As the great Dattreya Wairini Twice-Buddha performed entered samadhi upon a white mountain rock, her disciple Attawikah asked: "Garo, please, unveil the light within me. Tell me of nonconceptual thinking."

  Dattreya Wairini spoke without opening her eyes: "Homage to the garos and the wadzaracharyas. Nonconceptual thinking is known as Waraisip Isip, otherwise No Thought Thought. It is nigh impossible to describe positively the nature of nonconceptual thinking. For to think nonconceptually is to think in terms indescribable. How must I describe it to you? I can only do so in the language of emptiness. Nonconceptual thinking is the thinking in between your thoughts. As your thoughts are the islands, the silence in between is the grand ocean upon which all islands arise from. It is thinking without thinking of anything. It is thinking beyond thinking. To achieve nonconceptual thought, one must be dangerously close to Liberation, but only personal Liberation. If nonconceptual thought is not reached from a grounds of Love, then this is not Revolution.

  From The Violence Sutra

  A thought crossed Raxri's mind: But now I have the capacity to become better than Raxri Uttara, right? Than the past Raxri. But then again, that Raxri would have been working from a much higher road. That Raxri had far more potential than I do at this current moment. I am swimming the shallows again, I am treading the broken paths once again. I am not in the depths of the ocean of Cultivation like Raxri Uttara of the Past was. Is any of this worth it, then? Can I be salvaged? Can I regain what I once lost?

  Raxri exhaled. They continued reading, and their eyes--perhaps serendipitously so--fell upon the following passage:

  

  "Disciples, thus have I heard. Remember my foremost teaching: there are three Paths for dealing with anxieties, sorrows, and all the other almighty emotions. The first path is the Path of Counteraction: when sorrow arises, you must tend to creating the opposite of sorrow, which is happiness, or loving kindness. We reverse negative passions into positive passions, staying detached from them, seeing them for what they are.

  "The second path is the Path of Ego Death: when sorrow arises, we look deep into ourselves and see the emptiness of mind and, consequently, the emptiness of that sorrow. In the Path of Ego Death, we realize that sorrow is a dependent arising from a series of other elements, and so we look to those elements and we might either work to fix them, or work to live with them with our understanding of emptiness.

  "The third path is the Path of Poison: this is the most dangerous path, and not one that can be used by the greater masses. It is for use by elders, for committed practitioners, philosophers, sages, and the like. It is the path of converting Collectivist-Individualist Dichotomy into beyond Collective-Individual. In this path, we wield the passion, we realize it for what it is. We see our negative passions, our sorrows, our wraths, our lusts, our envy, and we accept it. Only in doing so, only by taking the poison, can we transmute it into its true face: all things harmful to you are, in truth, the false face. Remember this, always. Relax within this emotion, do not magnify it. Accept it for what it is, understand it, where it arises from, where it will go. In this casualness, you will have practiced the skillful method of Detachment. Detachment does not mean: Oh, I will feel nothing, for I am not connected to anything. Rather, Detachment is: I will feel this, and I will understand where it is from, but it is not the whole of my being, it is empty, it is interesting, it is loving. I will watch it as it enters and leaves, like a shooting star."

  Raxri suppressed a smirk. A twist of karmic fate, perhaps? They continued reading. In the next few pages, it was revealed unto them the 18 Bodhisattva Precepts, as taught by the Conqueror of this Kalpa, Kitama Sanja Murat.

  

  "Disciples, thus have I heard, that the more difficult yet most rewarding act of transcension is found in the Emancipation, in the Extinction, in the Liberation. You will know it as the Non-Abiding Revolution: the true Enlightenment that transcends Liberation and Extinction, as one both transcends the world but also chooses to stay to help it. Those that become these beings are known as Bodhisattva.

  "Those aspirant Bodhisattvas must vow to keep the following precepts. These are the Actions To Abandon. They are:

  "Praising one's self, or belitting others, due to attachment to material offerings, praise, and respect.

  "Abstaining from giving material aid or not teaching the Law to the suffering and without protection nor a protector.

  "Striking at another, or deafening one's self to their apologies.

  "Abandoning the Great Barge Path by saying that these texts are not the Law thsemelves.

  "Abandoning the Holy Doctrine by professing that these texts are not my word.

  "Wrathfully striking a monk of their robes, beating them, causing them to lose ordination even if their morality is impure.

  "Committing any of the Five Nadir Actions: killing one's mother, killing one's father, killing a Arhat, drawing blood from a buddha, or intentionally causing a schism in a Monk Community.

  "Holding views that distort the Law.

  "Destroying towns, villages, cities, or other sanctuaries by means of fire, bombs, pollution, or magick.

  "Teaching the truth of the Sacred Darkness to those whose minds are unprepared.

  "Causing those riding upon the Great Barge to turn away from attaining Buddhahood, and encouraging them to work for only their own liberation. They might attain Liberation, but it will not be Revolution.

  "Causing someone to break their Liberation Vows.

  "Belittling those of other Cultivation Systems.

  "Arrogantly stating one has realized Sacred Darkness and causing others to lead down one's false path so that they may be as great as you.

  "Taking gifts from those encouraged to give you gifts intended as offerings to the Tristones. Never take something that was intended for the Buddhas, the Law, and the Commune.

  "Causing those in Calmness Meditation Cultivation to give up their Cultivation and give their belongings to those only merely reciting texts, disrupting the spiritual community.

  "Finally, disciples, one of the greatest abandonable action is the abandoning of Bodhicitta Cultivation. Either of the two: Aspiring Bodhicitta and Engaging Bodhicitta."

  Raxri blinked. They lowered the manuscript for a few moments. There is no way I'm remembering all of those, they thought. At least, not yet. I will need it inscribed upon a booklet or scroll, so I may refer to it as I travel across the forsaken wheel of violence.

  They opened the manuscript again and flipped to a previous page, and they immediately saw the section for Bodhicitta.

  

  "Disciples, thus have I heard. The Bodhicitta is exactly that. The Enlightenment Thought. It is the state of being one must constantly take on to cultivate and generate compassion to liberate all living and infinite beings from suffering and into Buddhahood. It is the transcendent form of cultivation, for you cultivate yourself so that you may cultivate for others. Those that work through the Bodhicitta work towards Liberation Beyond Liberation. That is to say, Revolution.

  "Disciples, you might ask: what is Bodhicitta, in truth? It is the state of being harmonious with the truth of enlightenment and the nature of reality: emptiness. It is holding compassion for everyone for everyone is emptiness, and they must be liberated. This world is not a world of peace, any beautiful thing within it is a glimpse of Sacred Darkness.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "There are two aspects to a Bodhicitta: Aspirational and Engaging. Aspirational Bodhicitta is having this thought: to Cultivate one's self for the liberation of all sentient and infinite beings to Buddhahood. This is achieved through meditation, reading of the Law, and reciting of the Law. This is also the Foundational Bodhicitta, for to engage in Bodhicitta practice, one must also perform it in accordance with the proper precepts and principles crafted by Bodhicitta.

  "Sometimes, this foundational Bodhicitta can be seen as a form of liquid, or as a nectar. It is the thing that connects us to the Sacred Darkness, otherwise known as Void. This nectar is the distilled essence of Awakening, of Enlightenment, of Liberation, of Extinction, of Emancipation, of Revolution. It is symbolized as Soma, and it flows through all things that have chosen to save all beings from suffering. More importantly, Bodhicitta is one of the most powerful sources of Sapi. It is a storehouse of Compassion.

  "Now, Engaging Bodhicitta is taking the steps to fulfill one's compassion. Practicing Bodhicitta is done through the Six Diamond Sublimes: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom. By continuously practicing these things, one not only generates even more Bodhicitta for one's self, but one also generates Bodhicitta for another. And in so doing, one helps all sentient beings achieve Revolution."

  Raxri put down the sutra again.

  Their mind whorled, spiraled.

  Havoc seized it, gripped it. So many new ideas, so many new concepts, Raxri didn't know what to believe in, or how to start practicing. Akazha walked in again.

  "Fare you well so far?" she asked, moving over to her work table and picking up a miniature mortar and pestle made of smooth stone.

  Raxri said: "There are so many new ideas here. New words for things: Waking-Mind, Revolution, Liberation Beyond Liberation, Compassion, the Diamond Sublimes... I am all too out of my depth, still."

  "Ah, right, those things. I forgot the sutra had those things."

  "You forgot?"

  Akazha turned and shrugged. Unbearably cute, Raxri suppressed a smile. "More like, I suppose... I've never read the Azure Lotus Sutra. I know all of the concepts within, but I learned them differently, through the oral transmission of my master Ultramystic Sutasoma."

  Raxri blinked. "You made me read scripture you yourself haven't read?"

  Akazha chuckled. "But your knowledge leaps rapidly, does it not? Reading is fun, no? Besides, I have no responsibility to order you how you learn your ideas, now. I'm not your master."

  Raxri sighed. "It would have been helpful to me if you had given some guidance anyway."

  "The Azure Lotus Sutra is an intermediary piece of writing," said Akazha, walking over to the outdoor kitchen again. "You will get the hang of it eventually, worry not. Oh, food will be served a phase after zenith. If you get hungry, eat any of the pastries there!" And then she was out and gone once again.

  Raxri sighed and tried to read more. They spent the greater part of the post-zenith phases of the day trying to grok what had been said, to no avail. Everything they tried to absorbed slipped off of their mind: their brain had refused to become the sponge required for absorbing new knowledge.

  When time for eating came, Raxri had completely given up on reading for now. They stacked the manuscript beside them and ate the fried rice and raw fish in vinegar, or kinilaw with Akazha.

  As they ate, Akazha asked: "How's your wound?"

  Raxri shrugged. "I can hardly feel it anymore. Thanks to you, of course."

  Akazha rolled her eyes. "Later, I must look at it. Reapply healing salves if I need to."

  Raxri nodded, swallowing a piece of kinilaw. Delicious could not even begin to describe it: the fresh fishy taste made stronger, like a sword, through the white meat's interaction with vinegars... Raxri could not contain chomping through rice with them in holy divine culinary tandem. "If that is what must be done. I thank you again, Akazha."

  Akazha sighed and smiled. "You're eating a lot more heartily, now. I am full glad to see it. It seems your body is recuperating well from, well, everything that has happened so far."

  "I suppose it is," they replied. "Though, perhaps the tattoos that had been given me had been able to help with that."

  Akazha nodded. "It protected you from completely dying from that kampilan impalement. Like I've said, Ampun Sagara is peerless in this field.

  "A lot of the pain was also similarly kept at bay thanks to Myu Fan's healing gourds."

  Akazha smiled. "Myu Fan is a character, you know. One of the best doctors and healers in Pemi Island, maybe even in Wadzara as well. I'm glad she was there to take care of you when I couldn't."

  "You're not so bad of a healer yourself, I would think," said Raxri, their kinilaw already almost halfway finished. "I would be proud of you if I were you."

  Akazha smirked. "Thank you, Raxri Uttara." She rolled her eyes and continued eating.

  At Sunset, when the Sun was halfway sunken into the ocean of the horizon, casting the world into an indigo twilight, Raxri took the time to bathe. Most of the day had been hot and humid, even if all they did was read. They welcomed the surprising and stark coldness of the stream.

  Raxri submerged themself completely into the water, only keeping their face above the waters so that they wouldn't drown. After a few moments of stillness and tranquility--no doubt this was a form of meditation as well--they sunk completely to wet their face, and then rose from the waters.

  They opened their eyes. The naked body of Akazha Han Narakdag was there. She was covering herself with her arms. Her eyes wide with surprise.

  An awkward silence. Raxri turned around. "Forgive me! I was ignorant that you were--"

  "No, go ahead," They heard the sound of Akazha leaving the waters. "I'll be back after you finish. You could pass for a ninja, you know, being able to so well hide yourself with your surroundings."

  Raxri laughed. They realized then... why were they so nervous about seeing Akazha bathing? It was full natural to bathe. Nothing salacious about a body.

  "It's nice to know you know your social faux pas still," said Akazha, laughing as well.

  "Looks like I beat you to bathing first, Akazha," said Raxri, snickering. Akazha made an annoyed sound.

  "Is this because I called you a rival?"

  "I take my rivalries seriously, Akazha." Raxri quickly washed themself with soap and coated their hair with fragrant perfumed oils. These belonged to Akazha.

  "I can tell," said Akazha. "Well, go ahead and rinse yourself. I need my bathing time, you know."

  "Of course, of course." Raxri quickly finished up. They ascended from the waters and wrapped themselves in a white cloth towel, and quickly made their way back up the path back to Akazha's cottage.

  As they walked, Akazha called out: "Oh, right, I will have to replace your bandages for the last time," she said.

  Raxri nodded, and returned to the cottage.

  When the night was so dark you could not recognize someone standing before you, Raxri completely dried themself and retreated to rest in their home quarters. The smell of incense wafting across the room, sandalwood, coaxed Raxri into a feeling of ease and comfort. They wore a simple silk jacket that kept their midriff bare, so Akazha could tend to the bandages.

  After a few moments, a knock on the door. Raxri called out: "Come in!"

  Akazha walked in. Bandages and another bronze pot in tow.

  She set about to cleaning Raxri's wounds. "No more pain in this region, I would hope?" A cold hand--too cold. What was she?--against their abdomen.

  Raxri shook their head. "Thankfully, no longer."

  "Good."

  Akazha worked in silence for a few moments, before Raxri asked: "Akazha... I know almost nothing about you. As much as I know about me, which is to say, not a lot. Why are you an adherent of the Law? Why not seek immortality through the ways of the Witch?"

  Akazha worked as she spoke. Mashed a herb. Heated a flask with a snap of her finger and a muttered mantra. "You have a lot of assumptions that you do not yourself understand," said Akazha. "It's increasingly becoming clear that your memory had been removed, but there are traces, indelible markings of what your accrued knowledge has done to the infrastructure of your mind, leaving behind traces of knowledge to be used but no longer understood. How fascinating. You are like a walking ruin. A commune resting upon the wreck of an ancient empire."

  Raxri nodded. Scarcely they could grok what Akazha meant to say.

  Akazha continued: "It is... complicated. I found the Dharma, the Teachings, the Holy Doctrine, after a... let's say, a vacation. Or a sabbatical, perhaps, from my old job. It became not only a source of foundation and stability for me after a harrowing period in my life, but also a form of expression, and a form of autonomy. Finally, after all those years in that work, I found that I can practice my own will, unchained by the will of a thousand years of history. That is the most important thing about history, you should know. Momentum."

  Raxri nodded. "Right. You must have gone through something really traumatizing, then. Are you all right with telling me what happened? What the job was?"

  Akazha shook her head. "Never let your rival know your weaknesses," she said, smiling. Sorrow crept up behind her lips.

  Akazha finished dressing the wound in silence. Raxri was still thinking, but they hoped that they did not sour their relationship with Akazha by prying too deeply. "I know so little of you, Akazha," said Raxri, finger tapping their chin in thought.

  "Perhaps, if you are a good little girlboy, then I will tell you more," she said, smirking.

  Raxri scowled.

  Akazha left the room then, bringing with her her medical accoutrement.

  Again. Raxri alone and in the dark. Again.

  I will find out eventually, they thought. I always do. I'll make it out of this. They shrugged off any more thoughts and convinced themselves to rest early.