Dharma

Kuei-jin

Dharma: (Hinduism and Buddhism) the principle that orders the universe; one's conduct in conformity with such a principle.

For the Kuei-jin, a Dharma is a path to enlightenment which allows them to transcend their bestial natures and holds out hope for enlightenment and rejoining the Karmic cycle. As demonic creatures, enlightenment is far harder for Kuei-Jin, and the path to wisdom can take millennia.

History

The Dharmas were originally outlined by the Grand Arhat Xue (who used the term Di'hana in his writings), who received five or one paths to enlightenment and transmitted them through his disciples (save for one who fled to the West). Xue himself reached the Hundred Clouds and has not been heard of since he achieved enlightenment. Since that time, the Dharmas have formed the religious basis of Kuei-Jin society; every Cathayan adopts a Dharma and progresses onwards to enlightenment.

Dharmic progression is tied to the Wheel of Ages. In earlier times, enlightenment was faster (or perhaps by virtue of having Wan Kuei who were once Wan Xian, the road was easier seen). However, as each age has progressed, the time required to achieve enlightenment lengthens and the gifts of higher wisdom are less profound. Progression

Vampires advance in their Dharma by achieving moments of enlightenment, called dah. These moments arrive rarely, and can be triggered by great insight into one's dharma, or occasionally by great diversion from it. Each step of the way is progressively harder, with the time between moments of enlightenment taking years, then centuries, then millennia at the highest levels. The most enlightened Kuei-Jin spend much of their time in contemplation, chasing those moments of clarity.

Physically, higher enlightenment brings rewards. Dharmas traditionally follow a ten step path, with a chih-mei having a rating of zero, and the Hundred Clouds at rank 10. In Kindred terms, a Kuei-Jin has a Generation roughly equivalent to 13 - their Dharma score. In particular, with a Dharma above 5, the Kuei Jin can raise their attributes to 6 or higher. In addition, Dharma rank influences how much chi can be stored and spent, and what type of nourishment a Kuei-Jin can take. Chih-mei subsist on flesh, low-dharma Kuei-Jin on blood, higher dharma Kuei-Jin on breath, and the most enlightened can absorb chi ambiently.

Social role is determined at least partly by Dharma. As a rule, a character aspiring to be an ancestor must have a Dharma rating of at least 6. Bodhisattvas have a minimum dharma rating of 9.

Known Dharmas

Orthodox Dharmas and Virtues

• Howl of the Devil Tiger (P'o). The Devil-Tigers believe that they are replacements for the incompetent demons of ages past; they punish sinners and seek enlightenment through pain and violence.
• Song of the Shadow (Yin). The yin-aspected Song of the Shadow, also known as Bone Flowers, are coldly logical necromancers who seek dispassionate reasoning and enforcement of dharmic balance. They are also tightly tied to mortal society through their descendants, and often assist their families even centuries afterward.
• The Way of the Resplendent Crane (Hun). The Way of the Resplendent Crane is a highly legalistic collection of schools, dedicated to reversing the Wheel of Ages and restoring virtue.
• Dance of the Thrashing Dragon (Yang). The often misunderstood Thrashing Dragon dharma recognizes that they are dead, but seeks to achieve enlightenment by imitating and interacting with the living. Despite the stunned disbelief of some Resplendent Cranes, they are a fully recognized Dharma, even if they seem to eat and screw their way through unlife.
• Path of a Thousand Whispers (Balance). The Thousand Whispers live a sequence of masks, new identities they construct after death in order to understand mortal life and hopefully transcend it.

Heretical Dharmas

• Spirit of the Living Earth: These Kuei-Jin are shamans and interact with spirits, seeking both advice and adhering to taboos.
• Face of the Gods. Possibly the most extreme heresy, the Face of the Gods claim that the Kuei-Jin are exiled Gods. They set up their own cults with worshippers and extract chi from prayer.
• Flame of the Rising Phoenix. The Flame of the Rising Phoenix dharma holds that the purpose of the Second Breath is to make restitution for the crimes of one's life. The dharma is noted for its members failing (or occasionally disappearing) after a short period of time.
• Tempest Of Inward Focus: An alternative balanced dharma, the Tempests pursue a Taoist path in comparison to the Confucian courts.

Akuma Dharma

• Scorpion Eater: This dharma holds that the Sixth Age is inevitable, that the victory of the Yama Kings is inevitable and that the only logical response it to learn to eat scorpions, feed on waste, and survive the coming times of judgment.

Extinct Dharma

• The Way of Ten Thousand Screams: A dharma that stood in opposition to the Fivefold Way and was eradicated. Its followers preached union with the Yama Kings and saw their new state as a way to serve the August Personage as destroyers.

Kin-jin Dharmas

For the Kuei-jin, the concept of a "Clan" in which you are Embraced is alien. Like most Cainites do not differ between the various dharmas of the Cathayans, so do most Kuei-jin believe that the Kin-jin are all the same. Recent contact, however, challenged that claim. Bone Flowers have taken up study of the various "dharmas" that the western vampires seem to adhere. These dharmas are seen as even less than the heretical dharmas, given that no Cainite has ever progressed beyond the state of hin and their general ignorance of the spirit world, obvious marks of failure in the eyes of the Kuei-jin. To date, they have classified seven[1].

• The Hundred-Mask Clowns, referring to Clan Ravnos
• The Shameful Path of the Ghost Bully, referring to Clan Giovanni
• The Silent Tiger Brotherhood, likely referring to Clan Assamite
• The Rut of the Pretentious Geisha, likely referring to Clan Toreador
• The Way of the Insufferable Flesh Gardners, likely referring to Clan Tzimisce
• The Inauspicious Order of Blood Devils, likely referring to Clan Tremere
• The Thousand Charming Company Men, likely referring to the Clan Ventrue

During the Victorian Era, the Bone Flowers also studied the Paths of Enlightenment under the umbrella term Dharmas of the Unexamined Horizon, before declaring them hoaxes. One could argue that Golconda as formulated by Saulot after his travels to the Middle Kingdom was inspired by the dharmas of Xue.

Dharma Rankings

Chih-Mei (DHARMA O)

The lowest vampires in the karmic cycle are the chih-mei, that vast majority of Kuei-jin whose Hun souls do not survive their initial return to the world. They are the mad, the ravenous, the carrion-eaters of the Kuei-jin, the near animals. Chih-mei tend to inhabit the most rural and desolate parts of Asia, the areas that are depopulated or barren. Chih-mei can also gravitate to regions where the Chi lines are corrupted or weak; there, they fight among themselves and slay unfortunate mortals for the flesh that will sustain them.

For the most part, chih-mei are destroyed, either by other chih-mei, by mortal witch-hunters and exorcists, or by their own talons. Some courts of Kuei-jin also take it upon themselves, as part of their commonly understood duty, to purge their regions if chih-mei if they foresee a threat to their own existence or to those of mortals. Rumors circulate that certain opportunistic Kuei-jin keep packs of chained chih-mei for purposes of protection, intimidation and even gambling (in the manner of fighting cocks), although such exploitation of chih-mei violates several sacred Kuei-jin precepts. Kuei-jin regard chih-mei as unfortunate casualties of the Great Cycle, as souls condemned to truncated unlives of misery and madness. Kuei-jin who take it upon themselves to destroy chih-mei know well that they are doing the wretches a favor.

Hin (DHARMA O TO 1)

Hin are the "nonpersons": vampires who have managed to conquer their shadow nature but who have not fully proved their worthiness to exist as Kuei-jin. They are permitted to exist and taught how to feed, but are given neither rights nor responsibilities until they have been initiated into the Kuei-jin unlifestyle, a process that can take several years. The unlife of a kin is harsh, akin to that of a pledge in a military college, Although the entire Kuei-jin community takes responsibility for training htn, elders expect lessons to be learned diligently, gracefully and speedily. Hin must conduct themselves decorously, respectfully and — most important in the Fifth Age — competently. Hin who demonstrate stubbornness, disobedience or ineptitude are quickly winnowed out.

Disciple (DHARMA 1 TO 3)

All Kuei-jin who have survived the Second Breath without completely succumbing to the P'o have done so through a combination of inner strength and innate power. A Kuei-jin who manages to rise above his initial existence naturally gravitates toward a specific Dhartna, based upon his spiritual powers and strengths. After several years of rigorous training and gradual initiation, a (surviving) Kuei-jin is welcomed into the larger community, then initiated into a wu and (usually) a court of fellow Kuei-j in.

These vampires are called disciples, for, by their initiation into a wu and court, they are considered to have embarked upon the first step toward fulfilling their specific Dharma and finding their true purpose. Disciples are officially considered part of the larger Kuei-jin community. Although these Cathayans are lowest on the social ladder, they earn the basic rights of Kuei-jin, in both their court and the larger community. What rights a disciple has varies from court to court, but the fact that they achieve rights and respect from other court members is a significant episode in Kuei-jin existence. Besides being separated from the chih-mei, a disciple is accorded a respect that the childer of Kindred do not possess.

Disciples exist to further the court and the Dharma. They are the agents of continuity, the inheritors of the Dharma and the new members of the quest to reenter the Great Cycle. Rather than maltreating disciples, scorning them or using them as pawns — as Kindted do their own childer — established Kuei-jin seesuch nascent vampires as the future of the Kuei-jin race. Thus, elders must encourage and assist disciples' spiritual growth, or so disciples are told. All beginning player characters are assumed to have attained this rank.

Jina (DHARMA 4 TO 5)

Once a disciple has adhered for a certain amount of time to the teachings of his Dharma and has followed the laws of his court, he reaches a state of spiritual advancement that opens his mind and body to a greater level of inner power and magics. This state of existence, called ling, corresponds to a disciple's first comprehension of the potentiality of his power and, more importantly, ways to control it. The achievement of ling is a great accomplishment for a disciple; it is his first of many epiphanies on the mad to the completion of his Dharma. Vampires who have achieved ling are called jina, an ancient term for a spiritual guru. The conferring of jina status is a profound occurrence within Kuei-jin society; along with their increased social weight, jina also have the responsibility of instructing disciples. Upon attaining the rank of jina, such vampires are officially presented with one or more disciples, whose correct spiritual guidance is the ultimate responsibility of their respective jina. If its disciples are the future of any Kuei-jin court, its jina are the first formative influences for such beginners. As the largest social caste after disciples, jina fuel the spiritual fires of all Cathayans.

Mandarin (DHARMA 6+)

In traditional Chinese society, the class of intellectuals — the ministers, teachers and advisors to the emperor or regional governors — held a special status based on their intellectual prowess and administrative acumen. In Cathayan society, such status goes to the advisors and administrators of a court or regional ancestor; these Kuei-jin, like their mortal counterparts, are commonly called mandarins. Mandarins, be they advisors for individual courts or larger political bodies, are jina who have distinguished themselves in their roles as spiritual guides, but who also show particular affinity fur larger advisory capacities. The mandarins are a singular caste within Kuei-jin society; they have their own customs, rituals and patois sepatate from all other social levels. Mandarins function as political advisors to ancestors, as ambassadors among the different courts, and as spiritual advisors to jina. Some mandarins perform other duties: Minister of Ceremonies, Foreign-Devil-Slaying General or First Interrogator, for example. The mandarins are also given the awesome responsibility within each court of selecting the court's ancestor.

Considering their vast array of responsibilities, many Kuei-jin are puzzled by the taciturn and insular nature of mandarins; although they are received within Kuei-jin society as trusted spiritual advisors and de facto kingmakers, the enigmatic aura that envelops them remains bewildering to many, although very few Kuei-jin would actually admit such a thing.

Ancestor (DHARMA 7+)

The term "ancestor" has multiple definitions for Kuei-jin. It can refer to the original founder or one of the original founders of a Kuei-jin court. These figures are usually called "Imperial Ancestors" or simply "emperors" to distinguish them from the modern meaning of the term, which is either the head of a specific court or the governor of a region comprising several courts of Kuei-jin (something akin to a Kindred prince). It is a court's mandarins who choose a court's ancestor, if one is chosen at all; they select candidates through a combination of debate and spirirual revelation, as well as the state of a candidate's Dharma. Such selection is strictly the purview of the court's mandarins; they have the final say in the consideration of candidates and appointment thereof. The selection of an ancestor to govern a city or region of Kuei-jin is a more open affair. In this instance, each court of Kuei-jin within a city or region may send a delegation to convene, to put forth and to consider candidates, and eventually to select the ancestor of a city or region. The Kuei-jin appointed to this post invariably displays great political ambition and guile and has the spiritual grounding in his Dharma to effectively represent the Kuei-jin under his authority. For this reason, the ancestor of a city has traditionally been ancestor of a court, but this qualification is not stringent: On some rare occasions, due to a low Kuei-jin population or because of a powerful exhibition of talent, a mandarin or high-level jina is appointed ancestor.

Imbuing a Kuei-jin with ancestorship of a court or city is never automatic. Any Kuei-jin selected must undergo a test of leadership and character, thus proving his fitness to rule. Called the Three Dialogues, the test ranges over three nights and calls upon every facet of a Kuei-jin's abilities to pass it. The first night is a test of the mind. The candidate is effectively grilled for the entire night by all teachers and mandarins in the court (or, in the case of a regional appointment, by all the assembled delegates) to determine his command of the vast library of Cathayan philosophy and teachings. Fierce debate over spiritual matters and commands to recall the most obscure, out-of-context references from the major works of Cathayan thought are the norm. A potential ancestor is expected to conduct his arguments with razor-sharp acumen, and nothing less than perfection is tolerated.

The second night is a test of the physical body. An ancestor is expected to know how to fight, and to this end, a candidate faces five of the most respected warriors in the court. Depending upon the court, the combat may or may not employ weaponry, but the potential leader must vanquish all of his opponents, often in several battles apiece.

The third, and arguably most important night, involves testing of the soul. The mandarins and sages involved in the Dialogues collectively turn on the potential ancestor and tap into his P'o through a combination of magic and psychological warfare. The vampire must reach deep within himself to bring his near-frenzied P'o back under control and fight off the attacks of the assembly, thus maintaining a grasp on his rational, higher Hun self. In addition to testing strength of will, the activity breaks down any psychosomatic barriers that exist between the Kuei-jin and his P'o, thereby opening a successful candidate to Demon Arts that had been heretofore dormant. Needless to say, the Three Dialogues are not easy. Many apparently qualified Kuei-jin have not endured the third night of the tests, often resulting in madness or Final Death. The intensity of the Three Dialogues highlights the gravity Cathayans place upon the choosing of the right ancestor, and it shows the vampires' willingness to destroy one of their own rather than suffer the consequences of a poor choice. Kuei-j in believe that Heaven, the spirit worlds and the Great Cycle invariably illuminate the correct choice for ancestorship. The Three Dialogues serve as the traditional way of discovering the wishes of these august forces.

Bodhisatva (DHARMA ?+)

When a Kuei-j in reaches the final stages of his Dharma, he removes himself from the larger world, from political and social interaction, and lives the unlife of an ascetic. These ascetics are known as bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas are primarily concerned with the end of their Dharmas and their earthly existences — though most remain in the Middle Kingdom for centuries more, instructing lesser Kuei-jin and providing unliving examples of correct behavior. Near the end of their Dharmas, bodhisattvas obtain communion with the spirit worlds: They experience frequent contact with historic Kuei-jin, Grand Ancestors, the Yin and Yang Worlds, and even the Yama Kings, all of whom bodhisattvas believe grant the final answers for transcending earthly existence. It is only when a Kuei-jin reaches the final stages of his Dharma that his consciousness opens to this dialogue with the ancients. (Zao-lat, the imperfect one, dubbed this state the "Suspire.") Relatively few Kuei-jin ever attain the rank of bodhisattva; the process takes centuries, even millennia, and most Kuei-jin meet Final Death or succumb to the P'o long before they reach the bodhisnttva stage. Kuei-jin who do reach the bodhisattva stage are vastly powerful beings — easily on the level of a Kindred Methuselah — and are revered as near-gods by other Kuei-jin. (Some are feared, and rightly so; those bodhisattvas following the Devil-Tiger Dharma, for example, have spent centuries perfecting the way of monstrosity, and it shows. Even the most vicious and homicidal "enlightened ones," though, are respected rather than reviled — albeit at a safe distance.)

Although most bodhisattvas live solitary existences in the wilderness, a few congregate in remote communities across Asia. The most famous one houses the spiritual teachers of the; Shaolin Monastery in central China, all of whom are bodhisattvas. Along with their personal Dharmas, bodhisattvas act as spiritual leaders for all Kuei-jin, typically receiving any Kuei-jin who comes before them with questions. For sentimental reasons (though these sentiments are often viewed as imperfections), some bodhisattvas even maintain close ties with the ancestor of the court to which they belonged. Although they are ostensibly available for any Kuei-j in to consult, bodhisattvas' innate spiritual force can be overpowering, even debilitatingly painful, for younger Kuei-jin to endure. The bodhisattva's existence ends when he becomes an arhat, a term that symbolizes the completion of the journey along the Road Back. There have been very few arhats in the multimillennial history of the Kuei-jin. Arhats are those bodhisattvas who have completely fulfilled their Dharmas and discerned their place in the Great Cycle, They have transcended their endless hunger, and they live out the rest of their nights as total hermits before their essence is reunited with the GreatCycle.

Arhats are the saints, buddhas and holy men of Cathayan society. To many Kuei-jin, they are unliving proof that there exists a purpose for their vampiric existence. To shed one's karmic curse and rejoin the Great. Cycle is a Kuei-j in's primary and most daunting task; the arhats are testaments to the worth of a Kuei-jin's Dharma and place on Earth. Bodhisattvas believe that in their meditations they speak with the arhats, receiving guidance and advice from them. In many ways, the arhats hold a social standing and respect akin to what Kindred accord Antediluvians. Unlike those terrible Cainites, though, Kuei-jin arhats keep completely to themselves and do not interfere in the affairs of the greater Kuei-jin society. They have ended their sojourn in the Middle Kingdom and belong to the Ages and the Great Cycle.