An Ancient Lakiratai Meditation
By Lidellia
A stroll down the beaches of Jedda
oft brings a strange vision – carefully placed stacks of stones, balanced so precariously
that it appears they will be taken by the wind at any moment. On occasion a single
Stonetree stands alone, but more often there will be a gathering of them – tall, unlikely creatures standing silent sentinel over the endless waves of the sea.
They are called Stonetrees, and they have been found on the shores of Jedda since Lakiratai's first breath as a new religion. Now we’re finding them here, on the shores of the Old World, and more and more people are wondering about them. The time has arrived to share what lies behind the strange sculptures.
"Somehow, they look natural, as if they grew there
overnight." Sirilaan the mage made this remark when I told him I was writing a treatise on the subject. And in a way, he was quite right.
As one becomes realized in Lakiratai, a purity settles into their being – they enter a state in which every action is natural and spontaneous – without forethought, desire, or expectation. The religion of Lakiratai embraces numerous mental and physical ‘exercises’ which lead the aspirant toward that state. One of these exercises is the ‘growing’ of Stonetrees.
It is called growing, because there is a secret to making them.
An observer might think that someone is simply stacking rocks. The stacker walks about, selects a stone, and then carefully places it atop another. The observer’s assumption is that the stacker is carefully deciding which stones will fit together, which ones are heavy or light, and which will compliment, in appearance, the others. And Stonetrees can certainly be created in such a manner. In fact, ‘mechanistic’ Stonetree builders can craft fabulous sculptures by carving or chipping stones so that they wedge against each other and create solid supports.
But growing a Stonetree is something quite different indeed, and mechanistic Stonetrees can never match the simple beauty and natural appearance of Lakiratai Stonetrees.
A tree reaches and grows without thought, without intent, and so I take my morning walk.
--A quote by Nakija, founder of Lakiratai--
It is this natural simplicity which allows a ‘grower’ to create such a
pleasing sculpture. When a Lakiratai practitioner arrives at the beach, they begin to look about, but they do so without intent. The first stone ‘comes’ to them, and they place it upon the ground. Each subsequent stone is selected with that same ‘meaningless’ mindstate, and each one is then set upon the next. Never will a practitioner chip or alter a stone in order to make it fit, and only seldomly do they place small support stones along the stack in order to keep the Stonetree aloft.
The results are amazing, as stones perch atop each other in the most unlikely-appearing balances. Often rounded stones meet rounded stones in a manner that seems impossible, but there is no magic here – only the power of doing things naturally, without anxiety or desire for specific results.
Rarely, while it is being built, a Stonetree will fall, but this is of no concern to the Lakiratai practitioner – the arrangement of stones on the beach is
yet another magnificent arrangement of nature, another manifestation of ‘Ko’.
Indeed, all Stonetrees are ephemeral – each, in its time, will topple over from the touch of wind, waves, human hands, or a perching bird. And such is the
spirit of these creations – natural, beautiful, impermanent.
Lakiratai practitioners are fond of saying that growing Stonetrees is among the most enlightening of physical practices – a moving meditation that draws the ‘grower’ into a pure state of ‘doing while doing nothing’.
Try it for yourself! Find a beach, or a pile of stones, and set to stacking. Don’t try to make anything happen – just let each stone tell you where it wants to go. Perhaps Stonetrees will 'grow' up all around you, and you'll find yourself, a few hours later, looking about at them in wonderment and surprise.
For such is the nature of Lakiratai.