Shoken

This article is about the guru who is known for his controversial philosophy. For other similar uses, see Guru (disambiguation).

"If you meet the spirit of enlightenment on the road, slay it!"

— A proverb from Guru Shoken.

Shoken
Biographical information
Nationality	Unknown
Political information
Profession	Guru Philosopher
Chronological information
First appearance	"Preparations" (mentioned only)
Last appearance	"A Meeting of Minds" (mentioned only)

Shoken was a guru and philosopher who lived around 3,829 BG. Known for his controversial ideas, Shoken was much less popular than his philosophical rival Laghima during his lifetime and afterward. Regardless, his works survived for thousands of years and influenced at least two Avatars, namely Yangchen and Kyoshi.

History

Life

Shoken lived around 3,829 BG, in an era when the four nations had not yet been formed. A contemporary and philosophical rival of Guru Laghima, Shoken advocated concepts which were deemed heretical by many, though a minority regarded him as wise. Some who studied the works of both gurus believed Shoken's ideas to be similar to Laghima's in several regards, only worded in a more harsh and dramatic manner. In general, Shoken's writings were either extremely brief or extremely few in number compared to most philosophers.

Philosophy

According to one interpretation of his transcribed statements, Shoken advocated that people should follow their own path unburdened by the morals or beliefs of society; by ignoring the opinions of others, it was possible to discover one's self and exist without compunction. The philosopher contrasted such freedom with the widespread tendency of people to seek approval and guidance of others; he described these tendencies by using an allegorical figure in his teachings, the so-called "Fettered Man".

Shoken also posited that humans were only points of contact that did not truly exist until they interact with others and the world around them, a position considered similar to the Air Nomad idea of negation of the self. He wrote that a mind had to be destroyed in order to be possessed, which was considered similar to Laghima's "empty, and become wind".

Legacy

Despite his unpopularity, Shoken's writings continued to be handed down and discussed for thousands of years. His works were considered to be rather obscure to most people. Although it was known that he had lived before all four nations were politically united, his place of origin was completely unknown by Avatar Yangchen's time.

Chaisee, the Zongdu of Jonduri, owned a well-worn copy of The Complete Works of Shoken. Upon Avatar Yangchen's arrival in Jonduri, the zongdu introduced her to the works of Shoken; she had never heard of the philosopher before she saw Chaisee's personal library. The latter subsequently gifted the Avatar her own copy of Shoken's writings. Yangchen later studied the works of Shoken alongside those of Laghima, finding value in both philosophies.

Two Avatar-generations later, Lao Ge told Avatar Kyoshi about Shoken in an attempt to convince her to cast off her morals and become an assassin. Although Lao Ge stated that Kyoshi was already close to embracing Shoken's ideals, Kyoshi remained skeptical of Shoken's philosophy and believed that following his path would result in a corrupted Avatarhood with "heartlessness the new enlightenment" and "murder the means to self-discovery".

Known writings

• If you meet the spirit of enlightenment on the road, slay it!
• To possess a mind, destroy it first.
• If a child given every comfort won't stop screaming, leave it in the field.

Trivia

• Shoken's statement that one should kill the spirit of enlightenment is akin to the statement of real-world Buddhist master Linji Yixuan who said "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him." Linji's comment had several meanings: For one, he meant that those who believed to have all the answers should question themselves. In addition, his urging to "kill" the Buddha showcased his opposition to an active quest to seek enlightenment, as this quest itself would result in a form of greed, consequently resulting in distractions, and thus paradoxically prevent one from achieving enlightenment.
• Some of Shoken's ideas seem to mirror the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, including the pursuit of self-betterment and happiness through the rejection of existing societal and moral standards. Furthermore, the two figures are similar regarding the disputes over the interpretation of their ideas, with both being accused of being nihilistic.
• Kalyaan claimed that Kavik behaved exactly like Shoken's "Fettered Man".