Kamaarg Sutakayyar

Kamaarg Sutakayyar, or Sutakayyar in short is the main religion practiced in the East Bank. The basis of Sutakayyar says that life is a circle, one is destined to reincarnate after their life has passed. Afterlife is just for those pure of soul, and life itself is the purgatory. Only by following the Noble Eightfold Path one can reach the state Prabodhan, which is enlightenment. As long as one does not reach that state one is destined to go through Kaalee, the painful process of reincarnation. There are four basic rules within Sutakayyar, being called the Four Noble Truths. These build the base the rest of the religion is built upon.

The Four Noble Truths

1. There is Suffering
2. Suffering has a origin
3. The origin of the suffering can be lifted
4. By following the Noble Eightfold Path suffering will be ended

The Noble Eightfold Path of Kamaarg Sutakayyar

The eight Sutakayyarian practices in the The Path of the Eight Spoked Wheel are:

1. Right View: our actions have consequences, death is not the end, and our actions and beliefs have consequences after death. The Sutakayya followed and taught a successful path out of this world and the other world. Later on, right view came to explicitly include kama and rebirth, and the importance of the Four Noble Truths (see below), when "insight" became central to Sutakayyi theology.
2. Right Resolve or Intention: the giving up of home and adopting the life of a religious mendicant in order to follow the path; this concept aims at peaceful renunciation, into an environment of non-sensuality, non-ill-will (to loving kindness), away from cruelty (to compassion). Such an environment aids contemplation of impermanence, suffering, and non-Self (Anattaa).
3. Right Speech: no lying, no rude speech, no telling one person what another says about him to cause discord or harm their relationship.
4. Right Conduct or Action: refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct.
5. Right Livelihood: Gaining one's livelihood by benefiting others also not selling weapons, poisons or intoxicants.
6. Right Effort: preventing the arising of unwholesome states, and generating wholesome states, the bojjhagā (seven factors of awakening). This includes indriya-samvara, "guarding the sense-doors," restraint of the sense faculties.
7. Right Mindfulness: "retention," (sati) being mindful of the dhammas ("teachings," "elements") that are beneficial to the Satakayyara path. Sati is interpreted as "bare attention": never be absent minded, being conscious of what one is doing; this encourages the awareness of the impermanence of body, feeling and mind, as well as to experience the five aggregates (skandhas), the five hindrances, the four True Realities and seven factors of awakening. (look below).
8. Right Samadhi: practicing four stages of dhyāna ("meditation"), which includes samadhi proper in the second stage, and reinforces the development of the bojjhagā, culminating into upekkha (equanimity) and mindfulness. In most Sutakayyari circles, this is interpreted as ekaggata, concentration or one-pointedness of the mind, and supplemented with Vipassana-meditation, which aims at insight.

Bojjhangas and Skandhas

In Sutakayyara, the bojjhangas refer to wholesome, mundane factors leading to Prabodhan (enlightenment). Together they make the Seven Factors of Awakening:

1. Mindfulness (sati). To maintain awareness of reality (Kaya)
2. Investigation of the nature of reality (dhamma vicaya)
3. Energy (viriya) also determination, effort
4. Joy or rapture (pīti)
5. Relaxation or tranquility (passaddhi) of both body and mind
6. Concentration, (samādhi) a calm, one-pointed state of mind, or clear awareness
7. Equanimity (upekkha). To accept reality as-it-is (yathā-bhuta) without craving

Meditation is based on these seven bojihangas. They are worked against by the Skandhas: The Five Aggregates of Clinging.

These are:

1. "form" or "matter" (rūpa): matter, body or "material form" of a being or any existence. Sutakayyari texts states that any person, sentient being and object to be composed of four basic elements or forces: earth (solidity), water (cohesion), fire (heat) and wind (motion).
2. "sensation" or "feeling" (vedanā): sensory experience of an object. It is either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral.
3. "perception" (saññā): sensory and mental process that registers, recognizes and labels (for instance, the shape of a tree, color green, emotion of fear).
4. "mental formations" (saṃskāra): '"constructing activities", "conditioned things", "volition", "karmic activities"; all types of mental imprints and conditioning triggered by an object. Includes any process that makes a person initiate action or act.
5. "consciousness" (vijñāna): "discrimination" or "discernment". Awareness of an object and discrimination of its components and aspects, and is of six types,

The Three Marks of Existence

In Sutakayyara, the three marks of existence are three characteristics (tilakkhana) of all existence and beings.

The three marks are:

1. sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā — "all saṅkhāras (conditioned things) are impermanent"
2. sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā — "all saṅkhāras are unsatisfactory"
3. sabbe dhammā anattā — "all dharmas (conditioned or unconditioned things) are not self"

In the Makana Yogācārabhūmi-Raiyai (an old scripture of the Makana subbranch) however, four characteristics are described instead of three:

1. impermanence (anityākāra),
2. suffering (duḥkhākāra),
3. emptiness (śūnyākāra),
4. selflessness (anātmākāra).

Dependent Arising

Pratītyasamutpāda, commonly translated as dependent origination, or dependent arising, is a key doctrine of Sutakayyari philosophy, which states that all thrrmas ("phenomena") arise in dependence upon other thrrmas: "if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist".

Twelve Nidanas

The twelve nidānas (dvādasanidānāni) is a linear list of twelve elements from the Suttakayari teachings which are pratītyasamutpāda, arising depending on the previous link. In the raiyais, dependent origination refers to nothing else but the process of mental conditioning as described by the twelve nidanas. Traditionally the standard-list is interpreted as describing the conditional arising of rebirth in saṃsāra, and the resultant duḥkha (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness). An alternative interpretation regards the list as describing the causal arising of mental formations and the resultant duḥkha. Traditionally, the reversal of the causal chain is explained as leading to the annihilation of mental formations and rebirth.

Physical Symbolic Attributes of Sutakayyar

Ritual robes

Sutakayyara has other symbolism that are physical and needed for ritual such as their robes. The robes for example in the sect of Utara are noticeably different than the robes of the other sects of Sutakayyara. Since Utara is the orthodox or the oldest of the three sects, they have a different traditional layout of their Utara robes. They carry their robes over their shoulders, most often showing their arm and the color their sect represents. Utara , for example is saffron orange, while other sects of Sutakayyara will have it as a different color as well as different styles or ways on how they wear it. Once Sutakayyari spread throughout Prabai back at the start of the Second Age of the Man, it was seen wrong to show that much skin, and that's when robes to cover both arms with long sleeves came in to play. Other parts of Prabai such as the Ashar Desert, have changed over time and they show both their shoulders as well as having a two piece attire rather than one.

Ritual bells

In all sects of Sutakayyara, there is a ringing of a bell where a Sutakayyari monk rings the large bronze bell signifying the start of the evening rituals. There are different names of each and every bell but some examples include The King's Bell and The Bell of Good Luck. They use the bell to detain away the bad spirits and have the Sutakayyar protect them at the time of their ritual. Some sects call this a part of the "Law of Mysticism" which is the beginning of a Sutakayyari ritual.

Bald monastics

Shaving ones head is another act of ritual for which you need to complete before being a part of Monastic Sutakayyara to ultimately reach nirvana. To shave ones head merely signifies ones readiness into this sect of Sutakayyar. Another mention of the symbolism of one shaving their hair is simply that it is one of the rules the Sutakayyar gave to his disciples to be kept away from ordinary life and be fully involved.

Prayer position

Another form of symbolism of the Sutakayo (one who follows Sutakayyar) is the joining of your hands together at prayer or at the time of the ritual. Sutakayos compare their fingers with the petals of the lotus flower. Bowing down is another form of symbolic position in the act of the ritual, when Sutakayos bow in front of the Sutakayyar or to another person they aren't bowing at the physical (the human or the statue) but they are bowing at the Sutakayyar inside of them (the human) or it (the statue).

The Thrrma Name

A Thrrma name is a new name acquired during a Sutakayyar initiation ritual in Utara Sutakayyar and monk ordination in Longpaht Sutakayyar. The name is traditionally given by a Sutakayyari monastic, and is given to newly ordained monks, nuns and laity. Thrrma names are considered aspirational, not descriptive. Both in the Longpaht and Utara branches, the names are always in the classical Matali language.
Monastic Ranks Although Sutakayyar preaches equality. It is more in a "equality in inequality" type of way. To atone wisdom and to differ different roles in monastic life, all three main branches of Sutakayyar have a monastic hierarchy, who are all quite similar to each other.

From bottom to top they are:

• Non-Believer, Butaparast: an individual that does not subscribe to the beliefs and practices of the Sutakayyar religion.
• Thrrma Practitioner, Chospa: an individual that subscribes to the beliefs and practices of the Sutakayyar religion.
• Practitioner, Nyamlenpa: an individual that not only follows the Sutakayyar faith but is actively engaged in regular or routine rituals and activities.
• Layman, Miksya: also known as a householder, a term referring to non-monastic figures who are still present in monastic life. A layman is a male or female that does not have or hold the ordination vows of a novice or fully ordained monk but still has passed the monastic vow of faith.
• Hermit, Kushali: an impoverished believer that has renounced all material possessions.
• Monk, Draba: a monk is a male individual who has received the ordination of a novice Sutakayyari monk according to the vinaya vow. Following this level, a novice monk (shramanera) is eligible to receive the final ordination of a full monk (bhikshu). Both levels are referred to in general as a monk (Draba). The word kushog is a common form of address when speaking to a monk.
• Lharampa: a title for graduates of academic Sutakayyar studies, usually with reference to monastics.
• Teacher, Gegan: a monk teacher with extensive or limited training or experience. The term can be used with reference to a teacher of secular or religious subjects.
• Great Teacher, Pandita: a title derived from Matali language referring to a great scholar. The title is often reserved for monastic scholars.
• Abbot, Upadhyaya: an abbot is the elected or appointed head of a monastery. To qualify they must have received full monastic ordination (bhikshu) and have been a bhikshu for ten years.
• Omniscient One, Kunkhyen: an Omniscient One is the leader of a monastic district, To qualify they must have received full monastic ordination (bhikshu), been a bhikshu for twenty years and be an abbot for at least 5 years.
• Holy Incarnate Being, Kyechen Dampa: the Holy Incarnate Being is the spiritual leader of the Sutakayar faith. There is only one per lifetime, and although both Utara and Longpaht have a different one (Makana following the Utara), the Holy Incarnate Being can only ever be a Sutakayyar. To qualify, you must have reached enlightenment.

Permeated Organizations

• Kingdom of Matarat