Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha (InuYasha, Inu-Yasha, or any other
spelling). Nor do I own the concept of Buddhism that I portray here. Miru,
however, is mine, as is the idea.
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~
Buddha and Kami
Prologue - a Meeting
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~
It was nearly dark when they found her.
They hadn't even been sure it was her at first, not even that she was female. From the back, she looked much like any other Buddhist monk in odd clothing in the middle of a youkai-infested forest without any supplies or traveling gear or even a companion. She was meditating, and the stillness was so absolute it took them a while to even recognize the fact that she was hovering off the ground - not enough to pull her garments out of contact with the ground, but hovering nonetheless.
Then a youkai had attacked out of nowhere, and while everyone was scrambling to react and get the monk away and to safety, she had touched the ground, there had been an earthquake, and the youkai had abruptly disappeared.
Then she had come out of her trance, stood, and turned to them with those dark, clear eyes - and they had known, despite her almost complete lack of a figure and completely shaven head, that she was. well, someone important. And there had been no mistaking her for anything other than herself. Which included her reluctant femininity.
Miroku had been the first to bow, although he did not ask her to bear his child, or even make a suggestion as to such. She had returned the bow gravely, and after walking around their group for about fifteen minutes with half-lidded eyes (while Inuyasha snarled impotently and Kagome tried to restrain him) she spoke.
"The wheel of dharma has been turned again," she said, and the earth rumbled with her. Then the glazed look in her eyes cleared and she bowed to them again. "Is there some way this unworthy one may aid you?"
"You shouldn't be all alone out here," Kagome said, worried.
She smiled, a little. "Do not worry yourself about this one," she said. "What will come will come."
Miroku stepped forward and bowed again, and she returned it again, despite Inuyasha's growls. "Might I know your name, holy one?" he asked.
"This one is currently known as Miru."
"Keh," Inuyasha said. "What the fuck were you doing all the way out here?"
"This one was meditating. It seems obvious enough."
He growled.
She looked at him again, and seemed faintly surprised. Then she took in the others in more detail, the surprise remaining there, though faint, but added to a bit of disappointment and pity. Finally, she looked back at Miroku. "This one is traveling to the next village to recite the Lotus Sutra for the inhabitants. Would you like to come?"
"I would, holy one, if my companions would allow."
"They walk the path of eternal life," she said. "All are welcome, however, and the company of a fellow would be greatly appreciated."
They met many gods that night.
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~
AN: In reading all these wonderful stories, I noticed that Miroku's Buddhist nature is usually either completely untouched or somewhat misunderstood.
A low-level monk such as he is by no means Enlightened, although he may believe in the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering (or discontentedness), and no-self (no eternal, unchanging soul), or the four noble truths: that suffering exists, that suffering exists because of the existence of craving, that the cessation of craving (and thus of suffering) is nirvana, and that the path to the cessation of craving is the eight-fold path (summarized as morality, meditation, and wisdom). That is standard Buddhist belief, and grants him nothing because even the laity believes in such. Only a Buddha or an arhat (like a Buddha but with different responsibilities) are Enlightened.
A low-level monk such as he, also, has no special powers through his religion. Those are attained through intense meditation and have more to do with the ability to levitate a few inches off the ground and the ability to remember past lives than anything that could defeat Naraku or any other of the youkai.
I also was interested in - and will explore - just what youkai are to the Buddhist mind. The best bet I can find are asura - elemental beings of great power who tend towards the evil side and fight against the gods.
So, voila! Miru is both very high-level and very Buddhist. She is not the center of the story, but she plays an important part.
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~
Buddha and Kami
Prologue - a Meeting
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~
It was nearly dark when they found her.
They hadn't even been sure it was her at first, not even that she was female. From the back, she looked much like any other Buddhist monk in odd clothing in the middle of a youkai-infested forest without any supplies or traveling gear or even a companion. She was meditating, and the stillness was so absolute it took them a while to even recognize the fact that she was hovering off the ground - not enough to pull her garments out of contact with the ground, but hovering nonetheless.
Then a youkai had attacked out of nowhere, and while everyone was scrambling to react and get the monk away and to safety, she had touched the ground, there had been an earthquake, and the youkai had abruptly disappeared.
Then she had come out of her trance, stood, and turned to them with those dark, clear eyes - and they had known, despite her almost complete lack of a figure and completely shaven head, that she was. well, someone important. And there had been no mistaking her for anything other than herself. Which included her reluctant femininity.
Miroku had been the first to bow, although he did not ask her to bear his child, or even make a suggestion as to such. She had returned the bow gravely, and after walking around their group for about fifteen minutes with half-lidded eyes (while Inuyasha snarled impotently and Kagome tried to restrain him) she spoke.
"The wheel of dharma has been turned again," she said, and the earth rumbled with her. Then the glazed look in her eyes cleared and she bowed to them again. "Is there some way this unworthy one may aid you?"
"You shouldn't be all alone out here," Kagome said, worried.
She smiled, a little. "Do not worry yourself about this one," she said. "What will come will come."
Miroku stepped forward and bowed again, and she returned it again, despite Inuyasha's growls. "Might I know your name, holy one?" he asked.
"This one is currently known as Miru."
"Keh," Inuyasha said. "What the fuck were you doing all the way out here?"
"This one was meditating. It seems obvious enough."
He growled.
She looked at him again, and seemed faintly surprised. Then she took in the others in more detail, the surprise remaining there, though faint, but added to a bit of disappointment and pity. Finally, she looked back at Miroku. "This one is traveling to the next village to recite the Lotus Sutra for the inhabitants. Would you like to come?"
"I would, holy one, if my companions would allow."
"They walk the path of eternal life," she said. "All are welcome, however, and the company of a fellow would be greatly appreciated."
They met many gods that night.
~~~-~~~-~~~-~~~
AN: In reading all these wonderful stories, I noticed that Miroku's Buddhist nature is usually either completely untouched or somewhat misunderstood.
A low-level monk such as he is by no means Enlightened, although he may believe in the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering (or discontentedness), and no-self (no eternal, unchanging soul), or the four noble truths: that suffering exists, that suffering exists because of the existence of craving, that the cessation of craving (and thus of suffering) is nirvana, and that the path to the cessation of craving is the eight-fold path (summarized as morality, meditation, and wisdom). That is standard Buddhist belief, and grants him nothing because even the laity believes in such. Only a Buddha or an arhat (like a Buddha but with different responsibilities) are Enlightened.
A low-level monk such as he, also, has no special powers through his religion. Those are attained through intense meditation and have more to do with the ability to levitate a few inches off the ground and the ability to remember past lives than anything that could defeat Naraku or any other of the youkai.
I also was interested in - and will explore - just what youkai are to the Buddhist mind. The best bet I can find are asura - elemental beings of great power who tend towards the evil side and fight against the gods.
So, voila! Miru is both very high-level and very Buddhist. She is not the center of the story, but she plays an important part.