Nowkyo

## Historical Overview

hu·man·ism (hym-nzm)

1. A system of thought that centers on human beings and their values, capacities, and worth.
2. Concern with the interests, needs, and welfare of human beings: “the newest flower on the vine of corporate humanism” (Savvy).
3. The study of the humanities; learning in the liberal arts.
4. Humanism. A cultural and intellectual movement of the Renaissance that emphasized secular concerns as a result of the rediscovery and study of the literature, art, and civilization of ancient Greece and Rome.

Nowkyo was formed early in the 21st century CE amidst growing disenchantment with the traditional religions that tended to contradict science while ignoring the realities of modern life. As well, too often the mainstream western religions ignored the spiritual and mystical needs of their adherents. Churches and temples became places where the old growing older would congregate, gain some solace, sing a few hymns off-key and talk about the money needed to build a new church/temple roof. Certain fundamentalist and charismatic sects gained followers, but these types of groups did not appeal to the general population.

Nowkyo, as the name suggests, began as a small group of dedicated humanists working within one company. This group of people became interested in the teachings and insights of a person known only as "The Founder." The Founder's teachings were based firmly on humanistic values. However, this was not secular humanism of the type espoused during the Renaissance and after. The Founder recognized that spirituality was an important element of our humanness. Some animals use tools, others have language, some even seem to have an awareness and remembrance of death. Do any need a form of spirituality or mysticism to feel complete, to feel fully alive? This seems to be a human trait. The Founder also realized that studying the neurobiological basis for morality or for mystical experiences would not negate or even necessarily minimize the importance of these phenomena for our species. Instead, the Founder studied the teachings of the world's great religious traditions, particularly the eastern traditions, as well as the works of great humanists and writers. At the same time, in the belief that "know thyself" is the fundamental maxim of humanism, the Founder studied and later financially supported the work of neuroscientists and neurophilosophers.

Over the years, the Founder developed a vision which embraced science and mysticism, and which sought to promote the values, capacities and worth of all human beings. When groups of people at the Founder's company, and later all over the world, began to explore the Founder's teachings for themselves (for personal experience was stressed from the beginning) Nowkyo was born.

Through seminars and connectivity, Nowkyo quickly grew. Nowkyo members first offered health and wellness seminars (using a holistic approach based on eastern mindfulness techniques and the latest scientific mind-body research findings) to others in their company. Soon the company and Nowkyo became indistinguishable, as the majority of company personnel were Nowkyo members. As well, the Nowkyo holistic approach led to greater happiness, health and productivity among the company members, and this, in turn, helped the company become more successful in the new economic marketplace. Nowkyo members also led health and wellness seminars at other corporations and conferences. These seminars were successful because they gave concrete, accurate information about how people could make their lives better. The emphasis on mindfulness also allowed for the development of personal spirituality and mysticism. Seminars weren't only offered to the elite in society though, Nowkyo members, with their humanistic values, moved into disadvantaged areas, developing education programs, teaching lifeskills and, where necessary, investing their own funds to build social housing and centers where people could be trained in Nowkyo methods. Indeed, some of the brightest members during Nowkyo's middle years (early to mid century) were people who were helped by Nowkyo's outreach programs.

## The Founder

Other than the basic teachings and values (see Historical Overview), nothing is known about the Founder of Nowkyo. From the history of the organization, people know that the Founder lived in the late 20th, early 21st centuries, was most likely well-educated and had thorough knowledge of eastern philosophies and religions, as well as a certain depth of western scientific knowledge about the mind-body (or mind-brain) connection. Curiously though, despite this background, the Founder seems to have been employed at some type of high-tech firm.

This exhausts the factual information about the Founder, and even the employment/education history of the Founder is slightly speculative. The Founder's name and gender are unknown. The reason for such extreme anonymity is given in the Founder's teachings:

The scriptures tell us "duhkham eva sarvam vivekinah" "For the wise, all that exists is suffering." Does this statement seem pessimistic to you? In fact, it is not. The wise recognize that suffering exists in every aspect of life because the ego is responsible for every aspect of life. It is not that people do bad things to you, or even that you do bad things to other people. Nor is it the case that bad things simply happen and there is nothing we can do about it. The wise recognize that the ego alone is responsible for all things being interpreted as "good" or "bad." Once we have decided what is good, we cling to it, and suffer when it changes or ceases to exist. Once we have decided what is bad, we push it away - we cling to its absence or the hope of its absence, and suffer through its presence or the threat of its presence. In each case, whether good or bad, we cling to something. And who is this "we"? Who is it who clings?

It is clear that if we banish the tendencies to label things as good or bad, we will banish the suffering that results from clinging to good or bad. In order to banish the clinging to good or bad, we need to banish the one who clings. And this one is ego - "I, me, mine." The most generous among us, the most religious among us, may possess a broader ego "We, us, ours," but this is ego nonetheless. Think of the worst problems in the world, the suffering inflicted by racism, sexism, nationalism - are not these problems all caused, at the root, by "I, me, mine, We, us ours,"?

And here is the key - There is no need to legislate tolerance, compassion and multiculturalism. There is no need to go to therapy for years to uncover the secret yearnings and dark twists of ego. There is no need to go to church to be reprimanded for the natural thrusts of ego. And there is no need to engage in long meditation to starve the ego. Ego does not exist. We suffer when we believe that ego, that our identity exists. We create suffering when we push the hallucination of ego onto the world around us. We suffer when others push their hallucinations onto us. But in the most simple, real way, understand the nature of this hallucination and all suffering disappears. There is no suffering. There is no clinging. There is no good, no bad. Because there is no "I, me, mine, We, us ours."

The proof of this? Think of the times when you are most alive. Perhaps this is when you are painting, and forget yourself in the art. Perhaps it is when you are running, and forget yourself in the running. Or perhaps it is when you are working, and forget yourself in the work. These are the best times, the only times when you are truly alive.

When you are one with the activity, you do not exist. Good and bad do not exist. Clinging does not exist. Suffering does not exist. There is only the act. This is living.
The wise recognize that without this kind of unity, this oneness of the actor and the action, everything that we experience is suffering. And this suffering may be personal, this suffering may be familial, this suffering may be national. It is all suffering. The personal is political, the political is personal - do you understand that now?

"Duhkham eva sarvam vivekinah." The statement from scriptures is not pessimistic because the wise know also that the remedy for suffering is very simple. When you eat, eat. When you sit, sit. When you work, work. There is no ego, so pay it no attention. When you love, love. When you fight, fight. Perform all these actions mindfully, there is no suffering. When you walk, walk. There is no you, so pay it no attention. Live now.

From writings such as this, we gather that the Founder insisted on complete anonymity to emphasize the illusive nature of ego. What does it matter, the Founder might say, who wrote these teachings? The only thing that matters is the usefulness of the teachings. There is no Founder.

## Organization

Nowkyo is a strongly hierarchical organization. However, since Nowkyo is composed of numerous companies, HW groups (Health and Wellness groups), charitable organizations, and family corps (see below), there is ample opportunity for each Nowkyo member to be a leader in some way.

### CEO

Lila is currently the charismatic leader of Nowkyo. Some suggest though that Lila is simply a figurehead, a pawn for some other hidden leader who, perhaps for the same reasons as the Founder (or perhaps for different reasons), chooses to remain anonymous. Regardless of the truth of this, Lila appears to be an astute business leader, as well as a high-profile philanthropist and accomplished martial artist. Nowkyo, despite a schism that developed recently (see - RFN), is thriving under her leadership.

### General Members

A person becomes a member of Nowkyo either through employment (getting Connected), or through conversion/recruitment. In the first instance, the new members receive training in the corporate culture of Nowkyo. Some outsiders maintain that this "training" is actually a form of brainwashing. Nowkyo, in response, maintains that training in corporate culture has existed in various forms for well over a century (see, for example: http://www.microsoft.com/Museum/exhibits/Community/default.ASP )and does not necessarily imply that brainwashing takes place.

In the second instance, some become members of Nowkyo through Nowkyo outreach/recreation centers, where Nowkyo members teach martial arts and HW seminars. Youth, children, and even adults who show particular aptitude and interest in Nowkyo teachings (whether martial arts or otherwise) may be encouraged to join the organization, become a member of a certain company, or attend a Nowkyo school.

Each member of Nowkyo automatically belongs to a family corp. There are children's' corps, youth corps, women's corps, and men's corps. The family corp is composed of a fairly small group of people (between 20 to 40 people), who also attend larger corp group events. In this way, people don't become meaningless cogs in a huge Corp environment.

## Current Status

Now, in 2099, Nowkyo has grown large enough to become one of the Big 13 - the Corps that control and guide much of the western world. Nowkyo is thus a quasi-religious organization which has significant business, land, population, and architectural holdings. Most prominent among these are Nowkyo's extensive publishing houses and media outlets.

Nowkyo is also notable for its level of worker organization and dedication. This is one reason though why some people are reluctant to associate with Nowkyo. Some regard Nowkyo as a "cult," an organization that demands that its workers participate in certain ritual practices and beliefs.

Since Nowkyo does emphasize dedication and mysticism, traditionally emphasizes the importance of martial arts, and, like other Corps, is secretive about the exact nature of its operations and higher-level organization, many detractors refer to Nowkyo as "the Ninjas."