Mungday!

[Telarus]

Quoted from DrJon's LiveJournal:




Today* is Mungday, the Holyday of the Apostle Hung Mung, the Patron Saint of Chaos, and the 5th Day (Setting Orange) of the Season of Chaos (the first season in the Discordian Year) in this, the YOLD 3175. Hooray!

* For given values of *today*. Mung Day falls on 5th January Gregorian. Please read this post when your timezone accords. Love from the Future.

Hung Mung is a Sage of Ancient China and Official Discordian Missionary to the Heathen Chinese. He who originally devised THE SACRED CHAO. Patron of the Season of Chaos.

On the teachings and imitations of

Saint Hung Mung

Setting Orange Chaos 5, 3169 Anno Lumina

On Setting Orange Chaos 5 (January 5th), Discordians set aside the day to remember and commune with Saint Hung Mung, whose name means Primal Chaos, sage of Ancient China, inventor of the Sacred Chao, Official Missionary to the Heathens, leader of Operation Mindfuck and patron of the season of Chaos.

This is the season of Chaos, the ancient universe as earliest humans saw it, where anything and everything is REAL. Apostle Hung Mung came out of this mindset and planted the seeds of the Taoist religion, whose followers don't apply their force to the universe, but instead allow the universe to guide their force.

Hung Mung appears in the writings of old Chaung Tzu, where he responds to the inquiries of Great Knowledge by by laughing and slapping his knee and shouting, "I don't know! I don't know!" His name 鴻蒙 means "silly goose" in Chinese, and the Planet Eris was discovered on Mung Day, 3171... HAIL ERIS!!!

Great Knowledge was traveling east, carried along upon the wings of a whirlwind. Suddenly he met Hung Mung, who was jumping around, slapping his thighs and hopping like a bird. Great Knowledge saw this and stopped dead, standing still in respect, and said, 'Elderly man, who are you? What are you doing?'

Hung Mung continued to slap his thighs and hop like a bird, then replied, 'Enjoying myself!

Great Knowledge said, 'I would like to ask a question.'

Hung Mung looked at Great Knowledge and said, 'That's a shame!'

Great Knowledge said, 'The very breath of Heaven is no longer in harmony. Earth's very breath is ensnared, the six breaths do not mix, the four seasons do not follow each other. Now I want to combine the six breaths in order to bring life to all things. How do I do this?'

Hung Mung slapped his thighs, hopped around and said, 'I don't know, I don't know!'

Great Knowledge could go no further with his questioning. But three years later, traveling east, he passed the wilderness of Sung and came upon Hung Mung again. Great Knowledge, very pleased, rushed towards him, stood before him and said, 'Heaven, have you forgotten me? Heaven, have you forgotten me?' Bowing his head twice, he asked for teaching from Hung Mung.

Hung Mung said, 'Wandering everywhere, without a clue why. Wildly impulsive, without a clue where. I wander around in this odd fashion, I see that nothing comes without reason. What can I know?'

Great Knowledge replied, 'I also seem carried on by an aimless influence, and yet the people follow me wherever I go. I cannot help their doing so. But now as they thus imitate me, I wish to hear a word from you.'

Hung Mung said, 'Ah! your mind needs to be nourished. Do you only take the position of doing nothing, and things will of themselves become transformed. Neglect your body; cast out from you your power of hearing and sight; forget what you have in common with things; cultivate a grand similarity with the chaos of the plastic ether; unloose your mind; set your spirit free; be still as if you had no soul. Of all the multitude of things every one returns to its root. Every one returns to its root, and does not know that it is doing so. They all are as in the state of chaos, and during all their existence they do not leave it. They do not ask its name; they do not seek to spy out their nature; and thus it is that things come to life of themselves.'

Not claiming to know anything, Primal Chaos reveals everything to informed curiosity - though not usually in a very orderly format. In becoming acquainted with this sage who knows nothing and does not care that he does not know anything, we can learn enough to accomplish nearly anything.

The Excellence of Apostle Hung Mung

Super-secret initiation ritual

For peace and inner clarity, the shaping of new worlds, Psychological Joy-Virus production and mysticomagical distribution (be you Jedi or Christian, Taoist or Discordian, or even Atheist Communist), discuss all matters philosophical, theological or poetic you may wish to expand your knowledge about, and go about with your bizarre arcane rituals, consciousness research and spiritual leisure-groups.

Begin by finding a place to meditate. This can be anywhere, but works best when you are in a crowded, noisy place. It is important that you learn to be able to close off your conscious mind from external distractions. Subway platforms, busy sidewalks, public parks, county fairs, etc. are all viable. Sit on the ground with your legs crossed. Be sure to wear either loose, comfortable clothing or, as Hung Mung himself did, nothing at all. Place your fingers in your ears, and squeeze your eyes closed. Begin by rocking your torso back and forth, while breathing deeply. Eventually, you will want to move your torso in a circle, to mimic the spinning of the Sacred Chao. In a loud voice, intone this mantra: Oh waa taa foo laa om. Repeat this mantra while focusing on your breathing and your rocking about. Ignore everything going on around you. When you can meditate in this way, you will be enlighted.

St. Mung and the Discordians

I confess that there is nothing to teach: no religion, no science, no body of information which will lead your mind back to reality. Today I speak in this fashion, tomorrow in another, but always the Way is beyond words and beyond mind. Simply be aware of the oneness of things.

--the Apostle Hung Mung

The Discordian Calendar is dated from the year of the Illumination of Hung Mung. Cabbages are the sworn enemies of the Discordians because of Hung Mung. Long ago, in the season of Chaos, the Apostle Hung Mung met a Cabbage passing along the road to Timbuktu. The Cabbage said some very rude things about Hung Mung's mother. Hung Mung became very angry at the Cabbage, and said some very rude things right back. From these humble beginnings was the eternal enmity between Discordians and Cabbages born.

Discordians also say you can get a look at Hung Mung by getting stoned and tuning your television to a channel that is not broadcasting. His dancing image will become more and more visible the harder you look for it. And having no sponsors, Hung Mung - they say - is never interrupted by commercials. Zenarchists are skeptical of that much.

Hung Mung's element is Orange, and he is often willing to intercede in situations where a dearth of Orange is causing discomfort (such as waiting in line at the DMV or the realization that one is growing old and fat), but he will generally spend more time grousing than helping in any productive way.

By inventing the Sacred Chao and promptly getting ripped off by the Taoists, Hung Mung inadvertently started the fine Discordian tradition of ripping others off intellectually wherever possible. The whole Principia Discordia itself is Kopyrighted "All Rights Reversed", as is this page, as are most Discordian writings. This is because we believe that a truly Good Idea lives a life of its own, and doggedly claiming it as one's personal property is piggish. Besides, it's also a lot easier to steal crap from other people than to make it up all by yourself.

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I'm going to try to find another version of the quoted Hung Mung parable to compare wordings. For example, when Hung Mung says soul, the original invariably was Prana/Ki/Chi/Breath or similar. Will post commentary in Zenarchist Swordsmen thread.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

That was very nice, thank you Telarus!

[Cramulus]

Ahh Mungday, actually one of my favorite holidays. (mainly because it's one of the few dates that's easy to remember)

[Murmur]

Thanks for the info!

[Telarus]

You're welcome!

I figure if I start a thread for each holyday with DrJon's exellent write-ups, then we can just bump them again this time next year.

What's the next holyday,  now-then-yet?

[Kai]

You're welcome!

I figure if I start a thread for each holyday with DrJon's exellent write-ups, then we can just bump them again this time next year.

What's the next holyday,  now-then-yet?

Chaosday, on day 50 of this season. Its near the end of february.

[hooplala]

What's the next holyday,  now-then-yet?

Make one up.

[Telarus]

NO YUO 


Anyway, I guess we should claim January 11th, just so we can get an entry in the 'Holidays and observances' section of the wikipedia page. It's also the first day of Carmentalia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmenta), and RAW's passing, which we should work in.


WHO WANTS TO NAME THIS HOLYDAY?

[Cramulus]

it shall be called

THE FEAST OF RAW MEAT

Celebrated by: flipping through your favorite Robert Anton Wilson book. Find something that is true, something that is false, something that is meaningless. Then leave a quarter on a sidewalk somewhere. Then post about it on the internet.

[Telarus]

Cool, so now we put it in Intermittens, so that some one else can cite it, am I doin' it right?

[Cramulus]

MUAHAHAHAHHAAH YESSSSS

although there's no time to get this into an intermittens issue before Jan11th

We should try to get the Day of Discord listed though - that's a legitimate new holiday that I think we can prove tons of people celebrated.

[drjon]

I figure if I start a thread for each holyday with DrJon's exellent write-ups, then we can just bump them again this time next year.

Ironically enough, that's just what I'm doing. ;}P>

What's the next holyday,  now-then-yet?

It's the Anniversary of Emperor Norton's death today. RAW's on the 11th. Norton's birthday is the 17th. I called these examples of "X Days" in my gobshite post on the subject here.

As for "Canonical" Holy Days (bwahahahaha!!!), the Sloth Day of Chaos is on the 27th (Sloth Days are UrDiscordian, I don't know much about their origin, but they're from the 60s), the Flux Day is on the 19th of Feb (50 Chaos) and  the Eye Day of Chaos is on the 14th of March (Eye Days were started by Thornley as an end-of-season Zenarchic self-reflection day, and were mentioned--albeit as an Illuminati day--in Illuminatus).

I must remember to mention the Day of Discord this year...

Oh, I'm loving Intermittens, btw.