Scribe Code Aphorisms

2008-02-02 17:16:46 note card

Created by Ashllee McBride

SCRIBE CODE APHORISMS

There are three core values of a scribe:  Integrity, Objectivity and Duty.  All other values spring from these three core values.

ON THE INTEGRITY OF A SCRIBE

1.  As rain falls upon the tree and only nourishes it, as water flows around the rock and never moves it, so the Scribe among words from above and surrounding: nourished, and unmoved.

2.  As the tree bends and never breaks, as the rock guides the flow around its base, so the Scribe stands true and guiding in any circumstance.

3.  A tree stands: though hot winds and cold rains pummel, it remains a tree; though lightning strikes, it does not change the tree to lesser things.

4.  The wind will blow, and the willow may weep, but the oak will stand, as solid as a keep.

5.  Do not fix your concentration upon a single object, action or goal. Be as expansive as the wind, as flexible as the reed, as fluid as Thassa. To be otherwise is to limit oneself to dire predictability. 

6.  Only a sharp weapon can kill cleanly. Only a calm mind can act swiftly. 

7.  To a Scribe, words are binding; the Codes of his caste are the most binding of all.

8.  Q. What are the Codes of a Scribe?

 A.  They are the golden threads, binding the lore of the past with the actions of the present and weaving the pattern of the future.

9.  It is wisdom to know others; it is Mastery to know oneself. The Master of men is powerful; the Master of himself is greater. Endurance is to live long and die; Mastery is to die and not perish. 

10.  The Scribe is always honest within himself, and in his dealings with others.

11.  Choose wisely the thoughts you express; it is all too easy for the owner of an open mouth to create the impression that his head is filled only with hot air.

ON THE OBJECTIVITY OF A SCRIBE

12.  Seeing by daylight, the work reveals itself plainly; seeing by candlelight, the shadows cast new interest, a new work of art.  The Scribe sees in many shades, in many lights, the whole and the parts, without awareness of one's own eyes that look.

13.   A dull quill will not write clearly.  A torn parchment makes poor copy.  A soft wit cannot discern.  A slow mind does not argue well.

14.  A large scroll requires two hands to hold and read. A complex issue is best resolved with several minds, working to find a reasonable solution.

15.  The simplest solution is the best, it cuts like a razor, and leaves no trace of unrelated and unnecessary rationale.

16.  In matters of logic, let you be as clear as a mountain spring, as sharp as the cry of an osprey, and as firm as the bedrock.

17.  A careless mind betrays its weakness, in debate, observe your opponent's mind, and you shall prevail.

18.  To think without confusion, to write with clarity, to argue without anguish, to debate without interference of unneeded arguments, that is the goal of all goals, the inner clarity will bring out triumph.

19.  When your opponent thinks of an argument, then is the time to make you point.  When he decides to retract, then you press the issue.  There is no more powerful ally than to interrupt the flow of your opponent's argument, you tangle his wit and you gain the scales of triumph.

20.  What is the scribe's greatest enemy?  The unrebutted argument made by an opponent.  Do not leave unanswered any claim made by an opponent.

21.  Within the compass of a person's own quill, that person is ubar of their own mind.

22.  To best understand your position, look at if from the view point of your opponent.

23.  To be objective, one must set aside prejudice and weak thoughts, and fairly judge competing sides of the argument.

24.  A wise person will concede a weak point, so that the points of strength will shine forth, unobscured by the cloud of weaker arguments.

25.  Know everything.  Overlook nothing.  See that which cannot be seen.  

26.  If you find yourself awash in a sea of words, a short phrase will serve as the best raft.

ON THE DUTY OF A SCRIBE

27.  As the natural way of flowers to the sun, as the natural way of tarns to true mastery, such is the Scribe in the service of truth.

 28.  When you argue a point of law or practice,  remember the owl.  From on high he is silent, when the mouse appears, he strikes.

29.  The winds may blow in a new direction and the sun to move across the sky but it is the service of a scribe to consistently listen to the sounds of those around them.

30.  It is not with those we agree but those that we disagree that brings about new knowledge and insight.

31.  Watch. Observe. See. Know. Understand. Act. 

32.  Those who know, speak not! Those who speak, know not. 

33.  Thirty spokes will converge at the hub of a wheel... but the use of the cart depends upon the empty spaces between the spokes. A clay bowl is bounded by a wall all around... but the use of the bowl will depend upon the empty space within. Build a cylinder to the sky...walls 1000 feet high! But the use of the structure will depend upon the empty space within! So advantage is to be had from the solidity of things... but their usefulness must depend upon the spaces within, and what things they contain. 

34.  Only a fool seeks fire with a lighted torch. 

35.  As a warrior must train constantly with the blade and the spear and the bow, so must a scribe seek ever greater skill with his quill, his ink, and his wit, for these are the weapons of his Art.

36.  A scribe becomes familiar with every art he encounters, and learns the Codes of other Castes.

37.  The signpost knows the difference between divergent roads; the scribe knows the difference between right and wrong.  Their purposes are similar.

38.  A day in which nothing is learned is a waste of both sunlight and candle wax.