The Real White Lotus Society

[ardhra]

Hi everyone! I hope this post is okay for this comm?

While looking stuff up about the Egyptian revolution (also called the Lotus Revolution), I stumbled across a reference to the real White Lotus Society in Chinese history. Apparently it was a secret, somewhat nationalist, society informed by a specific denomination of Buddhism, and responsible for a number of rebellions against state oppression since the 13th century, CE.

I thought it was interesting how this history was adapted to the role of the White Lotus Society in A:TLA, and makes me want to read even more fic about the White Lotus in earlier episodes of the history of the Avatar world. Given that it's a society composed of members of all the nations, maybe it would've been a society of elite 'benders who train the Avatar at some point? And maybe it was driven underground in an earlier period of history?

Comments

[chagrined]

I didn't know any of that! Thanks for the link to that fascinating info. A fic like that would be very cool.

[yukinoomoni]

Whoa, I had no idea it was based from something real. But then, I probably shouldn't be surprised, given the amount of detail in the show regardless.

[rydra_wong]

Fascinating -- thank you!

[stultiloquentia]

Thank you for this!

I have a little bit of head-canon wherein Iroh explains to Sokka or someone that the White Lotus wasn't originally a secret society, but got driven underground by agents of the Fire Lord. "Knowledge and philosophy are for everyone. They are meant to be shared." :)

[deleonjh]

The Chinese triads are also supposedly descended from the White Lotus Society. The purpose of the last incarnation of the White Lotus Society was to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, but when that collapsed on its own, a lot of society members were left with nothing to do. Being revolutionaries was basically their full-time job, and when that fell through many of them turned to crime. A lot of the skills in being a revolutionary are also useful in being a gangster, after all.

[lady_ganesh]

Oooh, that makes sense.

[glass_icarus]

Ooh, thanks for the link!