The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon is the Kuei-jin Dharma of Yang.
Virtue: Yang
The breathing cage set one bird free
It nestled in the bars and shat in the straw
The bird's wings were mountains
And forests covered them.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon
Like trees, the Laughing Rainbows of the Thrashing Dragons Dharma rise out of the fertile ground and unite it with the raging sky. These Kuei-jin are as alive as the undead can be. Bursting with life-energy, the followers of the Green Way resemble the forces of nature - too powerful to be silenced, too vivid to be real. As far as they're concerned, creation is a rainbow - illusory, but too colourful to ignore. In its colours, they see the unity and symmetry of Heaven. The idea, as the Dragons see it, is to experience each of those colours as vividly as possible. As a result, Laughing Rainbows are in general messy and vulgar, indulging themselves with wild feasts and drunken orgies - celebrations that usually feature living "entertainment," too. The lands of the Golden Courts hide Rainbow temples so infamous that even vampires avoid them. In their calmer moments, a Thrashing Dragon can be gentle and compassionate. Like wood, they grow tall and strong, yet bends before snapping. They nurture life, yet feed on it without remorse.
Shunning society's restrictions, they explore life's lush infinities through martial arts and Tantrick practices. Since life assumes ten thousand forms, most Thrashing Dragons master shapeshifting arts. The Thrashing Dragon way is highly animistic. Looking deep into nature, each Rainbow sees the spirits beneath life's skin, and they honours them with thanks, gifts and rites. Truly skilled Dragons can move beyond the Wall and speak to the spirits in their own tongue; a younger one simply recognises the kami and grants them respect. Thrashing Dragons are also known for their willingness to involve others in their lives. Life is not a solitary game - it requires lovers and rivals and romance and danger, if it is to keep the Thrashing Dragon on edge and awake. Such an exciting life requires a strong cast of supporting characters, and Thrashing Dragons as a group are perfectly willing to entangle others in their affairs. Among Kuei-jin and other shen, they typically observe decorum, since giving offence might lead to a duel or hard feelings.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon Training
Before their deaths, many Thrashing Dragons denied the flesh. All their repressions blow sky-high when the karmic debt comes due. Some ferociously carnal people do return to finish what they started in life, but most Laughing Rainbows learned only to laugh only after they died. By coupling with a living partner, the vampire shifts her energy to his own, then refines it into potent Chi -- the life force many once denied.
The Dance of the Thrashing Dragon Weakness
Confrontation is enlightenment to these vampires, and they go out of their way to enlighten everyone in the vicinity. As could be expected, Thrashing Dragons are shameless, impulsive, lusty and violent. Most go naked, or nearly so, and delight in smashing social customs. Their voraciousness doesn't end with sex; the hunger takes a literal turn in the Thrashing Dragon philosophy. Greedy for Yang, these creatures often eat their prey raw (and usually alive).
Beneath the revelry, however, many Dragons hate themselves. In a way, their hunger is a denial of what they have become. By consuming life-force, they secretly hope to undo their curse; it doesn't work, but they keep trying.
Auspicious omens and symbols for the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon
This lists the most important symbols and omens of the Dharma that are sometimes integrated into their homes and temples. Bodhisattvas frequently manifest such signs whenever they appear. The symbols are: Rainbows, thunderstorms, blooming flowers, blood, yoni, and lingam symbols
Affiliations of the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon
Wood, the number 3, the color green, and the east direction.
The Tenets of the Dance of the Thrashing Dragon
Each Way has eight tenets to guide its lessons and philosophy. To pursue one's purpose, one must follow these precepts as closely as possible. The tenets of the Thrashing Dragons are
1. Attune yourself to life in all its forms
2. Meditate upon passions; don't shut them out, but experience them, learn from them and encourage them in others.
3. Use your powers as a farmer employs his threshing tools: Break the stalks, gather the rice, scatter the seeds, help them grow
4. Help all living things thrive. When something appears to be dying, consume it and send it back to the Cycle
5. Half-life is an abominable state. Be as alive as you can be.
6. Guide the sun up each morning. Sleep when it's risen.
7. Laugh often and help others to see the humorous shadows.
8. Protect the spirits. Without them, the life-dance stops.
References
- Kindred of the East p. 72-73