look for at various times. In fact, given the rarity of
shugenja, it is more likely that a samurai will interact with a monk on a regular basis rather then a
shugenja. This is because anyone, of any station, can petition to join the Brotherhood as a monk which
in turn has resulted in a very significant population of monks. Regardless of where they started, monks
are supposed to be treated a monks. No different then the others. However, this isn't always the case,
especially when a well known samurai retires to become a monk. Petitioners from their previous clan
may come to try to get them to come back for a task or other, and some do go back to their clan.
Leaving the Brotherhood and then coming back is frowned upon, as it may make it harder for the monk
to achieve Enlightenment, however it does happen.

Enlightenment is something that all monks, obstensively, are trying to achieve. However, not all
monks progress very far along the path. Monks are also not the only ones who can attain
Enlightenment, as anyone can attain it regardless of station, however they are the most avid seekers of
it. There is a saying among the Brotherhood, 'There are as many paths to Enlightenment as there are
seekers' and given the vastly different persons that have achieved it it is very likely the case. However
this does not mean that someone can't help guide another along the path, in fact it could be said that
that is more common then any other way. That is why there are so many different Orders in the
Brotherhood, and several different philosophies within those orders.

The various philosophies are common to all the sects in the Brotherhood, some are more common in a
specific sect then others however. The exception, somewhat at least, is if a group follows the worldly
path or the ascetic path. In the end that is up to the individual, but each sect has one that they follow
more or less. Ascetics argue that the mortal world distracts from Shinsei's wisdom and so those seeking
Enlightenment should practice self-denial and interact as little with the world at large as they can. In so
doing they would teach by example but never meddle, they would withdraw from the world to seek
their enlightenment. The worldly take a more active approach. They argue that nothing can be learned
or gained without interacting with the world as it is. Such vast differences in approach might lead to
schism in most groups, however the Brotherhood embraces both these ideals and accepted that
divergent opinions need not cause conflict, this is how the many different sects came to be.
There are other philosophical differences, though no where near to the difference that is between the
ascetic and the worldly. These philosophies are more along the lines of callings or approaches to
Enlightenment. Those that follow the Lotus dedicate themselves to a sutra called the Eight Petals of
the Lotus, focusing on emptying their minds through repetition of the sutras. The Questioners believe
that you must deny the body and question reality itself, and while they are followers of the ascetic path,
they also don't hesitate to shatter preconceptions to guide others along the path of Enlightenment.
Shintao monks believe in discarding the self, focusing on meditation to the exclusion of almost
everything else. The fourth approach is that of the Sohei, the warrior monks who focus on
strengthening the body to purify themselves in addition to defending the Brotherhood. They tend to
wear cloth wrappings and many ritually scar themselves. The fifth approach are called Yamabushi, not
to be confused with the Tamori Yamabushi, are those Brotherhood monks that forsake conventional
temples in order to dwell in the mountains, hills, and forests of the empire. Either as a hermit or by
setting up a small isolated monastery, Yamabushi are best known for their connection to the elements
and their highly physical nature.

All of this takes us back to a core ideal of the Brotherhood, Enlightenment. While all of the paths
mentioned so far are part of the True Paths, there are also things called False Paths that claim either a
shortcut or other factor to attempt to draw adherents. One thing they tend to forget is that
Enlightenment cannot be taught, a teacher on the True Path seeks to guide, not lead. How do you tell a
False Path from a True? The way that Shinsei taught is to trust not what is written, but to hone your
own perception, question everything. You must put an end to your attachments and see past the
impermanent world to comprehend the truth. A True Path will guide you towards Enlightenment,
though you must be wary for the first step, kensho, is sometimes mistaken as true Enlightenment. From
there the path moves on to satori, 'opening of one's own nature', and by adhering to this path you may
eventually achieve final, true Enlightenment, daigo.

But there are many who look to achieve Enlightenment, not only monks of the Brotherhood. In fact it
became quite common when the man called Rosoku appeared and gave his challenge. During this time
many samurai achieved kensho, however the search for Enlightenment has been a part of the samurai
caste for as long as the teachings of Shinsei have been around. The ise zumi, Togashi Tattooed Men,
are both samurai and monk at the same time, a place that they alone have in any number. What this
means is that, while they are monks, they still have the duties of a samurai and are treated as samurai.

Many shrines, even small ones, are tended by monks and most villages have at least a single shrine.
Unlike shrines, nearly all temples have monks maintaining them with only the smallest temples being
maintained by lay volunteers.

What is the deepest truth? the Emperor asked Shinsei.

Shinsei smiled and said, Everything I have taught you is wrong.