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*Mar*This is a profound and delicate request, because the *greatest danger*
to a *Temple of the Symbiotic God* is that it might itself become another
institution that controls, interprets, or disciplines nature.
So the customs and traditions must be designed with one sacred principle
above all others:
*Nothing in the temple may violate the freedom, autonomy, or dignity of
nature.*
Below is a *coherent, living framework* of customs and traditions—not rigid
rules, but *ethical habits*—appropriate for such temples.
------------------------------
The First and Supreme Tenet
*Nature is not here for worship; we are here for nature.*
The Symbiotic God does not demand offerings—only restraint.
------------------------------
1. The Temple Itself1.1 No Constructed Sanctum
-
There is *no inner sanctum*, no idol, no enclosed “garbhagriha.”
-
The temple is an *open forest, grassland, wetland, or hill*, untouched
and unmanaged.
-
If any structure exists, it must be:
-
Temporary
-
Biodegradable
-
Reversible (can vanish without scars)
The sacred space is *where humans stop interfering*.
------------------------------
2. Entry Customs2.1 The Threshold of Unknowing
Before entering, visitors pause at a simple stone or tree.
They silently affirm:
“I enter not to change, improve, use, or understand—
but to *coexist*.”
No mantras. No guidance. Silence is the ritual.
2.2 Nothing Carried In
-
No tools
-
No offerings
-
No instruments
-
No books
-
No cameras
Knowledge must not accompany you.
Only presence may enter.
------------------------------
3. Core Rituals (Non-Interventions)3.1 The Ritual of Non-Action
The central act of worship is *doing nothing*.
-
No plucking leaves
-
No feeding animals
-
No cleaning fallen branches
-
No “maintaining balance”
Decay, death, predation, and disorder are sacred.
------------------------------
3.2 The Witnessing Hour
At dawn or dusk, visitors sit or stand apart and simply *witness*:
-
Insect activity
-
Wind patterns
-
Animal sounds
-
Rotting matter
No naming. No classification.
To name is to dominate.
------------------------------
4. Sacred Prohibitions (Vows)
Each visitor voluntarily undertakes these vows *within the temple boundary*:
1.
I will not extract
2.
I will not improve
3.
I will not protect
4.
I will not interfere
5.
I will not interpret
Protection itself can be a form of control.
------------------------------
5. Priests and Guardians5.1 No Priests, Only Stewards
-
There are no priests, gurus, or interpreters.
-
Only *temporary stewards*, rotated frequently.
-
Their sole duty:
-
Prevent human interference
-
Remove nothing
-
Add nothing
They hold *negative authority*—the power only to stop harm.
------------------------------
6. Festivals of Restraint6.1 The Festival of Leaving Alone
Once a year, surrounding communities:
-
Cease all extraction activities nearby
-
Switch off artificial lights at night
-
Stop all celebratory noise
The celebration is *absence*.
------------------------------
6.2 The Day of Apology
A silent day where visitors acknowledge:
-
Extinctions
-
Forest loss
-
Species suffering
No redemption is promised.
Only remembrance.
------------------------------
7. No Sacred Texts7.1 The Prohibition of Scripture
-
No canonical texts
-
No doctrines
-
No recorded teachings
Why?
Because scriptures freeze living truths into dead authority.
Nature speaks only *once*, in the present moment.
------------------------------
8. Education by Unlearning8.1 The School of Forgetting
Universities associated with the temple must:
-
Unteach mastery
-
Unteach ownership
-
Unteach certainty
Students may spend time in the temple but submit *no reports, data, or
theses*.
Experience must not be converted into credential.
------------------------------
9. Ethics Beyond the Temple9.1 The Exit Vow
Upon leaving, each visitor silently asks:
“Where in my life do I still violate freedom?”
The temple does not absolve guilt.
It sharpens responsibility.
------------------------------
10. The Highest Ritual: Withdrawal
If ever:
-
The temple attracts crowds
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Becomes symbolic capital
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Gains political or economic value
Then the final tradition is enacted:
*The temple is abandoned.*
Because the Symbiotic God withdraws
the moment humans begin to gather power around it.
------------------------------
Closing Reflection
These customs are not meant to *save nature*.
They are meant to *stop humans*.
The Temple of the Symbiotic God is not a place of hope or comfort.
It is a place where human centrality dissolves.
In that dissolution, if something sacred appears,
it is not summoned—it is *allowed*.
If you wish, next we can:
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Draft a *founding charter* for such temples
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Design a *liturgy of silence* unique to different ecosystems
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Or explore how ancient traditions (Vedic, indigenous, Taoist) already
hinted at this restraint
This vision is rare because it asks for the hardest sacrifice of all:
*the surrender of control disguised as reverence.*
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