The adherents of Kaimetsu-uo, the founder of the Mantis Clan, have a considerably different view of that heroic individual than the samurai who belong to the Clan he founded. They believe Kaimetsu-uo performed legendary deeds because he wanted to avoid the destruction that would have come if he had stayed and contested the claim to the Crab Clan's leadership. The monks of the Temple of Kaimetsu-uo believe enlightenment comes from conciliation and peace with others.
When Rokugan desperately called for heroes to defeat the threat of the dark god Fu Leng, seven mortals sacrificed everything to save their Empire. The monks of the Shrine of the Seven Thunders honor these heroes by dedicating their entire lives to enlightenment through contemplation and tranquility. These monks rarely leave the monastery, choosing instead to become one with their environment.
The monks who are admitted to the small Shinmaki sect spend much of their lives studying the controversial Diamond sutra and meditating on the Seven Thunders, who are supposedly avatars of Shinsei from other cycles of the world. They remain in their dark and isolated monasteries for years, and some of their practices there are highly controversial (for example, some claim they copy sutras onto dried flesh). However, they do occasionally emerge to explore the world or to gather for meetings of the entire sect.
There are many divisions within the Order of the Wind, but while the core tenets vary wildly from one group to the next, the core beliefs are the same throughout the Order. The essential beliefs of the Brothers of Wind are that the world is a naturally chaotic and unpredictable place, and this cannot be changed. Rather than struggle against this, a Brother of Wind simply accepts it and remains resolute in the face of uncertainty. This belief grants them control over themselves and, in a limited way, over the world around them.
The Brothers of the Order of Rebirth come from a militant tradition of sohei who once served in the ranks of the Order of Thunder devoted to Osano-Wo, the Fortune of Fire and Thunder. The Order embraces new paths and philosophies in an attempt to unlock new truths about both the self and the universe. Their subtle disregard for tradition has earned them a fair amount of disdain from other sects, but the brothers of Rebirth tend to ignore this hostility; as an oft-repeated maxim of their sect observes, the first step upon a new path is always the most difficult.
Pockets of this sect may be found throughout Rokugan, especially in places where warfare or local spiritual conditions make ghosts more common. They dedicate themselves to serving Emma-O by laying ghosts to rest, without regard for whether those ghosts are the spirits of heimin or samurai. In the twelfth century the monks of this Order form an alliance with the newly-formed Brothers of Rebirth, whose aims they see as harmonious with their own.
An offshoot of the Shrine of the Seven Thunders, this Order believes the fate-altering power of the Seven Thunders resides in all mortal souls. Its teachings are not for the faint of spirit or body, since the monks of the Nameless Gift delve into their secrets through physical rigor and endless trials of endurance. Training in the Order involves a great deal of focus on the physical world and seeing the vastness of the universe reflected in the mundane.
A small sect that is not well known among those outside the Brotherhood, the monks of the Order of Heroes are among the most proactive sects in Rokugan. Adherents are followers of the Tao, the Thunder Dragon, and the Fortune Goemon (The Fortune of Heroes). They believe the potential for greatness exists within the soul of all men. With the proper encouragement, any samurai can become a hero of legend to inspire and teach others.