He changed Tiwat

White, composed of seven colors, is "light ether".

After the first era belonging to the "Extreme Humans," the world entered the second era.

It's worth mentioning that the order of "Ice, Fire, Water, and Lightning Cycle" in Genshin Impact and "Root Race" in "Theosophy" is not entirely consistent. It's similar to how the Teyvat version of alchemy places "Gold" after "Crimson," which is also inconsistent with alchemy in the real world.

After all, games aren't entirely based on reality, but that doesn't stop us from researching their origins.

1. First reincarnation, Hyperborea

As we mentioned in the Mondstadt volume of the novel, Yola's "unmelting ice" may very well have originated from Hyperbolia, and the Lawrence family may also be the first reincarnation survivors in the Teyvat world.

The name of the second "root race" in "Theosophy" is Hyperpolia.

The name originates from Hyperborea (άπεράρεοι), a legendary northern land in ancient Greek mythology, the northernmost country in the ancient Greek imagination, meaning "beyond Boreas (the North Wind)." Remember Boreas, the name of the North Wind Wolf King?

The Wolf King might also be related to Hyperion.

In Genshin Impact, the weapon "Fjord Song" records this place.

This place name refers to a lost ancient civilization in the far north, discovered by the winter hero Ajax. The "Prince's" father later named him Ajax based on this story.

2. The Second Cycle, Natlantean

The fourth root race in Theosophy, the Atlanteans, corresponds to the second cycle of Teyvat, the Natlanteans.

The name Atlantis should easily evoke associations—they were the inhabitants of Atlantis, the famous sunken continent in the Atlantic Ocean.

In the game, the Natalantia civilization, which corresponds to the second cycle, appears in the character portrait introduction of the Water Dragon King Navelette:

The true trial will begin only when they return one day. —Hibarak, the one who will be buried with the Source Fire.

The "one who brought fire with him, Shibarak" mentioned here is the first fire god of Nata, who was very likely a descendant of the ancient Nata civilization.

The name Xbalanque refers to one of the twin heroes in Mayan mythology. The story of the Mayan civilization he represents is recorded in the travel item "Chat Stick". You can look it up if you are interested.

3. The third cycle, Remuria.

The third root race in Theosophy, the Lemurian, corresponds to the third cycle of Teyvat, the Remuria.

Similar to the sunken continent of Atlantis in the Atlantic Ocean, Lemuria is also a hypothetical continent. It is also known as Lemuria and is located in the Indian Ocean.

To explain why the same species of lemurs exists in South India and Madagascar, zoologists of that era proposed the existence of a submerged continent called "Lemuria" in the Indian Ocean. Of course, with the advent of plate tectonics, the submerged continent hypothesis was abandoned by scientists—though mystics and novelists have taken it to heart in their writings.

4. The fourth cycle, Khraun-Arya.

The fifth root race in Theosophy, the "Aryans," corresponds to the fourth cycle of Khraun-Arya, which is currently halfway through.

The root of this word, Arya, means "Aryan," and the first part, Khraun, is pronounced similarly to "crown," likely referring to the "first crown" at the top of the Kabbalistic tree of life.

In other words, at this stage, humanity dons the crown and stands shoulder to shoulder with the gods—a description that is quite close to René's statement that "the human spirit has experienced the loss of Paradise, the defeat of the dragon, original sin and baptism, and finally gained freedom from the gods."

In the game, there are two countries that may be inhabited by the Aryan race: Sumeru and Mondstadt, since the real-world Europe and India are inhabited by Aryans.

But more likely, the ancient civilization in the game corresponds to the people of the White Night Kingdom on Haiqi Island—they were originally of the Aryan race, as I specifically mentioned in the novel. Including Coral Palace Heart Sea, their names were all foreign names forcibly translated into Inazuma's name.

In the game, the major events in Teyvat that correspond to these four cycles are also clearly defined.

The first cycle corresponds to the era of the unified civilization of the First Throne, which, according to René, symbolizes "Paradise Lost".

The second cycle corresponds to the era after the War of Funeral Fire, the war between Tenri and the Dragon King Nibelungen, symbolizing "defeating the evil dragon".

The third cycle corresponds to the era of the Demon God War, symbolizing "original sin and baptism".

The fourth cycle is the current seven ruling earthly rulers, symbolizing "gaining freedom from God".

The reason why Teyvat is full of rebels is that everyone wants to "transcend the cycle of reincarnation".

This is the cyclical fate of the world (Part 2)

(It should be noted beforehand that this research contains a large amount of Buddhist scripture content, but the author is not promoting religion; it is purely a cultural study. The author is not a Buddhist and is not trying to persuade anyone to become a Buddhist.)

III. The Three Gods of Sumeru and Buddhism

1. Buddhism in Teyvat

As is widely known, there is no Buddhism on the continent of Teyvat at present.

Mondstadt has churches and Christianity; Liyue has hermits and Taoism; Inazuma has the Inari Shrine and Shintoism; even the Winter Solstice has the "Festival of the Furnace" and Eastern Orthodoxy... We can see that the religious settings in Genshin Impact actually correspond strictly to those in the real world.

According to this convention, it should be normal for Mount Sumeru to have Buddhism, right? However, it doesn't.

Why? It's because of the "reincarnation" we mentioned earlier.

The concept of "reincarnation" comes from the Buddhist concept of "six realms of reincarnation," but in Buddhism, "reincarnation" is synonymous with "suffering."

Buddhism introduced the concept of reincarnation in order to transcend the cycle of rebirth.

To summarize the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation, it has the following four characteristics:

(1) Denying the existence of a Creator;

(2) Karmic retribution can influence reincarnation;

(3) The purpose of spiritual practice is to break the cycle of reincarnation;

(4) After transcending the cycle of rebirth, one dwells in Nirvana.

Although we often use "god" and "Buddha" interchangeably, they are actually not the same concept.

From the perspective of Buddhist teachings, the Buddha was actually an "awakened teacher" among mankind. Through his own enlightenment, he discovered the truth and shared it with others, and then founded Buddhism.

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings, while sentient beings are Buddhas who have not yet awakened. The Buddha said that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, but it cannot be manifested due to delusions and attachments.

For Buddhists, the principles of Heaven and demons are all among the six realms of sentient beings. The only difference is that the realm of Heaven may be the "heavenly realm" within the six realms of reincarnation, a place that is slightly better than the human realm.

Heavenly principles possess supernatural powers and are very powerful—but Buddhists will say that "supernatural powers cannot overcome karma," and will not believe that having supernatural powers means being a deity.

Because those with supernatural powers might also be celestial demons.

In Buddhist scriptures, the "Deer Staff Heretic" (Deer Staff Brahmin) believed that killing was saving people, and the Buddha said that he was bewitched by the demon. If you apply this to the Genshin Impact world, Deer Staff is a "scattered soldier," and the demon is a "doctor."

When Shakyamuni was alive, no Buddha statues were erected. Later Buddhist believers worship Buddha, which, according to Buddhist interpretation, is actually "repentance" and "vows to do good," and incidentally, it also carries the meaning of taking Buddha as a "role model," just like hanging up a Conan poster before an exam.

Compared to other theological religions in the world, Buddhism's "atheistic" viewpoint is very distinct.

Buddhism denies that the world was created by a "supreme" and "omnipotent" god, and denies that this "creator god" is the first cause of the world.

Buddhism believes that the idea that "the world has a beginning" is merely a speculation based on human "limited knowledge" about the infinitely vast universe, suggesting that the universe must have a starting point. In reality, as time and space are infinitely deep, there is no "starting point"; everything is a continuous cycle of reincarnation.

Therefore, Buddhism uses the phrase "since beginningless time" to express its view of time.

In Buddhism, the universe is inherently free and eternal, requiring no creator god. Buddhism emphasizes personal spiritual practice and inner enlightenment, rather than relying on external deities for salvation, thus directly denying the existence of a creator god.

You see, if you believe in Buddhism, you'd be a complete traitor in Teyvat, directly "defying the laws of nature and breaking the cycle of reincarnation."

This is why everything from the three gods of Mount Sumeru to the "scattered soldiers," including that ridiculous movie where someone meditates in the "Pure Land of One Mind," is trying to break the cycle of reincarnation. The purpose of Buddhism is precisely for this.

2. The Three Buddhas of Mount Sumeru

We know that after the Demon God War, Sumeru was ruled by three gods, a system that lasted until the death of the Red King a thousand years ago. (The Great Compassion Tree King recounts in the main storyline how she and the Red King collaborated to control pollution a thousand years ago.)

In fact, the cultural prototype of Sumeru is also the most "diverse" on the entire Teyvat continent.

It encompasses the Arab culture of desert nomads, the civilizations of ancient Persia and Egypt, and of course, the ancient Indian civilization that lived in the subtropical rainforest.

The three demon gods of Sumeru—the Flower Goddess, the Red King, and the Tree King—correspond to these different civilization systems.

Furthermore, the ruins of Kanria are also located beneath Mount Sumeru—if you recall the "Kanria Tunnel Boring Machine" I mentioned in Volume 3, the chapter on the Abyss of the Layered Rocks, its name is "The Worm of the Seven Sons," also known as "The Worm of Haftavid." This name comes from the ancient Persian Book of Kings (also known as the Book of Kings).

The cultural prototype of Kanria is Scandinavia, but they named their tunnel boring machines after Persians because the country is located within the Sumerian cultural sphere.

Therefore, the cultural archetypes of Sumeru are truly diverse.

Clearly, this is because Sumeru once had an era of "three gods ruling together," so different demons left different cultural imprints, which eventually evolved into the current mixed-up Sumeru.

So why is it a triad of gods, not two or four? Because Buddhism speaks of the "Three Buddhas of the Past," the "Buddha of the Present" is Dipankara Buddha, the "Buddha of the Future" is Shakyamuni Buddha, and the "Buddha of the Future" is Maitreya Buddha.

The three deities of Sumeru represent Sumeru's "past", "present", and "future".

Buddhism is the thread that connects these three deities from different cultural backgrounds.

The Flower Goddess is a celestial being, an angel created by the laws of nature. She is the "Buddha of the Past," and the first to sacrifice herself to break the cycle of reincarnation. Her sacrifice brought the Crimson King the knowledge to break the cycle of reincarnation—the "forbidden knowledge" in the Sumeru main storyline. (The hidden plot behind the Flower Goddess's death will be discussed in the Sumeru chapter; we'll skip it here for now.)

The Red King is the "present Buddha" and the founder of Tewat Buddhism.

The Red King Ahmar was originally the "charioteer" of the "Sun Chariot," but he was caught in the crossfire of the War of Funeral Fire and fell to the ground.

As mentioned in Volumes 3 and 5 of this book, the "Yangpei Chariot" fell into the Layered Rock Abyss, which is how the mineral deposits of the Layered Rock Abyss came about.

The Red King probably jumped off the carriage halfway and ended up falling into Sumeru. Of course, it's also possible that he damaged the flowers and plants in Liyue and was banished to Sumeru by the Emperor.

As for why he didn't return to Sky Island, it's probably because he crashed his boss's car. Going back would only result in him being fired, and he might even be held responsible for the accident and have to pay compensation, so he simply didn't go back...

The phrase "Seven Sage Monks" appears several times in the weapon "Staff of Red Sand" and "The Dialogue of the Great Sage in the Sand".

The "Seven Sages" were seven trusted subordinates and allies of the Red King. They were the King of the Goat, the King of the Crocodiles, the King of the Ibis, Saint Bennu, Saint Shesfenh, Akh Apep (the Grass Dragon King), and Hermanubis. These "Seven Sages" correspond to figures in ancient Egyptian mythology (we'll discuss this in more detail in the Sumeru chapter).

Incidentally, the Red King once wanted to take in Remus, the founder of Remuria, as one of the "Seven Sages," but Remus refused and ran away. So the position left for him was later taken by the Grass Dragon King (note that the Grass Dragon King Apep himself does not recognize this identity).

So far, the Red King faction is the only faction in Teyvat with the "Monk" class. You can think of the Red King as Shakyamuni before he became Buddha, the leader of the Sumeru Sangha.

However, later, in order to break the cycle of Teyvat (and partly out of personal motives), the Red King came into contact with "forbidden knowledge" from outside the world, and then the "forbidden knowledge" corrupted the ley lines and the World Tree.

As you know, the Buddha was willing to cut off his own flesh to feed the eagle and sacrifice himself to the tiger, because "if I don't go to hell, who will?" So the Buddha, the Red King, committed suicide to eliminate the influence of "taboo knowledge"—he fed himself to the Grass Dragon King Apep.

With the passing of the Red King, the nascent form of Buddhism in Teyvat also vanished.

Unfortunately, his act of feeding the dragon with his own body failed to seal the "forbidden knowledge," and instead infected the grass dragon king as well... Just like when the Buddha entered Nirvana, he still left behind the degenerate age of the five turbidities, where sentient beings are still sinking into depravity and unable to be liberated.

The strange disease "Demon Scale Disease" that the people of Sumeru suffer from is the same incurable disease that Kolai and Dina Zede suffer from. It is caused by the contamination of Sumeru's ley lines by "forbidden knowledge".

Those people are already dead, so what do they care about the raging floods that follow? We can only trust the wisdom of future generations.

Therefore, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of the Great Tree King, the God of Wisdom, Buyer.

The Great Compassion Tree King is the "future Buddha" of Mount Sumeru.

She represents not only the future of Sumeru, but also the future of humanity.

—The Little Auspicious Grass King, Naxi Da, her existence symbolizes that someone has broken the cycle of reincarnation.

3. The Great Compassion Tree King's "All phenomena are without self, Nirvana is peace"

The White Night Kingdom's "Previous Events of the Sun and Moon" records a "metaphor of the tree," which is actually a prophecy by Ishtar, the "Ruler of Time," to Buyer about transcending the cycle of reincarnation:

The king's gardener fell in love with a tree spirit in the royal garden. However, the king wanted to build new beams for the pavilion, which required cutting down the most spiritual tree. The king was the embodiment of the primordial being, so the gardener could not disobey the King of Kings and could only pray to the king's priest, who was the embodiment of the eternal god.

The priest took pity on the gardener and said, "Go and break off a branch from the sacred tree." The gardener went and broke off a branch, and then obeyed the king's command to cut down the sacred tree.

Then the priest said, "Go and plant a branch of the spirit tree." The gardener said, "The spirit tree needs five hundred years to grow." The priest said, "A single thought can end a thousand eons." So the gardener planted a branch in his backyard. In an instant, the slender branch grew into a new tree, and that new tree spirit was a continuation of the original tree spirit.

Because the god of that moment can carry the "this moment" of the "seed" into the past and the future.

So, how did the Great Compassion Tree King transcend the cycle of reincarnation?

This brings us to the World Tree.

The memories of all beings in Teyvat are stored in the ley lines and the World Tree. The World Tree can be viewed as a giant "cloud disk" containing all the memory data of Teyvat. All events that occur on the continent of Teyvat are recorded within it, but it is merely a "record" and cannot alter reality.

In the original work, the "straggler" Oki only modified the "memories" of him in the World Tree; the events that actually happened remained unchanged. In other words, he modified the "history book," but he failed to alter "history."

Because Teyvat, in addition to the cycle of reincarnation, also has a "fate system" called "False Heaven," and there is also the existence of "predestined destiny."

Even the Great Compassionate Tree King, who is the administrator of the World Tree, has her system permissions restricted by "predestined fate" and is unable to eliminate "herself".

The Great Tree King said: "Even if I die, my existence and everything related to me will still be preserved in the World Tree as memories and knowledge, so 'forbidden knowledge' can never be eradicated."

After all, eliminating "oneself" means the administrator account is gone, and the person who modified the World Tree no longer exists. It's a paradox of "who killed me, and whom did I kill?"

Moreover, her position is very important, and she is obviously under the strong control of Sky Island. During the Battle of Kanria, she had to stay at the World Tree. She must have been strictly controlled by her superiors and could not do whatever she wanted.

Therefore, the "fate" of Sumeru, corrupted by "forbidden knowledge," cannot be changed by the power of the "Seven Rulers of the Mortal World" alone. Such a causal-level operation can only be performed by the Heavenly Principles and the Four Rulers of Sky Island.

Well, Sky Island has made its decision. Whether you are human or a demon, the only choice you can make when facing fate is to recite poetry or not.

Theoretically it is.

But the Great Tree Queen did what others could not: she truly rewrote history!

In the main storyline, she erased all the information left in the World Tree by the "Great Tree King", turned Nasita into the "First Grass God", and completely eliminated the "Demon Scale Disease" of the Sumeru people and the "forbidden knowledge" brought by the Red King.

—Note that this is not about changing the level of the "History Book", because the Great Tree King has made "forbidden knowledge" and its effects disappear in Sumeru.

This is not simply revising a "history book," but truly turning "existence" into "non-existence."

What method did the Great Compassion Tree King use?

This is what I've repeatedly mentioned in my recent updates: "all phenomena are without self."