The Perfect Land

[Vutall]

The Perfect Land Sect
Those who follow the Perfect Land Sect believe in a particular, and some say heretical, interpretation of the lessons of Shinsei, the Little Teacher who aided the divine Kami many centuries ago. They believe that all are equal in the eyes of the Little Teacher, and that by revering him and chanting the phrase hshinii “devotion to the Little Teacher” or “absolute trust in the Little Teacher,” depending upon how it is written) a person may be welcomed into the Perfect Land when they die, able to achieve Enlightenment and avoid the wheel of reincarnation. The Perfect Land Sect is led by a man named Hige, a one-time member of the Brotherhood of Shinsei. He takes an active role in maintaining the Perfect Land Sect because he believes that the spiritual welfare and equality of all those he meets are of exceptional importance. To members of the Perfect Land Sect, Hige acts as Shinsei’s mouthpiece, interpreting messages from the Little Teacher and sharing them with his followers. They, in turn, spread the kie, their chant and beliefs, throughout the Empire.

The Perfect Land Sect is as much a philosophy as an organization. Hige personally leads a large group that lives within the wilderness and sends envoys out to prostheletyze, but its beliefs have spread like seeds in the wind. There are now many groups that profess this faith, or variations on it, but most operate independently by region. Hige and the Perfect Land Sect leaders hope to see their philosophy grow and expand––and live on, should anything happen to them. Hige’s sect holds that all who believe in the Little Teacher’s lessons are welcome, yet because the threat of spies and the anger of the samurai always looms overhead, new members are thoroughly vetted to ensure their faith.

The ideology is not inherently a violent one, but many of its individual leaders do wish to deconstruct the beliefs they consider false. Primarily, they focus on the oppressive caste system of the Celestial Order, which defines a hierarchy of command that is preordained by birth. The Perfect Land Sect also rejects ortunist thinking, believing that worshiping the Fortunes is not the only way to salvation. Because it rejects so many social and spiritual norms, the Perfect Land Sect is considered illegal and heretical across nearly all of Rokugan. Nevertheless, pockets of the faithful have taken root in the lands of the Dragon Clan, where samurai value individuality and where a dwindling birth rate has impeded the clan’s ability to police the peasants for signs of dissatisfaction and unrest.


Spreading the Word
Hige’s desire to see the Perfect Land Sect expand beyond the need for his leadership has found considerable success. Wandering monks, passionate peasants, and discontented rōnin have brought knowledge of the Perfect Land to many scattered villages and towns where people hope for a better life after this one. Many such places have minimal knowledge of Hige and the sect’s origins, instead operating as secret communities of believers with varying interpretations of Shoshi ni kie. For some, the kie is simply a belief to be shared with those who are willing to accept the Perfect Land in pursuit of spiritual Enlightenment. or others, it is a weapon of liberation against the samurai class, waiting for the right time to be unleashed. These communities are the ones most likely to spark riots or insurrections, using the kie as a rallying cry to unite those who wish to fight for a better existence in this lifetime.

Yet even among the downtrodden, the Perfect Land Sect is not an easy answer to all problems. Many still believe in the Celestial Order and have put their faith in the idea that by following its tenets they will be reincarnated into a better station in their next life. Others have the good fortune of a generous lord or a stable life, and the thought of undermining their samurai superiors represents a threat to their happiness and livelihood. Often people in this situation live alongside those who are predisposed to join the Perfect Land Sect. The conflict between belief systems can cause families to split apart and communities to cast out well-meaning members who have promoted the sect. Even though the sect promises a better life after death, many of those who follow it are forced into marginalized or threatened positions in this one.


The Perfect Land and Outsiders
For rōnin and peasants, the Perfect Land Sect is particularly appealing because it rejects the notion that their worth is tied to factors outside their control, such as their birth. Its ideology says that anyone who follows the Little Teacher with devotion can achieve Enlightenment and happiness after death, and all who accept this philosophy are treated as equals. A rōnin in particular may find the sect’s promises tempting, as a rōnin’s very existence is seen as a perversion of the Celestial Order, their status teetering between that of a samurai and one of disgrace.

Peasants may find the hope of freedom reason enough to begin chanting “Shoshi ni kie.” Especially for hinin, who are walked over, beaten, and ignored by nearly everyone with whom they come into contact for performing duties that are necessary for the health and wealth of the Empire, any reprieve is a blessing. However, all those who might consider opening their hearts to the Little Teacher must also understand the risks––such blatant disregard for the Celestial Order could easily end with a samurai’s katana across one’s throat. To some, this thought is one that drives them to become even more devoted.

Some monks do see the plight of those cast down by the Celestial Order and wish to see justice upheld. Others see in the sect an opportunity for personal power and glory. As monks are sources of spiritual authority—and they can read and write, which is often not the case for peasants—many of those who join the sect soon find themselves in leadership positions within it. This is one of many reasons why the Brotherhood of Shinsei sees the sect as a significant threat; the presence of monks in leadership positions in a prominent heretical group gives the group an aura of legitimacy that the Brotherhood would rather see extinguished.


The Three Sutras
The Perfect Land Sect was founded at the end of the ninth century by a monk of the Shrine of the Seven Thunders named Gatai. His mentor, Yuzue, had proposed a controversial theory that the old Age of Celestial Virtue had come to an end and that Shinsei would return to usher in a new one. By chanting the mantra “Shoshi ni kie,” she hoped to expedite his return. After her death, Gatai discovered a sutra she had written: the
rndur. Believing her mantra had guided her to the Perfect Land that her writing described, Gatai began championing her treatise and chanting the kie himself. While his ideas were not well received among the Brotherhood of Shinsei which exiled him fairly quickly), he found a willing audience among the peasantry of Rokugan.

Throughout the course of his life, Gatai continued to meditate upon the nature of the kie, upon the Perfect Land, and upon his mentor’s theories of the Age of Declining Virtue the age into which she believed they had entered). These meditations were recorded in his own sutra, the ninur, and were kept with the rndurby the burgeoning Perfect Land Sect. A third sutra would be added to the collection, the ininiruur by a later leader of the Perfect Land Sect, a monk named Joshin. While no one except perhaps Hige) knows the location of the original sutras, parts of each have been copied at different times and in different places, then distributed among the common people of Rokugan to assist in the dissemination of the kie. It is not uncommon for a regional branch of the Perfect Land Sect to have a piece of one or more of the sutras and to cling to it as a sacred text, studying or using it as it builds its own community of followers. Because most peasants cannot read, the text of a sutra is often irrelevant—simply having a copy of a sacred text can boost the perceived legitimacy of the Perfect Land ethos.