#atisha

[sibylance]

Pleione origins part 1

[thekrazykeke]

Maybe once upon a time, we were children too, and the world conveniently forgot that...

Atisha & Nehna Lavellan

[ddamascenaa]

two of nine paintings by Mia Roeder of spiritdirt.com inspired by the contemplations on death by Buddhist thinker Atisha.

DO NOT REMOVE CREDIT

prints available for pre-order through December 6, 2022

[wisdom-and-such]

“ I shall purify all my bodily

and verbal forms of activity.

My mental activities, too, I shall purify

And do nothing that is non-virtuous “.

—Atisha’s Lamp for the Path

[cobotis]

Don’t ponder over others’ defects, It is none of your business!...

But there are great moralists whose whole work is to see who is doing wrong. Their whole life is wasted! They are like police dogs sniffing here and there. Their whole life’s work is to know who is doing wrong...

Atisha says: That is an ugly trait and sheer wastage of time and energy. Not only is it wastage but it strengthens and gratifies the ego. And an ego more gratified becomes more a barrier...

~ Osho (Discourses on Atisha's Seven Points of Mind Training)

[great-book-recommendations]

[thereluctantinquisitor]

“You use my own sword against me?” For atisha ;)

There were few things Hanin truly enjoyed more than a spar with someone whose skill equaled or surpassed his own. It was a difficult thing to find among the clan, with so many of the best warriors too busy to bother entertaining the whims of an eighteen year old who didn’t know when to quit.

But Ghilan was not one of them.

Laughing, the warrior danced backwards and gave an impressed whistle. “Good form, Hanin!” Grinning, he dodged to the side as Hanin doubled back, refusing to skip a beat. “A little predicable, but your footwork is–”

A smirk flashed across Hanin’s face. He lunged, the positioning a little awkward, but that was precisely the point. Up until that moment, he had been practically perfect. Precise. The problem with that was it made him too easy for a skilled warrior to read.

It was time to shake things up a bit.

Ghilan’s expression went slack with surprise, the smile wavering as he moved in a hurried attempt to counter Hanin’s blade. They locked weapons, neither using a training sword, both confident in the other’s ability to keep things relatively bloodless. It was another thing Hanin used to his advantage.

Tensing his arms, Hanin twisted his sword, locking the decorative hilt of Ghilan’s blade with his own simpler one. What he was doing was immediately obvious to the older warrior, who attempted to disengage only to find Hanin bearing down on him every step of the way, refusing to give him room to breathe. Once he had Ghilan’s back almost pressed to a tree, Hanin jerked his blade sharply to the side, ripping Atisha from his mentor’s grasp.

But Ghilan was far from done.

Brimming with reckless confidence, Hanin didn’t expect the man to come at him with his bare hands. As soon as Atisha was sent flying, Ghilan had Hanin in a grapple, his hands clamping around the younger elf’s wrists. “Don’t get cocky,” Ghilan panted, a breathless smile on his face as Hanin struggled to break his hold. “You do that, you make mistakes. Like this…”

He released Hanin’s free hand and twisted, striking him in the bicep of his sword arm. With the hand holding his blade still in Ghilan’s grasp, Hanin cried out, a sudden jolt of pain numbing his hand and forcing him to drop his sword. Furious, Hanin used his free hand to attempt a blow to Ghilan’s elbow only for the man to release him suddenly and dance out of reach. Safe. Confident.

But that opened a different kind of opportunity.

Hanin dove blindly towards Atisha, her hilt finding his palm, his fingers closing around her tightly as he rolled to his feet and faced Ghilan. His mentor had Hanin’s sword in his own hand, and a peculiar expression flickered across his face as he regarded the pair now facing him.

“You use my own sword against me?” 

Breathing hard, Hanin was wracked by a moment of doubt. He glanced uncertainly at the golden blade, suddenly fearing he might have crossed some unspoken line. “I…” 

Sensing his sudden nervousness, Ghilan relaxed his stance, a smile finding life on his lips. He gave a slow, thoughtful nod, eyes never once leaving the pair. “She suits you, da’len.” The smile slowly curled into a smirk. “Now let’s see if you can use her.”

It was permission, as spoken as it was unspoken. Giving in to a breathless chuckle, Hanin readjusted his grip on Atisha’s hilt. She was heavier than his blade. Sturdy. Armed with that knowledge, he charged towards Ghilan, heart pounding out a wild, vital rhythm in his chest. 

Hanin was skilled, although he was young. 

Atisha was old but forged to be strong.

And when they moved, they moved as one. 

[ripplefactor]

Atisha says ..

‘The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.’