long guo The Harmonious Path: A Deeper Understanding

[Bellosh]

The Harmonious Path - The True Road to Balance

 

PART I: The Canonical Texts

PART II: The Five Aspects of the Dragon

PART III: The Branches of the Harmonious Path

 

NOTE: This work of Unofficial Lore is a deeper look into a subject first introduced in the Realm Lore for Long Guo.

[Bellosh]

THE CANONICAL TEXTS

 

While most ponies are vaguely aware (at best) of the cultural significance of the Harmonious Path’s teachings to the Long Sun, few outside of the Dragon Kingdom grasp its fundamental nature. For a deeper understanding of the Five Aspects and other knowledge provided by the Harmonious Path, one must first learn the texts held in the greatest reverence by the Path’s followers, as well as the history behind those canonical works.

 

According to the histories, the Long Sun first learned about the Five Aspects from the wise and noble Long; known better to Equestrians as serpent dragons. Wherever an Elder Serpent settled somewhere as a nature guardian, local Qilin and Longma would inevitably beg for be taught the wisdom of the Long. And so while the Qilin city-states and the Longma tribes each learned from their draconic guardians, none shared their insights with the other until the First Imperial Sovereigns — Empress Xi Hua and Emperor Xiao Huo — unified the land of Long Guo.

 

It is said that after many long years, Hua and Huo were awaiting the inevitable journey to join their departed ancestors when a Palace clerk, a Water Buffalo known only to history as the Scribe, intervened. For seven days and seven nights, the Scribe begged Hua and Huo not to die until the Imperial couple relayed the full story of how they brought harmony to Long Guo. Moved by the Scribe’s earnestness, the First Sovereigns acquiesced, and their tale would be written down in the Annals of Xi Hua and Xiao Huo.

 

Concerning the origins of the Harmonious Path, of particular note about the Annals are the chapters after Hua and Huo fail their first ascent of Mount Suncrest, the treacherous peak that leads to the fabled city of Longri-La. The two Champions sought advice from the Elder Serpents, who urged the Qilin and Longma to meditate and become one with Nature. Through the summer, autumn, and winter, Hua and Huo meditated on the steps of the Serpent Shrine, becoming attuned with the cycles that govern the natural world. Finally, spring came with a subsiding in the alpine storms, allowing the Champions to finally reach Suncrest’s summit... and becoming the first ever Long Sun to set hoof inside Longri-La.

 

The lesson of that trial lies at the very heart of what the Harmonious Path stands for: to work with Nature rather than against it. That was not the only nugget of the Long’s wisdom Hua and Huo conveyed to the Scribe however; after completing the Annals, the diligent Water Buffalo next compiled a collection of various teachings imparted by the Elder Serpents to Hua and Huo. Not satisfied with that alone, the Scribe left the Imperial Palace and traveled the land, gathering philosophical and spiritual insights from Long Guo’s guardian dragons. It took the onset of old age to compel the Scribe to settle down at last and assemble the sagely quotations into one source: the Ten Thousand Truths.

The Annals and the Truths comprise the basic canon for all schools of the Harmonious Path. Although both texts are attributed to the Scribe, the Truths in actuality is periodically updated as Anointed Followers journey to Longri-La or seek out the guardian dragons. The identity of the scribes themselves is not important; only the sources of the teachings are. Additionally, later editions of the Truths incorporate sayings attributed to wise Long Sun, although some schools refuse to accept teachings that don’t originate from the wise and noble Long. Since it is accepted that rigidity and the curtailing of growth is in violation of the Balance of Nature, Wise Masters from all the Path’s schools gather approximately every 25 years to discuss revisions to the Truths. At these conclaves, the Masters debate which new teachings to include, which teachings to remove, and which passages to revise to fit the cultural zeitgeist (an especially pressing concern in modern times).

~Walking the Path of Harmony

Dr. Tong Ze

[Bellosh]

THE FIVE ASPECTS OF THE DRAGON

 

The central teachings of the Harmonious Path revolve around the Five Aspects of the Dragon — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — the physical manifestations of the universe’s energy. Unlike Unicorns who rely on projecting aether to cast spells, Qilin and Longma possess the Gift of the Dragons: the ability to exhale the Five Aspects (or Elements) in their rawest form. It is through understanding and wielding the Five Aspects which enables followers of the Path to bring Balance and Harmony to the world.

 

As all five Aspects form one continuous feedback loop to fuel one another, to neglect one Aspect is to neglect them all. Therefore, followers receive instruction in meditative attunement: the process by which the Long Sun perceive and channel the Five Aspects within themselves. The universal method of attuning to any Aspect is to silently recite appropriate mantras to induce a suitable mindset, although certain activities can cultivate specific Aspects as well. All Long Sun are innately aligned toward one Aspect based on their innate personality; therefore, the goal of attunement is to discover one’s alignment and place in the Cycle of Nature, then used that state of enlightenment to achieve Inner Balance. Without Inner Balance, one can’t do their part to maintain the Greater Balance of Nature.

 

Emotions hold great power, for they fuel the magic of the Five Aspects. Some emotions are generative, thus contributing to the Cycle of Nature. Others are of a destructive nature because they throw the Cycle off-balance. If someone taps into destructive emotions in excess, they risk corrupting their personality into something perverse: a creature bent only on disrupting Harmony (like the barbaric dragons of the West known to Equestria). There are other emotions still — like guilt and shame — which cloud the mind and render attunement ineffective. For these reasons, nearly all schools of the Harmonious Path promote to stringent codes of honor to keep their members in Balance.

 

The following summarizes each of the Five Aspects; along with listing the dragonbreath abilities, attuning activities, and emotions each Aspect is associated with:

 

WOOD - Represents the life energy of all organisms, nurtured by Water.

• Dragonbreath Abilities: healing, growth, necromancy
• Attuning Activities: nurturing living organisms, smelling flowers, drinking tea
• Generative Emotions: generosity, charity
• Destructive Emotions: greed, selfishness

 

FIRE - Fueled by Wood, enabling change to occur.

• Dragonbreath Abilities: flamethrowing, kindling inner spirit
• Attuning Activities: basking in fire’s glow, painting, writing, brainstorming
• Generative Emotions: desire, passion, inspiration
• Destructive Emotions: rage, capriciousness, sadism

 

EARTH - When extinguished, Fire leaves behind something that’s inanimate and strong.

• Dragonbreath Abilities: blowing dust, hardening, resistance
• Attuning Activities: strenuous exercise, maintaining stillness
• Generative Emotions: protection, honor, tenacity, fairness
• Destructive Emotions: obstinance, immobilism, traditionalism

 

METAL - Even the strongest Earth eventually turns malleable, enabling the transcendence of the material world. Due to the latter, Metal is sometimes known as the Aspect of Void.

• Dragonbreath Abilities: quicksilver spray, spells
• Attuning Activities: drinking elixirs, intense studying, fasting
• Generative Emotions: empathy, insight, magical talent
• Destructive Emotions: apathy, emptiness

 

WATER - Transcendence removes impurity, allowing Metal to revert to Nature’s purest state.

• Dragonbreath Abilities: air gust, ice breath, water blast
• Attuning Activities: tranquil exercise, bathing, listening to flowing water
• Generative Emotions: tranquility, acceptance, understanding
• Destructive Emotions: unrest, xenophobia, paranoia

 

~Walking the Path of Harmony

Dr. Tong Ze

[Bellosh]

THE BRANCHES OF THE HARMONIOUS PATH

 

All followers of the Harmonious Path agree upon the essential attributes of the Five Aspects, as laid out in the Ten Thousand Truths. However, many of the philosophical teachings of the Truths themselves are highly open to interpretation, sometimes even contradictory. As such, no universal consensus exists on the best way to maintain the Balance of Nature. In what would seem like predestined fate, the Path's adherents are divided into Five Schools, just as there are Five Aspects. Although the Five Schools themselves embrace students of all innate Aspect alignments (who often cherry-pick ideas from Schools they find appealing), the Schools tend to develop unique perspectives of the Path in line with a particular Aspects; hence the existence of five primary Schools.

 

The Path of the Phoenix (WATER) - The first of the Path's Schools to arise, the Phoenix School is regarded as the most approachable to an ordinary being. It asks only for adherents to learn the spiritual and philosophical teachings written down in the Truths, and adopt those insights in daily life. By valuing simplicity, humility, and community building, followers can live by the example of the Elder Serpents and maintain Harmony in the world without even consciously doing so. Idolizing the tranquility and impartiality of Nature, adherents of the Phoenix School have a reputation for distrusting those who throw their weight around and cause obstruction.

 

The Path of the Spirit (METAL) - Descended from the mystic practices of pre-unification Long Guo, the Spirit School was founded by those who felt many early adopters of the Path were too passive in unlocking the full potential of the Five Aspects. Spirit Followers dwell on the pursuit of arcane subjects like alchemy, divination, advanced dragonbreath spells, and the spirits inhabiting the Material World. In particular, Masters of the Spirit School are called upon to exorcise spirit-monsters that choose to plague civilization. Its adherents prone to adopting anarchic trappings and neglecting worldly connections with others, the Spirit School is largely seen as the most outdated of the Path's branches, especially as modern science becomes more accessible and spirit-monsters grow exceedingly rare in number.

 

The Path of the Dragon (EARTH) - As Long Guo developed into a prosperous kingdom, learned scholars of the Path — dissatisfied with the provincial Phoenix and Spirit Schools — saw the need to promote the legitimacy of the centralized Imperial government. The recommendations of the Dragon School, as contained in the seminal Book of Dragons, advise royal leaders and appointed officials to emulate the natural majesty and splendor of the Serpent Dragons in all aspects of governance. The Dragon School stresses the importance of courtly etiquette and expressing proper deference to the wise and noble Long, maintaining that only individuals who cultivate the Heart of the Dragon within themselves will earn the respect of both heavenly dragons and lowly commoners. While Dragon Followers are often criticized for elitism (they believe true wisdom can only come from Serpent Dragons, for one thing), their values form the basis for many of Long Guo's cultural mores.

 

The Path of the Gallant (FIRE) - Civil bureaucracies that grow unchecked run the risk of breeding obstruction and corruption, and Long Guo's is no exception. According to the Gallant School, monarchy is an inherently unjust system that only disturbs the Natural Balance, requiring individuals to right wrongs themselves. Widely practiced by members of the martial arts community, the Gallant School prizes a strict code of honor, unbreakable bonds of friendship, and a student's loyalty to a righteous master above all else. Gallant Followers are expected to fight injustice wherever it's encountered and enact vengeance on those who bring harm to their fellowship. While it is not without good reason that the Gallant School is often derisively called the “Path of the Bandit”, the heroic and selfless deeds of such passionate warriors has inspired countless literary works; most notably the classic, history inspired novel Warriors of the Lotus Marsh.

The Path of the Lotus (WOOD) - Inspired by the Gallant School but desiring to curtail its violent excesses, the Lotus School nonetheless shares the same spirit of selfless service. Adherents of this School live as transient monks, living on the charity of others in return for performing good works. Lotus Monks maintain spiritual discipline through constant meditation, and they use martial arts for defense; never for aggression. With its emphasis on inward reflection and serving others, the Lotus School has little room for venerating Elder Serpents, whom stay isolated and distant from Long Sun civilization. Not everyone is cut out for the aesthetic lifestyle of a monk, but many Masters of the Phoenix School admire the enlightened example of their Lotus brethren and how they generously live to help those in need.

 

~Walking the Path of Harmony

Dr. Tong Ze