Ananda II

Ananda II is the current head monk of The Church of The Wheel. They rose to this position as did their predecessor, via the universal consent of the Church once the former head monk, Ananda, passed on. Ananda II is unique amongst the leaders of the Church, in that they often use the Church (with the mutual consent of its members) as a means of establishing formal treaties and agreements with other nations, something which has never been done up until this point. Previously, such agreements were made between local municipalities and neighboring governments, never by the church itself.

Ananda II is renown for their decisions regarding foreign policy in the wake of the colonization of Eldham by Rathnirians. Officially, the Church is not allowed to use violence against anyone for any reason. Yet, the church has almost never had to deal with foreigners settling in its lands before, and the potential risk of invasion. Ananda II maintains that the church should maintain its pacifistic approach, and that diplomacy and trade are the best options for the continued survival of the political, religious, and economic traditions and freedoms of the Irilani, and those who choose to settle in their lands.

Life
Ananda II ordained as a monastic in The Church of The Wheel when they were 15 years of age. Before that point they were much like any other Irilani. Through diligently living a monastic lifestyle, and advancing in their spiritual practice, they eventually became chosen by their fellow monastics to be the abbot of the monastery they were staying in at the time. After the death of Ananda, Ananda II was selected by their peers to be a candidate for the position Ananda left behind. Councils of lay and monastic members of the church then unanimously decided that Ananda II was the best person to fill this position.

Political Decisions
Ananda II was responsible for proposing positive relationships with the countries surrounding The Free Territory of Iringa. Since these dealings were between the Church and the other parties, Ananda II could only proposed these deals before they could be accepted by the Church, and then acted upon. Nonetheless, they set a precedence for a new age of effective diplomacy for the Free Territory, as before this point it would have been much more inconvenient to do something like this on a country-wide scale.