[ASK] Proving Philosophy Through Action (flashback)

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

The Halls shone with a radiance he'd grown accustomed to after three years. Being stationed at the Jedi Temple through the GA improved his standings within both, but was also a default location for him to serve. He'd learned enough Basic to speak coherently but his understanding was still poor. Trying to read through archives and datapads proved arduous for him. The tall ceilings allowed for many files to be kept about the New Order and it was clear he had much to learn. But never was Ked one to learn for the sake of learning. He, like many others, picked from the Code what he believed most effective. Even he could see the philosophies held a personal view on living and preserving life. They weren't "wrong" or "ineffective." Instead, he felt they didn't fit him. To be most effective, he'd have to practice aspects which he could achieve effortlessly.

"The Eightfold Path," the datapad spelled out for him. He'd seen it countless times in his studies of the Jedi throughout the few years of actually being in the Order. He plied a pen, having learned literation of his native tongue before he left for the galaxy this last time. He still had trouble with most technology and hadn't learned how to edit a datapad so he was scrawling what he could make out on the square piece of metal. "Vk Gri" it said on the top of one of his papers. It was his translation of the title, clearly much shorter and direct much like his people and, thus, himself. He still debated over whether he'd teach his children, never mind the Kingdom, these lessons. Was the Jedi something to spread among his people? For one who is direct and terse, his "experiment" within the Jedi was taking much longer than one would initially assume.

"Explain this to me, please." His hard consonants and powerful vowels easily gave away the fact he was foreign. His culture valued direct speech as well, making the command sound very much like a command. Of course, being the leader of a Kingdom, one was accustomed to be commanding. Still, there was no disrespect. In fact, he seemed eager to understand one the Paths of the Eightfold. He didn't know who he was speaking to and clearly cared little for coming off conceited or offensive. He wanted to learn and this one seemed like one that could teach him.

Of course he could recite each one and its definition by heart, but actually learning them, like most other things that required understanding and the application of knowledge, was difficult. Right Concentration just wasn't in his realm of understanding. The truth was, he didn't entirely understand any one of them, but this was the most distant. Perhaps a "fellow" Jedi would be able to insight to him a new idea he could try to use. Still, it was difficult to understand much of these Basic speakers. They were winded and it tried his patience to listen to them. He'd grown more patient through the years, but he still valued action rather than contemplation. If he could pick out a few key words and make a comprehensive definition from them, then he'd be able to accomplish the task of beginning to understand the Jedi more thoroughly.

 

[Empress]

Sharp silver eyes held their focus outwards for a moment, letting the words of the younger individual speaking pass though her mind as she mulled over how to reply. Not that it was easy to break ones gaze from the vie this particular chamber had. From here one could hardly make out the vast city world beyond, most of it obscured by the groves of trees planted about the temple ground to try and reconnect with a natural world long missing. Though the steady stream of traffic above, and the distant glints of the setting sun glowing like fire against the multitude of structures about them gave lie to the impression of separation and isolation. Still it was something to see, and the radiating warmth passing though the view pane- caressing her pale, heavily decorated face was relaxing.

" what do you THINK they mean?" she asked, finally sinning on her bare heels and turning to face he smaller male. the bemused smile on her lips gave insight into her enjoyment of moments such as this, as did the subtle vibrations of her crystalline wings. Skhai Baatch, Sage master of the jedi order stood quiet for a moment, allowing her question to find root and gnaw at the man before adding to her question. " The first thing any one of us has to do is understand our own nature, our own minds- how we see, think, feel...Before one could ever hope to shed their concepts of self, they have to understand it first" The Crystavian's words where light as she began pacing slightly. She knew very well she was setting herself up for even more questions, and puzzled looks, though for her own sake this was her intent, to aid her in finding the exact path she needed to take to help feed a curious mind.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

She looked like visions his people had of his ancestors. She sounded like she would be as well.

She spoke in riddles. He should have anticipated this. Not even that, she was the most difficult to understand more than anyone else he'd ever conversed with. He spent a whole two minutes within his own head. He remained standing during that time, not bothering to sit down in the chair behind him. He was always most focused while taking action, so relaxing wouldn't help his mind churn out what he could pick out from the alien's words. What was it that she was saying, exactly? "Understand own nature, my mind. See, think, feel. To shed self, understand it." This was how he had to think of her words. Was this the Empty Self he'd seen recently? It certainly sounded like it, in a very different context. Did he need to be empty of himself to be able to practice Right Concentration?

"Focus," he said at first. Of course, that was, more or less, the literal definition of "concentration" itself. But what about "right concentration"? "On the 'Light.'" He added.

Of course the 'Light' to him was actually just the way in which he used the powers of his Ancestors. He used them to preserve and protect, much like the Jedi did. But his people showed an aggression, a hostility toward each other. To unite them and, thus, the galaxy truly be beneficial. Well, why wouldn't it be? There'd be no more reason to fight and there'd be no killing of others. No war. That was all he'd known. Inevitable death at the hands of adversaries. But to eradicate this, unthinkable. His mind grew weary thinking in circles like this, so he jumped to a conclusion. "I must empty self to concentrate right?" It sounded more like a comment or a personal demand rather than a question. Still, his pale green eyes kept strong on the the bluish being.

He hadn't even begun to delve into the concept of the Empty Self, so it seemed impractical for him to begin practicing it. But he needed to know what it was before he'd begin to use it. He didn't know how much longer he'd be here and needed to learn as much as he could. "Please, explain to me," he reiterated.

 

[Empress]

The large winged warrior sage smiled and tipped her had to the side " When it comes to the self, generally we think about it in a few ways. There is our physical form...another is our feelings, both emotional and senses, like touch or taste. Then thinking -- conceptualization, cognition, reasoning. Then mental formations, which would be habits, prejudices and predispositions. Our volition, or willfulness, also is part of the this as are attention, faith, conscientiousness, pride, desire, vindictiveness, and many other mental states both virtuous and not virtuous.. and lastly consciousness, this is awareness of an object, but without conceptualization. Once there is awareness, perceptions might recognize the object and assign a concept-value to it, which the mind might react with desire or revulsion or some other mental formation....or if you would " the thing that binds all that makes us who we are together"

the Crystavian shifted slightly as her silver eyes half shut as if to try and remind herself to make things less convoluted to the man across from her, realizing his basic was not quite the best at this stage of the game. She doubted even her own use of the language was up to par for more than a few decades when she started learning.

" The thing is..."you" are not an integral, autonomous entity. The individual is more correctly thought of as a by-product of everything I just mentioned...but all those things? they start empty nothing they hold carries weight on their own, these things change, and alter how we perceive things, how we learn and understand things...our ideas, and concepts, even our morals. They can become warped, or narrowed when we rely and focus on the self...if take the time to understand the self, and then forget the self, we can see through the delusion of the small, individual self, we experience that which is not subject to birth and death, or any of the other conditions we anchor our self to.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

"I focus on what?"

She spoke too much. He was growing tired but she seemed as wise as she was fascinating to look at. The first portion of her rant passed by him too quickly and he could hardly keep up. All he could remember that there were four parts to the self, apparently. So he jotted down in his own hand, under the word "Vrik-i," meaning "self," the following: Dirb, meaning "physical"; Qtoon, meaning "intellectual"; Mlarn, meaning "mental"; and Pa, meaning "consciousness." He then drew arrows pointing from the first three to the last one indicating that the following could manipulate the latter.

This small diagram aided in his understanding of her second wind. Indeed, one had to erase the former to truly become "conscious." This female made sense, but he couldn't imagine focusing on "nothing," hence his question. Also, her ideas of letting go of the self struck against him. How could he think outside his tribe, no, his Kingdom? How could he think outside their well-being? Indeed, this was the only thing he tended to with all his energy. Was he supposed to step back and consider how actions, however minuscule, affected the entire galaxy? Was his attention supposed to be on everything, not just the self? But if he was just a product of circumstances and events, then he was, ultimately "corrupt." If this was the case, then everyone else was as well. So what would be the point of considering the population of the galaxy when no one, or not everyone, is conscious? What were the Jedi trying to protect?

This all brought him back to his first question. He could tell this was going to take a while.

 

[Empress]

" everything, and nothing" she stated with an almost playful grin as she began to pace, her arms folding across her heavy chest, her wings folding over themselves a few times to find a more comfortable position. With each long stride she counted in her head the small, hardly noticeable flaws and imperfections in the acid washed stone flooring- imperfections that added up over the entire surface and aiding in giving it's unique look so many have easily dismissed as just " the floor"

" Lets say I asked you to sit on the hard floor here, back straight and looking at the wall, and only the wall....your told to go into a meditative state- not a force trance- just quiet, not allowing ANY thoughts to go through your mind..."

To give impact to her words the Crystavian did just this, sitting herself before a blank portion of the wall, muscular legs folded in a simple half lotus with her hands folded neatly in her lap. her eyes narrowing as she stared blankly ahead, as if looking more past the wall than at it.

" the idea in this exercise is to let things fall to the side... your not thinking, you are not doing, you simply are being part of your environment... even without the aid of the force you can sit here and eventually enter a state of sensory deprivation - hear things differently, more intense, scent may be more heightened...basically a way to show us that- how we perceive things are not exactly " how it really is...then eventually push past this, just becoming one with everything, there is a moment when there is no difference between you, the floor, the wall the traffic outside, as far as you are concerned the universe just simply is one thing. "

Continuing hertalk skhai begins to fidget in place as if growing uncomfortable in her pose. " the thing is.... after a while your butt gets sore and numb, your legs get achy, back grows tired, you may have an itchy nose - And suddenly, just while your on the cusp of this wonderful awakening to a new way to understand something you start focusing on how numb your butt is, and you dwell on it- and then suddenly your mind is off racing again, filling your head with thoughts- about your sore butt, perhaps wondering what you will have to eat later and so on."

Rising to her Feet again Skhai turned to face the younger male with a tilt of her head, her crimson hair falling to the side and draping over her shoulder. " The trick when I say to focus on everything and nothing is this.... be aware your butt is numb, or your back is stiff, be aware of the traffic, be aware of your breaths , the details of the wall....but allow them to all bleed into one thing " the moment" and realize that- you are in this moment just the same as all other things, you are part of a whole...time, distance, sore butts....all just " how things are" and you then take that idea of a whole, allow yourself to experience it, then let it fall to the side, and carry on as it needs to, never latching on to one thing for longer than is needed, and simply carry on"

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

He watched her walk around and talk. It was getting more difficult to understand her the more she spoke about the subject.

She looked strange as she moved. He didn't find her attractive but, rather, interesting.

Pointing at the floor where she sat, he said "Right Concentration or Empty Self?" He didn't know if she had been answering his initial question as to what Right Concentration actually meant or if she'd delved into the topic of an Empty Self since he'd brought it up. Of course, what he cared for most was that she'd explain to him what Right Concentration meant, but this Empty Self thing seemed difficult enough in itself. He had trouble meditating, instead performing what he'd learned to be "Moving Meditation." But this idea of being as aware of the self as one is to their surroundings was simple enough. Silencing his thoughts, however, seemed nearly impossible. This angelic creature even professed to have some sort of difficulty with it, though she could have just been exaggerating.

After she'd answered his first question, he asked "Empty Self works with Moving Meditation?" Again, the question hardly sounded like one. His Epicant accent was strong, as was the way in which he formed sentences. But like any beginner in learning a language, they would put much of their own language into the new one. He'd never been misunderstood, so it was clear he was understood well-enough. Indeed, he'd been on many missions with the GA and even ended up leading them most of the time. His direct speech was obviously clear enough to explain his plans. Then again, that was a whole different people. The Jedi were known for their philosophy and wisdom, languages of words. The military practiced a language of action he understood well. So, in a sense, he was learning multiple different languages within one.

 

[Empress]

The crystavian simply smiled for a second before adjusting her wings once more and readjusting her robes, her chosen relaxed style coupled with her rather -developed- figure created a need fix their placement now and then. She knew it could be distracting to those less use to a species that didnt see modesty in the same light, yet she had to combat her own claustrophobia as well- traditional heavy robes did nothing more than create a sense of being swallowed or snagged on her feathers.

Empty self is indeed a major part of right concentration " she stated finally " many of these things all work with each other, understanding one can help better understand the others...Right concentration means to be aware of everything, your surroundings, your feelings,basically- it teaches the importance of keeping your mind unified, free of clutter ."

tapping her own head lightly the winged sage found herself looking out the window for a split second as she pulled her words together before continuing. "Right concentration, and the empty self actually help each other out greatly. One teaches that its important to keep your mind focused, the other teaches to bring all those things around you, all your thoughts, and bind them into one form." Tipping her head to the side she allowed a slight giggle to escape her lips and her lips parted into a broad smile. " " It's not the easiest thing to grasp at first...but in the long run it works out."

facing the male she once again lowered her tones, though her cheeks still showed the remains of the smile just beneath the surface of her pale, heavily marked face. " And yes there is no one path to learning to become empty. which ever affords you the best ability to focus can start to help.....there is an old saying I like to teach that goes "

Studying the way is studying oneself.
Studying oneself is forgetting oneself.
Forgetting oneself is being enlightened by all things.
Being enlightened by all things is to shed the body-mind of oneself, and those of others.
No trace of enlightenment remains, and this traceless enlightenment
continues endlessly.


By this is means to learn to truly let go, you need to understand yourself first. Though the path to mastery is not a thing of introspection, that is - it's not about constantly thinking things over, or having to clutter your head too much with paying attention to things....but understanding you, and your nature...then one will be better able to see their own nature reflected in all things...from there it becomes easy to stop thinking of " me", or " I " as something outside of nature, but rather just another part of it. "

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

He was scratching down notes as she spoke. Either she had made herself easier to understand or Ked was beginning to grasp the language more efficiently. The archived he'd been able to read didn't explain to him these items as she was doing. He bowed to the creature, showing his appreciation for her help. He still had no idea who or what she was, but she had great wisdom and insight about this Jedi Order.

No, he was part of the Jedi. Though still a "Padawan," and thus the lower of the ranks, he was a member of this order of universal understanding and protections. Was this how he was supposed to think of himself. He'd been here for four years and he couldn't help but feel like a stranger among them, a being with little in common. But this was the way of his people. Extreme isolation and separating oneself from the galaxy provided security and protection. Or did it? These Sith and their Imperium he'd learned about, they seemed like a people that would ravage his home and take advantage of their ignorance and strength. His mind was starting to put together the many pieces of information he'd learned throughout his time within the Order's Sage Halls.

He was further relieved that he could use Moving Meditation to possibly achieve Empty Self and the beginning to understand Right Concentration. The only reason he knew about Moving Meditation was because someone pointed it out to him and then he went to research it. And if he could achieve Empty Self, perhaps he could begin to understand the rest of the Eightfold path. She made it sound as if being Empty held the possibility to understand much about what it meant to be a Jedi. He couldn't help but feel he'd learned something like that before but only now fully understood what that truly meant.

Her "saying" ended up being a little poem on his papers.

Bak'a Bak vrik.
Bak'vrik Qyd vrik.
Qyd'vrik G'rep bleek.
Gva'rep blee crk'vrik'oci.
Gva'rep ixi, u G'rep ixi
Wex'ht'la Nob'b'ji

In his own language, it made so much sense. Still, it seemed odd that someone would spend so much time on such a concept and that such a concept was even necessary. But even as he wrote down the glyphs of his language, the importance and use of this item seemed ever-more relevant. To be a Jedi, as he he understood it, meant having a galactically-aware mind. Doing this seemed to be the perfect way to produce this awareness of the galaxy. This creature had a way with words none before her could attest to. She helped him understand these elusive concepts. He couldn't understand much on his own, but as long as he learned to understand eventually, it mattered little on the path which he took to arrive there.

Of course, there was some inner conflict that he couldn't learn this himself, but he remembered how his culture was action-based in its learning. None from his home could have learned these items without aid from others. The grand idea of uniting the planet of Panatha under the Order, or just under order filled his mind. But his planet wasn't the only one that needed uniting or resolve. There were many across the galaxy that were smothered in war and constricted by conflict. Even now he could feel the affects of open-mindedness and general awareness of the galaxy.

"Thank you. Ki-" he pointed to himself while wanting to say his home title of "King." However, he wanted to be recognized as part of the Order, so he needed to behave as such. "Padawan Ked," he continued, pointing to his left breast, underneath which his heart beat. It was customary to point to one's heart when pointing at a person. The heart was where one's life originated. It created life and sustained life. The heart was associated with courage and bravery, which the Epicanthix held as valuable traits.

He extended his hand to the blue creature, wishing to shake her hand firmly, as was customary in his culture as well. It was an easy transition to make into the galaxy since it seemed that was a common practice among the Basic-speakers as well. Their hands were far less firm, however, which resulted in him hurting others with his strong hand. The fact that he towered over all others didn't help his threatening and aggressive demeanor. But he cared little to make himself available and approachable to others. He still held the values of isolation and the strength that comes from it.

 

[Empress]

Skhai smiled warmly and accepted the smaller males hand, her wings vibrating ever so slightly creating a faint chime in a gesture of her own. It was always an enjoyment of hers; taking the time to try and introduce something new to another, helping them see things from a different light and allowing them to - at the very least- begin to find paths they may never have so readily. There was no one answer to anything, there was no real sense of a right way or a wrong way as long as the intent was honest and pure.

" Lets try something." she stated, releasing the mans hand and folding her own once more behind her back " You said moving is easier....I know a technique that may bridge the ideas of movement and stillness, between action and inaction."

Turning on her heels to face away from the male, the Crystavian sage master pulled her hands in front of her, one hand cupped upwards, her other hand nestled atop it- the thumbs touching in a pitch, creating a rain drop like shape. Slowly she took a tiny step forward, and seemed to pause before her other foot began to move forward. Despite her stature of over two meters, and leg strides that would normally allow her to cross the distance of the room in short time- The warrior sage had hardly seemed to move, at this rate it would be taking nearly a minute just to cover a meter. each step small, between those a pause. She continued this a few steps in silence, her silvery eyes fixed at a spot on the ground just before her.

" there is no rush, there is no need to stress about where you are going, or what you are doing..." She took another step before following up. " to start to find a rhythm a good thing to focus on is your breathing...be mindful of your breaths, aware of every time you breath in, every time you exhale focus on just that, and nothing else- in time your movement- even as slow as I'm going will create things to be mindful of, such as the subtle movement of air about you, the rustling of your clothes, details on the flooring...in time you will be able to be aware of these things without effort, it is then you start to learn to see past them, to let focus of them fall to the side- but doing so you will never loose your awareness of those things."

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

Several hours passed but he had only crossed the room all of two times. The hand position was awkward and the steps weren't as brisk or direct as he was used to. It took an hour just getting used to walking in such a slothful manner. The next few, he focused on his body, familiarizing himself with the twitches and spasms and twisting of his muscles around his bone as he hovered over the floor. He could feel his blood pumping throughout his body and his heart beat with an intensity he'd never before experienced. It was strange to be so aware of oneself outside of combat. He often felt this way while sparring or during full-out combat. But to be so mentally exhausted by taking the smallest of steps and have his muscles ache a way they hadn't before was almost overwhelming. Sheer determination led him through the strenuous activity that was "Moving Meditation."

Of course, being aware of this, he could Sense the bird outside in a tree next to the rock which was maybe a half ton. The tree's routes wrapped around it with care and the bird chirped sparingly, as if only to listen to itself. The hover-vehicles further beyond the courtyard were humming softly, providing a percussion to the bird's conservative melody. The students throughout the halls made the tempo and the halls themselves radiated with some kind of vibration he hadn't noticed before. He'd crossed the threshold of pain and monotony into Awareness. This wasn't unlike the other times he'd attempted to meditate, but it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that this was far more comfortable and he achieved this awareness more quickly than he would have if he'd just sat in one spot.

He contributed to the rhythm to the melody of the bird. Its inspiration came from the tree which grew with the rock created by the ground below. His view wasn't much farther than during regular meditation, but it was more clear than when he'd attempt Alchaka, though an unorthodox kind. Ked could now Sense the impressive Ancestral Influence of those around him. This angelic being held an immense one. It shone brightly, much brighter than his own, but it was lighter. The others throughout the hall had hues and shades he'd never before encountered. He had no way of discerning which ones meant what, but that was of little concern. He was aware, and that was the Concentration he was to achieve.

He wouldn't stop on his own unless someone were to interrupt him. Surely one of the GA scouts would have found him if his presence was needed for something. The Ancestors were showing him visions more clearly than they ever had. His Ancestors were immediately important, their message meaningful and enlightening. No words or thoughts formed in his mind, only Awareness and Concentration.

 

[Empress]

Skhai smiled as she risked several peeks. She knew the practice itself was one that required focus at first- not letting go or slipping into a state right off the bat, but rather forcing an individual to focus on their steps, being mindful of their pacing until they became fluid in their actions and free of needing the extra attention. This, was by design- it created a starting point, a way to teach anyone, be they force users or not, how to direct their focus better - before learning to bleed other things into their attention.

" this is one approach" she stated softly- having stopped herself and turning on her heels to face the smaller male. " there in truth is no one way, nor a right or wrong way when trying to attain this state of mind and focus..." Folding her harms behind her back the Sage master gestured with a free hand as she spoke. " Taking a hyrdoshower, eating, jogging, just sitting or lying and letting the myriad things rest...even in combat one can still learn to be attentive of all things, yet distracted by none."

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

Her soft words immediately broke him of his Concentration. Perhaps he allowed it to, but maybe had a difficult time keeping in the state itself. Regardless, he liked the and wished stay so connected. He looked upon the angelic creature and bowed deeply, showing his appreciation for her assistance. She showed him much without showing him anything, really. Still, it was reassuring that he'd be able to practice this discipline no matter the activity he was performing. It would be entirely beneficial in combat as well as leading his Kingdom.

"Thank you," he started, pausing to learn her name so he would be able to properly greet her should they ever cross paths again. He then went straight to his sheets of parchment to scribble what it was he experienced and how he performed Concentration. It was almost overwhelming to try to focus on what he Concentrated on and his hand couldn't keep up with his thoughts even when his short-hand on an already brief language.