Post by jasonscott on May 17, 2010 13:49:35 GMT -5
The Following different schools of Vulcan Logic are from The Way of Konlinahr by Last Unicorn Games. They are taken from pages 15, 16, 17 of that book. I need to post the different schools so everyone who reads the next part of my story can see the different schools:
The School of Surak
The first major school of Vulcan thought is also the largest. Most Vulcans are part of the Surak sect, which is why so many people believe that Vulcans are devoid of emotion. The School of Surak teaches uncompromising repression of emotion. Even the slightest surrender to the voices of the Inner Chorus is considered a great failure.
To tame the voices, the way of Surak, called Tu-Surak, teaches its students to divorce themselves completely from their egos, as the school’s namesake referred to them, the pach-te. The pach-te is the strongest of all desires and the root of emotion. To explain pach-te as “selfishness” is simplifying Surak’s philosophy, but it’s a good start. Once the student has freed himself from pach-te, he will cease to be concerned with himself, focusing all of his concern on the welfare of others. Surak’s teachings had a profound effect on Vulcan philosophy and culture. His famous debates with his rival Jarok are some of the most important works of Vulcan literature.
Surak maintained the discipline could not be enforced upon others; it had to come from within. Peace, for Surak, was the foundation of everything worth achieving, both on a political level (“The spear in the enemy’s side is the spear in your own.”) and a rational level (“The calm mind is the one that truly knows.”). “The only noble desire”, he said, “is the desire to serve others.” He further argued that selflessness was the only way to find true inner peace. “Once you have thrown away your pach-te, you have found the true center, the golden river, the lifeblood of the world”.
Surak’s philosophy begins with the student learning deep meditations, prayers, and stories that remind him of the tragic power of emotion. He learns that morality – reason devoid of emotion – is often contrary to self-interest that interferes with our ability to be better than what we are. In this way, the student begins to shed his pach-te.
Surak also told his students to cast away the traditional moral training of the native Vulcan religion, which included a set of commandments not unlike the Ten Commandments of Earth’s history. Instead of teaching his students what not to do, he decided to teach them what to do. Surak’s virtues gave students a path to follow, rather than several paths not to follow.
The six virtues of Tu-Surak are: Courage (protect others), Temperance (exercise the will), Charity (give when you have too much), Truthfulness (a virtue all Vulcans cling to, connected inextricably in Surak’s teaching with logical observation of what is, and not what we wish), Justice (the fair treatment of others), and finally Shame. This last virtue is the most controversial teaching in Surak’s school. When a student on Surak’s path fails, it is because he is weak and he should feel shameful for his weakness. Other schools feel Surak’s emphasis of shame is too extreme, but the followers of Surak’s path adamantly defend the unforgiving discipline the virtues teach. “Animals have no virtue,” Surak once said. “And if we are not careful, we shall degenerate into animals once again.”
The Way of Jarok
Surak’s chief rival was Jarok, a Vulcan who disagreed with Surak on nearly every philosophical point. The two students of T’plana-Hath agreed on one and only one tenet: that emotions must be mastered at all costs. While Surak choose his own path to mastery, Jarok choose another. Tu-Jarok, Jarok’s path, sought mastery over the Inner Chorus by embracing emotion, understanding it, and finally coming to terms with it.
The followers of Jarok are not madmen who run through the streets laughing, crying, and shouting. They retreat to the wastelands of Vulcan and face their emotions there, and they face them alone. Jarok’s path is an individual one; since no Vulcan can truly hear the Chorus of another, no one else can aid in its understanding or interpretation.
A Vulcan following Tu-Jarok is usually brought into the desert by other, more experience, followers. All sit together around a great fire in silence as they prepare for the arduous ritual. The fire is usually built from a specific wood called tir nwk. The smoke from this fire has a profound effect on the senses of the Vulcan, throwing him into a heightened state of consciousness.
After days of meditation and fasting, the student finally encounters a voice from the Chorus. He spends long days talking with the voice, debating for hours at a time until the experience is over. When it ends, the student has either gained insight or he has failed. Unlike the school of Surak, failure is not looked upon as shameful, only a waste of an opportunity that can be attempted again later.
Like Surak, Jarok also compiled a list of virtues, although his only contained the three which he considered most important. The first, Compassion, Jarok defined as “the ability to see suffering selflessly.” However, Jarok’s definition of “selfness” should not be confused with Surak’s denial of pach-te. Jarok taught that selflessness came from an understanding that suffering was universal, not unique to any individual. When the student realizes this – that his own suffering is no different, better, or worse than anyone else’s – it is easier to recognize when others are in pain, and that pain becomes easier to comfort. Compassion was Jarok’s answer to his chief reservation with Surak’s teachings. He felt they left no room in the Vulcan heart for understanding. Through compassion, the Vulcan heart could help others in pain.
The second virtue, Temperance, was one Jarok and Surak agreed on – or so it would seem on the surface. Jarok’s definition of temperance differs slightly from Surak’s in that Jarok sought through refusal. Both Surak and Jarok saw patience as an important component of temperance.
The last virtue, Justice, is also a virtue the two rivals held in common. Justice, as Jarok saw it, was the ability for a Vulcan to understand that he belonged to a greater organism than just his own body. He was a Vulcan, one of millions, and it was his duty to help protect and serve that great body. The expression of Jarok’s virtues reflected a deeper meaning in his philosophy. He sought to bring Vulcans together, to make them realize that they were part of something greater and to serve that greater purpose selflessly and fearlessly. At his funeral Surak, his greatest rival, said, “He was a great Vulcan with great ideals. And it is still not too late to tell him.”
The School of Nirak
Nirak was one of Surak’s first students and perhaps his greatest. He was also a great admirer of Jarok’s teachings, and tried to bring compromise to the two seemingly disparate schools. Whether he was successful or not could be (and has been) debated for generations.
While Nirak did not agree with Jarok’s “reveling,” he also did not agree with his own master’s unforgiving attitude toward failure and intolerance. He taught that the more violent emotions (most notably anger) were to be repressed, but virtue could be found in the less destructive passions, particularly curiosity and joy. However, he still maintained that a high degree of temperance was necessary to keep even the most encouraging of emotions in check.
According to Nirak, it is proper for Vulcans to feel joyful, but not ecstatic. Grief must be let go at Kal-apton’s gates. More importantly, a Vulcan cannot drop his guard against fear, rage, and jealousy for even a moment. Nirak’s school is not as widespread as his mentor’s, but it does have a small following devoted to his philosophies.
The One Mind School
One of the more esoteric schools, the One Mind School was founded by T’mor, another student of Surak. While her mentor sought a way to subdue all emotion, T’mor struggled with a way to remove emotion entirely. She found it in an ancient Vulcan belief, one centering around predestination.
The concept of predestination is not unique to Vulcans. Many human religious sects also use it as one of their main tenets of faith. Predestination is the belief that all actions and events are already predetermined and cannot be changed. T’mor taught that emotion – specifically curiosity – clouded a Vulcan’s sight, making it difficult to see the ways of the universe.
If the student could throw away emotion, he would be able to see the grand pattern of the universe and watch it unfold. “All problems have already been solved,” T’mor once said. “We only lack the vision to see.” Despite T’mor’s dedication and many thousands of years of development, the One Mind School is still considered one of the “fringe schools” of Vulcan thought.
The School of Surak
The first major school of Vulcan thought is also the largest. Most Vulcans are part of the Surak sect, which is why so many people believe that Vulcans are devoid of emotion. The School of Surak teaches uncompromising repression of emotion. Even the slightest surrender to the voices of the Inner Chorus is considered a great failure.
To tame the voices, the way of Surak, called Tu-Surak, teaches its students to divorce themselves completely from their egos, as the school’s namesake referred to them, the pach-te. The pach-te is the strongest of all desires and the root of emotion. To explain pach-te as “selfishness” is simplifying Surak’s philosophy, but it’s a good start. Once the student has freed himself from pach-te, he will cease to be concerned with himself, focusing all of his concern on the welfare of others. Surak’s teachings had a profound effect on Vulcan philosophy and culture. His famous debates with his rival Jarok are some of the most important works of Vulcan literature.
Surak maintained the discipline could not be enforced upon others; it had to come from within. Peace, for Surak, was the foundation of everything worth achieving, both on a political level (“The spear in the enemy’s side is the spear in your own.”) and a rational level (“The calm mind is the one that truly knows.”). “The only noble desire”, he said, “is the desire to serve others.” He further argued that selflessness was the only way to find true inner peace. “Once you have thrown away your pach-te, you have found the true center, the golden river, the lifeblood of the world”.
Surak’s philosophy begins with the student learning deep meditations, prayers, and stories that remind him of the tragic power of emotion. He learns that morality – reason devoid of emotion – is often contrary to self-interest that interferes with our ability to be better than what we are. In this way, the student begins to shed his pach-te.
Surak also told his students to cast away the traditional moral training of the native Vulcan religion, which included a set of commandments not unlike the Ten Commandments of Earth’s history. Instead of teaching his students what not to do, he decided to teach them what to do. Surak’s virtues gave students a path to follow, rather than several paths not to follow.
The six virtues of Tu-Surak are: Courage (protect others), Temperance (exercise the will), Charity (give when you have too much), Truthfulness (a virtue all Vulcans cling to, connected inextricably in Surak’s teaching with logical observation of what is, and not what we wish), Justice (the fair treatment of others), and finally Shame. This last virtue is the most controversial teaching in Surak’s school. When a student on Surak’s path fails, it is because he is weak and he should feel shameful for his weakness. Other schools feel Surak’s emphasis of shame is too extreme, but the followers of Surak’s path adamantly defend the unforgiving discipline the virtues teach. “Animals have no virtue,” Surak once said. “And if we are not careful, we shall degenerate into animals once again.”
The Way of Jarok
Surak’s chief rival was Jarok, a Vulcan who disagreed with Surak on nearly every philosophical point. The two students of T’plana-Hath agreed on one and only one tenet: that emotions must be mastered at all costs. While Surak choose his own path to mastery, Jarok choose another. Tu-Jarok, Jarok’s path, sought mastery over the Inner Chorus by embracing emotion, understanding it, and finally coming to terms with it.
The followers of Jarok are not madmen who run through the streets laughing, crying, and shouting. They retreat to the wastelands of Vulcan and face their emotions there, and they face them alone. Jarok’s path is an individual one; since no Vulcan can truly hear the Chorus of another, no one else can aid in its understanding or interpretation.
A Vulcan following Tu-Jarok is usually brought into the desert by other, more experience, followers. All sit together around a great fire in silence as they prepare for the arduous ritual. The fire is usually built from a specific wood called tir nwk. The smoke from this fire has a profound effect on the senses of the Vulcan, throwing him into a heightened state of consciousness.
After days of meditation and fasting, the student finally encounters a voice from the Chorus. He spends long days talking with the voice, debating for hours at a time until the experience is over. When it ends, the student has either gained insight or he has failed. Unlike the school of Surak, failure is not looked upon as shameful, only a waste of an opportunity that can be attempted again later.
Like Surak, Jarok also compiled a list of virtues, although his only contained the three which he considered most important. The first, Compassion, Jarok defined as “the ability to see suffering selflessly.” However, Jarok’s definition of “selfness” should not be confused with Surak’s denial of pach-te. Jarok taught that selflessness came from an understanding that suffering was universal, not unique to any individual. When the student realizes this – that his own suffering is no different, better, or worse than anyone else’s – it is easier to recognize when others are in pain, and that pain becomes easier to comfort. Compassion was Jarok’s answer to his chief reservation with Surak’s teachings. He felt they left no room in the Vulcan heart for understanding. Through compassion, the Vulcan heart could help others in pain.
The second virtue, Temperance, was one Jarok and Surak agreed on – or so it would seem on the surface. Jarok’s definition of temperance differs slightly from Surak’s in that Jarok sought through refusal. Both Surak and Jarok saw patience as an important component of temperance.
The last virtue, Justice, is also a virtue the two rivals held in common. Justice, as Jarok saw it, was the ability for a Vulcan to understand that he belonged to a greater organism than just his own body. He was a Vulcan, one of millions, and it was his duty to help protect and serve that great body. The expression of Jarok’s virtues reflected a deeper meaning in his philosophy. He sought to bring Vulcans together, to make them realize that they were part of something greater and to serve that greater purpose selflessly and fearlessly. At his funeral Surak, his greatest rival, said, “He was a great Vulcan with great ideals. And it is still not too late to tell him.”
The School of Nirak
Nirak was one of Surak’s first students and perhaps his greatest. He was also a great admirer of Jarok’s teachings, and tried to bring compromise to the two seemingly disparate schools. Whether he was successful or not could be (and has been) debated for generations.
While Nirak did not agree with Jarok’s “reveling,” he also did not agree with his own master’s unforgiving attitude toward failure and intolerance. He taught that the more violent emotions (most notably anger) were to be repressed, but virtue could be found in the less destructive passions, particularly curiosity and joy. However, he still maintained that a high degree of temperance was necessary to keep even the most encouraging of emotions in check.
According to Nirak, it is proper for Vulcans to feel joyful, but not ecstatic. Grief must be let go at Kal-apton’s gates. More importantly, a Vulcan cannot drop his guard against fear, rage, and jealousy for even a moment. Nirak’s school is not as widespread as his mentor’s, but it does have a small following devoted to his philosophies.
The One Mind School
One of the more esoteric schools, the One Mind School was founded by T’mor, another student of Surak. While her mentor sought a way to subdue all emotion, T’mor struggled with a way to remove emotion entirely. She found it in an ancient Vulcan belief, one centering around predestination.
The concept of predestination is not unique to Vulcans. Many human religious sects also use it as one of their main tenets of faith. Predestination is the belief that all actions and events are already predetermined and cannot be changed. T’mor taught that emotion – specifically curiosity – clouded a Vulcan’s sight, making it difficult to see the ways of the universe.
If the student could throw away emotion, he would be able to see the grand pattern of the universe and watch it unfold. “All problems have already been solved,” T’mor once said. “We only lack the vision to see.” Despite T’mor’s dedication and many thousands of years of development, the One Mind School is still considered one of the “fringe schools” of Vulcan thought.