Matraism

Matraism is a religion orgiginally practiced in Askali based on the teachings of the hermit philosopher Matranes and the other shadowed masters. It contains elemente of the older animistic tradition of Askali and newer idealistic philosophical currents.

Matraism is based around the fundamental Great Principle of the universe according to the shadowed masters, that there is an ultimate, undivided essence beyond all of existence know as 'the one'. This fundamental principle believed to be the only truly existing thing, with the material world existing only as a shadow or some transient, insubstantial thing dwarfed by the infinite reality and truth that is the one.

The greater priciple or the one is viewed in the context of Askali culture as beyond a god, as the traditional gods in Askali were nature deities and spirits inhabiting existing things. The one who transcends reality is not of the same nature as these beings, and the early masters did not believe in the animistic gods, so some have described Matraism as a religion that does not worship a god. It may be more accurate though to describe the religion as monotheistic adoration of the one.

The one is eternal and limitless, and its true nature sustains all of existence in Matraist thought. It is frequently translated as God in other languages. Matraists worship the greater principle, but they consider it perfect, and its will unchanging and predetermined, so they do not pray to it except to declare in speech that "by the immutable will of the one, this may happen/this has come to pass".

A fundamental tenant of Matraist belief is to deny all other Gods and beliefs, as well as all contingent spiritual beings.

Matraists believe that the material world is insubstantial and that as people are attached to it, they are attached to transient things and thus are deluded, separated from understanding the ultimate nature of reality in the one. Chained to the delusions of the division of the universe and subjext desires arising from the sense of personal division, they cannot understand the truth of the one and are contentless and doomed to suffer, as is the nature of living in a changing world.

To know the truth, Matraists are asked to look inwards, within themselves to concentrate on nothingless and dispel the illusions of existence and the independence of their intellect, so as to realize the true eternal logos of the one. When they do this, they become one with the greater principle and escape the illusions of creation, achieving enlightenment.

The Matraists believe that evil and suffering do not actually exist, but are rather the consequences within a deluded conscious mind that has not sensed the greater principle. Their reliigious orders are primarily monks who live in silence to destroy their self-illusions and glorify the one, who exists in silence across eternity.

The early Matraist masters also preached a rigorous morality of non-violence, near total abstinence, periodic fasting, and relinquishing uneccessary possessions. The modern religion maintains these ascetic characteristics, but many have justified the occaisional use of force and violence in fhe propagation of the faith.

In Askali, the faith is somewhat syncretic with traditional veneration of nature, sacred trees and stones, and other folk beliefs, but these have been largely reinterpreted as mythical, non-divine entities, and nowadays are mostly just folk customs.