Endajué
From Almeopedia
Endajué [ɛn da ˈdʒwɛ] is the majority religion of Xurno, Čiqay, and Tásuc Tag, a strong presence in Cuoli, and a minority religion in Čeiy, Sevisor, and even southern Eretald. Its offshoot Bezuxau is influential in Čeiy.
Etymology: X. Endajué from ende dzu ez ‘the Path between All’, Ṭeôši Eddezueš, Ver. Andažuei.
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History
The religion began as the teachings of the Hermit Masters (kešaup dzuséy), who starting around 1800 undertook solitary hermitages, then accumulated disciples and shared their wisdom in remote areas. Among the first were Krosámis, Nauni Čeykirc, Zim, and the first female Master, Rúmeš. Their message was one of radical rejection of the existing order: there were no gods, the kings were lawless despots, and salvation was a matter of personal unillusion and discipline.
From about 1900 to 1925 the Masters were persecuted by the authorities, and seven of them were put to death-- the xaučipeje or Loyal to Death. Yearly commemorations (pucigeseš) of their martyrdoms began almost immediately and have become the most important popular practices of the religion— celebrations in good times, protests and riots in bad.
Starting with Lozauš in 1977 and ending with Inex in 2053, the kings of Xengiman converted, marking the transition of the religion from dissidence to state religion. For some time in the 2200s, the public practice of Mešaism was prohibited, which quickly made Endajué the majority religion, though many retained Mešaic practices in secret.
The first emperor of Xurno, Rejabriš, was a zealous believer in Endajué. He encouraged the development of a strict hierarchy of dzuséy, and started the development of Xurnese law.
In the 2900s a revival of pure Endajué broke out, named Revaudo. This was increasingly critical of the emperors, and when Imdax IV cracked down (2984), this led to a thirty-year civil war. The revolutionary state that resulted was based on Endajué principles and run by the artist class.
Basic beliefs
- The Greater Principle is the oneness behind the universe; the Lesser Principle is its obvious division into different essences and categories. As a corollary, human divisions (noble/commoner, male/female) are unimportant.
- All things are in movement; the Dance (cauč) is the basic metaphor for the universe and the foundation for liturgy, and the Path (ende) that for spiritual movement.
- There are no gods, and it is an error to anthropomorphize the Dance. The gods of Mešaism were considered immoral and vile human creations.
- The cosmos (the Ez, the All) was a frequent object of contemplation, and was even turned into a diminutive (ezis). The Mešaic cycles (šaraup) were still believed in, but the planes of existence (moreš) were dropped.
- The masters distinguished body and soul, but emphasized their equality (under the Greater Principle). Most discouraged belief in life after death.
In morality, the Masters advocated moderation in all things. This led to a new level of subtlety, as for instance condemnation of both perversion and puritanism, selfishness and conformity, foolishness and cynicism. They advocated living a simple ('unencumbered') life, and considered humans to be blinkered by illusion (beriludo), which must be combatted with a lifelong commitment to unillusion.
Endajué did not recognize the Mešaic idea of the third sex (Ax. ewemi); but in many ways it simply extended ewemi values and practices to the whole population. Most of the Masters were ewemi, and modern dress derives from ewemi robes. In the time of the Masters the word had become wem and referred to the whole intellectual class; today it is the word for 'artists'.
Practice
There are multiple levels of initiation: the jivircú ‘walkers’ are the masses who accept Endajué teachings; the beylusú ‘enlightened’ are teachers, scholars, helpers, and dancers; and the dzuséy ‘masters’ are leaders, prophets, and saints. Those who do not accept or who ignore the teachings are šwečircú ‘strivers’.
There is no worship in Endajué, but there are seminaries or retreats (dzusnari) which offer teaching, ritual, and opportunities for service. These may be divided into front-facing dzusnari which reach out to the masses, and back-facing ones devoted to discipleship and scholarship.
Training still follows the methods established by the Hermit Masters and codified by Bodeusirc, including listening to teachings, meditation, mentoring, movement (exercise and dance), physical labor, and disciplines of self-control and self-mortification. These days there will also be extensive study of the written literature. There is a tradition of visions enhanced by pepec, a hallucinatory drug.
There are nine pucigeseš scattered through the year; the people march through the streets, often wearing particular outfits and engaging in approved self-mortification— the commemoration of ne-Zim, for instance, who was strangled, involves wearing women's clothing and wearing bindings.
The masters were pacifists— Bodeusirc was evisceratd by a soldier when he refused to take him as a disciple. But later masters were not so scrupulous, and even developed the Jueši endi, the Ways of War. The key figures were Pwes, who devised methods and disciplines designed to produce xal, martial spirit, and Nekangri, a general who devised tactics based on movement as well as careful logistics and training. The ideal Endajué warrior was known as the xaleza, comparable to the knight or samurai.
