Behind The Veil

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The Akashic Brotherhood:

Specialty Sphere: Mind

Akashic Brothers (female members are called "brothers" as well) believe in, and strive to attain, the perfect harmony (an attuned state of "Balance") of one's individual mind with the One Mind. While this is quite a Buddhist concept, this tradition doesn't limit itself to Buddhism, it is intended to reflect all eastern ways of mystical thinking. It includes elements of Vedanta Hinduism, Taoism, Zen Buddhism and variations thereof. Recently more Western concepts have been brought into via other sources such as the Roda d'Oro, however even these concepts are seen as nothing more then different paths to achieving the same goal.

Mystics of the Brotherhood share belief common to most mystic traditions of the world: that internal microcosm of mind is interconnected with macrocosm of nature - "the Cosmic All". However, a difference between European "As above, so below" and eastern conceptions of Akashics lies in assumption that all the universe is ultimately an illusion similar to Maya and the reality is rather Akasha or emptiness (named Shunyata in Buddhism, Brahman in Hinduism and Tao in Taoism).

As previously said, the aim of Akashic Brothers is to attain oneness ("Balance") with both internal and external universe, the peaceful transcendence in creative emptiness of One Mind. They accomplish this through the study of "the Do" which is explained as the roots of a variety of eastern practices, most notably: all martial arts – both internal and external contemplations and meditations.

Do: Do is the origin of all Martial Arts and is in and off itself more then just a Martial Art. Do is a way of doing things which brings, the mind, body and spirit into harmony with each other. Although the study of Do often leads to great and even supernatural martial prowess this is not the goal of Do, but only a side effect of the training. Instead Do is used to assist the Mage in mastering himself and self discipline, these techniques help to bring the Mage in harmony with her Mind, Body and Soul. Although commonly reflected in Martial Arts other physical activities can be used to reflect Do. For example: Parcour, Jogging, Gymnastics, and other sports can be used to reflect Do provided the Akashics places herself in the proper mind set. Also other less active forms of meditation can be a part of Do as the disciplined breathing involved can help the Akashic to focus on bringing her Mind, Body, and Soul into balance. Do is practiced by all Akashics in one form or another and is considered to be one of the unifying threads that binds the Tradition together.

The Akashic Record: The Akashic record is the written, oral, and psychic history of the entire Brotherhood since it's inceptions. The experiences of every Akashic who has ever lived and all of their past incarnations is stored in the record. At first this allows the Akashic to reach information from her previous incarnations, but later allows her though careful meditation to obtain information from incarnations not her own. The older or less familiar information is the most difficult to access, and some depths of the record are only accessible to those truly epic enlightenment, however all Akashics can access the Record to some extent, providing one of the main unifying threads that binds the tradition's members together.

The Many Faces of Dharma: As with Martial Arts and East Asian religious thought the majority of Akashics are of Asian decent, however this has begun to change. The Akashic Brotherhood has always been open to anyone who sincerely wished to join regardless of ethnicity, and the Akashics do believe that sometimes members reincarnate into bodies who's nationality bears little resemblance to their previous incarnation. In addition to that the Brotherhood believes Do to be the root of all Martial Arts and therefore has begun to branch out into those Martial Arts who are not Asian in origin such as Capoeira, Fencing, Wrestling, Boxing, etc.... Some staunch traditionalists are opposed to the 'whitening' of the Tradition, but most Akashics are in favor of the renewal seeing the addition of these other Brothers as a way to better understand Do, and the All.

Focii: Do and meditation are the primary focii of the Akashics. Chimes, incense, prayer sashes or flags, purification rites, weapons, and other components important to the culture or religion the Martial Artists culture or adopted culture are sometimes used, especially in the case of Western Brothers.

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Factions:

Shi-Ren:

The Shi-Ren combine Legalism with Akashic mysticism. The material world is an illusion that masks the ties of obligation and desire that all beings share. Attuned to these invisible connections, the Shi-Ren use reward and punishment as tools to influence the turn of the Wheel. These Akashics use politics and self-help forums to spread the message of the Brotherhood throughout the world, to both the common people and their leaders.

Faction Paradigm: Contracts, oaths, courts, and debts are all tools for influencing the world.

Li-Hai:

Whatever works. The Li-Hai are modern Akashics, using practices based on a moral foundation more than a metaphysical one, and believe in loving all living beings with equal respect. Although they respect the ways of the past, they believe that old customs and rituals aren’t the only way – the principles of the Brotherhood can come in an infinite number of forms. These Akashics tend to be wilder and less traditional than their brethren, including anarchists and utopian thinkers. Many non-Asian Akashics end up with the Li-Hai.

Faction Paradigm: Taboos are meant to be broken, assumptions to be turned upside down.

Kannagara:

Every member of the Akashic Brotherhood spends some time as a Kannagara, begging for their meals and living with no material things. They embrace core Akashic teachings with an emphasis on disavowing materialism and promoting asceticism. Suffering comes from relying on pleasure, fearing pain, and feeling dissatisfied with one’s basic nature. Those who choose to stay on with this sect often give up all material possessions and practice nonviolence or celibacy. The masters of this sect are gifted with the highest lore and secrets of the Brotherhood.

Faction Paradigm: The mundane world is an illusion, but we can learn to look past it.

Jnani:

The Jnani believe that their bodies, minds, and spirits are essentially identical to the whole of reality. A gesture to the universe is a gesture to the self, and the divisions between self and other, natural and supernatural, are just arbitrary divisions. The Jnani sage stands at the center. Many of the Akashics in this faction do not feel a need to obey the ‘standard methods’ of the Brotherhood, and study non-traditional techniques, such as alchemy, Chinese yin/yang balancing, spirit summoning, or necromancy.

Faction Paradigm: The division between our ‘reality’ and the world of spirits is an illusion to be broken down.

Vajrapani:

Sincere effort is the path to Ascension. Actions speak much more loudly than words. These are the prime martial artists of the Tradition – Martial Do is the cornerstone of training, and violence is a metaphor for inner turmoil. It must be confronted, rather than denied. Sometimes, to find enlightenment, one must pray with bloody hands. Although the Vajrapani are only one of the factions of the Brotherhood, they are often the most visible of them, giving rise to the stereotype that all Akashics are violent kung-fu masters.

Faction Paradigm: With a fierce spirit and a pure conscience, nothing can stand against us.