Antargat

Antargat (Bhumi: अन्तर्गत), also called the Inner Truth, is one of the sects of Satyism influenced by Yanogu thought and folklore. It was developed principally by the 17th Prior of the Amamkronsissi Monastery, Alim of the Stones. Alim revealed to his followers that there is a cycle of violence which traps all beings in our level of reality, escape and ascension comes from avoiding the two great evils: shame (लज्जा, lajja), which is what causes individuals to accept and seek out violence upon themselves; and pride (अभिमान, abhimana), which is what drives individuals to commit violence on others. Between pride and shame is humility (विनय, vinay), which is the supreme virtue of Antargat Satyism and allows all beings to avoid violence as victim and perpetrator. Vinay can be achieved in one of two ways; through living a life completely free of violence, or by expelling violence in life with rituals and humble acts. The life completely free of violence is very rare and provides that spirit with a divine-like status, according to Antargat philosophy, only seven people have ever achieved this status. Most of Antargat thought is devoted to the rituals and behaviors that cleanse the spirit of violence.

Antargat is limited almost entirely to the monasteries of the Koh Valley and surrounding area, although it shares many elements with other Satyist schools of thought.

Antargat has historically been mistranslated as "Antherghast" and it is still occasionally called the Ghost Flower sect.

Beliefs

The central belief in Antargat is that all actions have lajja (shame), abhimana (pride), or rarely vinay (neutral). Because of this, most spirits also have an aspect that is primarily shameful or proud. Shameful actions are those that accept or invite violence--thieves and lawbreakers invite violence as do those who insult others or drink to excess--and also actions that permit violence to be done, Antargat promotes the duty to retreat. Prideful actions are the commission of violence on other beings, physically striking someone or hurting them, but pride also includes coercive actions such as threats. Vinay exists for all things, including spirits. Whenever someone reduces the vinay of a spirit by harming their shrine, for example, which is what holds them aloft in higher realms, the spirit is given the power to restore their vinay in the physical world, typically by harming the perpetrator of the original harm. Many spirits exist and there are rituals to protect people who accidentally violate a spirit's vinay. There are three principles that Antargat rituals follow:

1. Balance (तुलयति, tulayati) is the principle that two opposite actions weigh against each other to cancel one another out. The two things that are weighed against each other are pride and shame. Pride is balanced out by shame; therefore the prideful should be shamed. Likewise, shame is balanced out by pride; therefore the humiliated should be exalted. In practical terms, this means that the perpetrators of violence should have violence done to them and the victims of violence should do violence to others. Almost all Antargat rituals seek to fulfill the need to balance through symbolism and divine power.
2. Non-violence (अहिंसा, ahiṃsa) is the opposite of prideful violence. It is often what should be a shameful act, but instead of being bad and reducing the spirit's vinay, it increases it by balancing prideful violence. This can take the form of symbolic or real mortification of the flesh, acts of blind obedience, or rarely a violent act made under orders instead of selfish impulse.
3. Counter-violence (विरोधी, virodhi) is the opposite of shame. Virodhi is often a violent act, but it is not prideful because it cancels out shame and increases vinay. When a person is the victim of violence and they defend themselves, for example, their act of counter-violence cancels out their shame. Rituals associated with virodhi can take the form of mortification of others, service in the military or law enforcement, and plant or rarely animal sacrifice.

Uccatara

Uccatara are the seven semi-divine humans who have achieved a life of complete non-violence without relying on tulayati or balancing actions. Three of the Uccatara are figures of Yanogu mythology--Manas, Semetei, and Seitek--who ruled without ever personally being violent, they are considered models for leadership and good rulers. Three of the Uccatara lived their entire lives in complete isolation--their life stories were revealed to Alim through his contact with spirits. The last Uccatara was Alim's own student, Kasan, who was struck on the head as a middle aged man. Kasan went into a comma and was eventually revived, but never regained his memories or all of his faculties. He eventually died from the wound, but in the brief period in which he was "reborn" and died, his life was completely free of violence.

Practices

There are three primary types of rituals in Antargat based on their objective: rituals to increase vinay and decrease pride or shame; rituals to "hone" vinay, to perfect balance between pride and shame; and rituals to communicate with higher realms. The first type of ritual is also the most common and were originally established by Alim of the Stones in his poetry collection Taş Balansı.

Orto Orto

Many rituals are small, daily activities to improve the spirit such as referring to others using an honorific (master or mistress) to reduce pride or using a diminutive to reduce shame. These kinds of activities are called "Orto Orto" (ओर्तो ओर्तो) or the "middle middle" way, and are considered some of the most virtuous behaviors since they are both humble acts and acts of humility. Rituals in this category include leaving flowers or other gifts at a shrine, washing someone else's hair, striking a monk (ritually) with a "whip" made of colorful yarn, kneeling on someone's back, and serving someone else food (especially a social inferior).

Juyoodoun

Juyoodoun (ञुयोओदोन्) means "to strike down" and refers to the everyday things that rid the soul of shame. It is also called the wrestler's method (kuroshchu jolu, कुरोस्ह्छु जोलु). The original and essential act of Juyoodoun is to strike back at an attacker. In this scenario, which was originally described by Alim and recorded by his student Bakytbek, the attacker has incurred abhimana and the victim has incurred lajja. The simplest way for both people to eliminate their vice is for them to literally exchange places. Alim demonstrated this in a wrestling match with Bakytbek, which is called the Betmeteb (बेत्मेतेब्, a play on the phrase betme bet). While in Antargat philosophy, there is always a duty to retreat, to avoid violence at all, self defense and even offense as a defense, are accepted elements of life. The Betmeteb has had a strong influence on traditional wrestling, which is practiced by monks and lay people as a sport and to celebrate certain holidays.

Bakytbek is the primary source for Juyoodoun and wrote book of the same name which describes the many ways he discovered to reduce lajja. He begins with a discussion of lajja, which he described as a sickness of the soul brought about through physical trauma. He compares it to a cut in the skin which becomes infected when untreated, eventually manifesting itself again as violence in the physical world. Bakytbek described three primary rituals that eliminate lajja through the "Wrestler's Method".

Suture is the metaphorical process of sewing closed an open wound. It applies to most cases of violence, which is when a struggle is over and so neither retreat nor self defense are options. This practice also applies to many kinds of nonviolent disagreements, which Bakytbek considered pseudo-violence and a breeding ground for evil. Because it always after the fact, Bakytbek encourages everyone to seek restitution when possible since that will undo the wound. When this is not possible, someone burdened with lajja should take a long piece of yarn or rope and tie it into knots. Once finished, the rope should be taken to a monk, who will bless it and make it into kamchy (कम्छ्य्). If the supplicant knows the person who gave them lajja, then the monk will take the kamchy to their house and leave it on their doorstep. The kamchy should then be used by the attacker on their own back, the attacker should then spill a drop of their own blood on the kamchy and give it back to the monk. Instead of using blood, the attacker can also make a new kamchy from red yarn or rope. If the attacker is not someone that the victim knows, the monk serves as surrogate and the supplicant pays the monk for their time.

Illustration of a kamchy cord

The entire kamchy ritual, being complex and sometimes expensive, is seldom used. Most people instead use kyska tuyun, which is the tying of ritual knots. Different knots have emerged over time for different affronts like bruises, broken bones, harsh words, and more recently bad driving. Many Antargat households have a large spool of rope dedicated to kyska tuyun. Kyska tuyun are often kept by the maker, but can be given to an offending party as an insult. The kyska tuyun can also be bought in stores (typically shelved around greeting cards) or from monks and given to enemies. Kyska tuyun is considered an acceptable substitute for kamchy, but the official statement on which should be used says "better one kamchy than fifty kyska tuyun", which indicates that it is not suitable to waste too much time tying knots. Malcontents in a community are often called knot-tiers for this reason.

When Antargat adherents musk seek a greater virodhi than can be supplied by a kamchy ritual, such as the murder of a family member, they wear an enlarged kyska tuyun on their clothes to indicate their desire for restitution. During the Norzin Empire, Antargat men who served in the military all wore a kyska tuyun, a sign that they were not violent and prideful, but seeking balance and virtue through their service. This has become both a part of Yanogu folklore, in which heroes wear knots for fallen brothers or fathers, and also part of military uniforms in Kumuso.

Embrocation is comparable to the application of balm or a salve to a wound. Embrocation is called for when there is no other party responsible for lajja; this is the case when someone is the victim of an accident, their attacked is dead, or they have been attacked by a spiritual power. Libation (kuyuu, कुयुउ) is the traditional method; pouring out an offering of milk at a shrine is a formal expression, but mostly it comes in the form of spilling a little water or tea when given a drink. In addition to kuyuu, it is also common to use a literal balm in a ritual called jayyuu (जय्य्लुउ). The two main types of balm are lemon and onion infused, although there are many others. When using balm religiously, it is first applied to the skin (more area for more lajja) and then a small amount of the same balm is left on a cloth outside. The underlying concept is that a bad spirit cannot tell the difference between the person and the leftover balm because they smell the same.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), a popular ingredient for jayyuu.

Jayyuu has spawned the more common tradition of keeping small towels at the door so that a guest, when leaving, can wipe their hands on the towel. This cleans off any lajja that a guest may have accidentally picked up in the house, but does not correct purposeful wrongdoing by a host. Special towels called door cloths, commonly made from felt with the image of a bird on them, are kept for this purpose. The term door cloth also applies to the more ornate, embroidered towels that are used at the hot-springs and in monasteries. These are considered especially lucky and going to a spring for spiritual cleansing is partly attributed to this tradition. It is typically enough just to rub the cloth slightly between two fingers as a polite gesture; more aggressive gestures such as wiping the hands or arms signals that the host has given insult in some way.

Cauterization is the process of burning a wound to prevent bleeding and infection and it has a similar meaning in Antargat. It is essentially the process of accepting violence, rather than seeking restitution, and inflicting virodhi on oneself. This considered the least favorable option and the Monk Bakytbek says that it should be used only when the pain of righteous virodhi on another outweighs the cost of not achieving full vinay. This kind of ritual is therefore limited to instances in which it would be inappropriate to seek virodhi, such as when the lajja originates from a close family member, a monk, or a public official. In traditional and mythic stories, this involved jvalati (ज्वलति), physical burning. Depending on the story, often a husband who loves his wife too much to hit her, the supplicant would walk over hot coals with their bare feet, hold their hands into the fire, or brand themselves with the name of the offending party. The Monk Bakytbek, however, calls this kind of behavior full of prideful exhibitionism, and instead suggests pouring hot wax from a blessed candle on the skin or touching a brand to a hidden part of the body.

Even Bakytbek's recommendations are too extreme for most circumstances and so there is a separate set of rituals called "raksa" (रक्षा) or "the ashes". There are the greater and lesser raksa rituals. The Greater Ritual is the burning of a part of the self, but not the self. This includes burning a lock of hair and fingernail clippings--excreta is not acceptable--and has given rise to the collection of fingernail clippings in raksa jars. Raksa jars are colorful clay pots decorated with scenes from Yanogu mythology that contain nail clippings or hair. At the end of the year, if the owner makes it through the year without needing to perform the greater raksa, they join in a special celebration called dhumena (धूमेन) in which their jars are "donated" to a community bonfire. The bonfire, made with gharuwood, is quenched in scented water creating a pleasant smelling haze. For longer festivals, this is supplemented with incense torches to extend the effect. The Lesser ritual reverses the relationship and instead of making an offering to the fire, the supplicant takes an offering from the fire to carry with them. This can take the form of throwing or smearing ashes on the head and face for a day-long ritual; the ash is then washed away at the end of the day. The more extensive version of this is to take a partially charred piece of wood and carry it around or wear it as an ornament until the practitioner forgets the affront (or until they feel satisfied with the ritual) and then the rest of the ornament is thrown into the fire, occasionally at dhumena.

Yaji women (यजि) are special members of the community who wear the Raksa trinkets for a group of people, council people with grudges, and keep an account of the internal troubles of the community. There are very few Yaji women now, but they were once important people who could be consulted about marriages and business arrangements by warning people of grudges that they could not learn of otherwise. Yaji women were supposed to absorb the ill-will that comes naturally in close communities and, after entrusting a grudge to a Yaji women, it was supposed to never be spoken of directly again. This role helped to diffuse tensions by helping people avoid each other and stop the spread of rumors. She could also serve as an impromptu interpreter of tradition by telling people when their complaints were too petty to be carried around, helping to distinguish personal dislike for real insults. Yaji women are distinguished by their large necklaces composed of many tabs of wood.

Tar Jol

Tar Jol rituals--the "narrow" rituals--are only practiced by the very pious, such as monks, are should only be undertaken whenever one's spirit is already very clean. These are true neutral acts which are used only to perfect a spirit already very full of vinay. These rituals were not developed by Alim, but by his disciples. There is no compendium of such rituals, although meditation and fasting are both universally acknowledged as legitimate, and they are often prescribed by teachers for their students. Monks often seek actions that are neutral vinay as a kind of spiritual research, constantly evaluating their spirits to see what aspect their actions have. Some famous examples are digging a hole and then filling it back in, carrying water upstream and then dumping it back into the source (this is called saras, सरस), and giving away money collected from gifts (कनक, kanak). These rituals almost always have palindromic names when possible.

Adam Boluu

Adam Boluu, which means "to be human", has to do with spirits in higher realms, since they are often unable to participate in normal rituals. There are rituals seeking aid from a higher spirit--typically giving gifts at a shrine or repeating prayers--and for seeking forgiveness from an irritated spirit. Many are combinations of both, first asking for forgiveness for offences, and then asking for aid. Forgiveness is sought by taking on the negative aspect that has offended the spirit or deity so that they do not have to act. The most common type is called rone (रोने) or "wailing" and is intended to trick a spirit into thinking that the offender has already been punished. For example, in times of sickness, the adults of a community would take to the streets wailing loudly so that the spirit that had brought the disease would think that all of the children had already died.

Organization

Like Most Satyst sects, Antargat exists principally as an association of monasteries and the laypeople who adhere to their published works and teachings. Antargat is one of the smallest sects of Satyism, having only the primary monastery in the Koh Vally in Kumuso and two secondary monasteries in Xiaodong and Tava. The spread of Antargat occurred chiefly under the Norzin Empire, during which Antargat was considered heterodoxy for a time.

The Priory of the Naryn Monastery, as the direct inheritor of Alim's status of supreme teacher, is the nominal head of the organization and presides over almost all inter-monastery functions. The Priory of Nayrn does not, however, have authority over liturgical matters, and his primary function is to redistribute funds gained through pilgrimages to Nayrn to the other two monasteries. Scholarly debate on liturgical and ritual matters takes place in the form of the official Antargat periodical Considerations which is published by a special committee which appoints its own members on the recommendation of the various priors. There are seldom any conclusions to the papers and debates published in Considerations, but best practices emerge over time that are slowly incorporated into the liturgy and ritual of the monasteries.

In a tradition that dates back to the Juqu Commandery, the Nayrn Monastery has received material support from the government of Kumuso in exchange for their services as civil servants and educators. In the 1940s, however, the services traditionally provided by the monastery were moved to a special civilian wing of the monastery. The Zhang Gui Wing of Nayrn monastery is still use as a government office and its workers provide "monastic" services to the government. Although the services provided by the monastery are now performed by laypeople, the monastery receives much more remuneration than is earned by the small office space it provides for "maintaining the cultural presence" of Kumuso.