¶ Soliang
See also: Monasteries, Goddess of the West.
¶ The Disciple of the Goddess of the West
Soliang, that was the name of one of the temple monks living in the monastery of Brocade Mountain. He didn’t possess extraordinary bravery, but he was diligent and, in addition to that, quite handsome.
For this, or perhaps for something else, the Goddess of the West took notice of the monk. Late at night, she appeared before him and entrusted him with a task of such importance that the next morning the monk set off on a journey.
This journey is recounted in the second book of ‘Takuan from Koto’ titled ‘Hunters of Weredemons.’
At first, Soliang appears before the reader as an ordinary, albeit slightly timid, temple monk who wholeheartedly relies on faith in the gods. The assignment from the Goddess of the West transforms him, and at the end of his journey, Soliang discovers his true calling. He uncovers the sacred secret of the eighth kamisutta, which we won’t disclose at this time.
We will only say that after hundreds of years, Soliang is revered as the saviour of humanity. The conditions of human freedom are aptly named after him.
¶ Soliang and Weredemons
Although the story of Soliang is titled ‘Hunters of Weredemons,’ the mere mention of said demons terrified the temple monk. However, driven by his purpose, he embarked on a journey across the entire country of Chinayindu.
On his journey, he encountered weredemons several times, but each time the monk emerged from the turbulent river of troubles completely unscathed. He praised the Eternally Wise Goddess of the West, although in reality, his salvation was owed to his companions.
One of those companions was the demon hunter Wang-Zhu Leizu. Soliang also met a swindler named Takuan, as well as several other characters, some of whom followed noble intentions while others were driven by their own desires.
We won’t mention who exactly the temple monk encountered on his path. Let’s just say that they were all messengers of various gods and deities.
To learn everything about the different assignments given by gods and celestials, read the second and third books of ‘Takuan from Koto.’
¶ Quotes
The goddess looked around, and her gaze fell on a young monk who was pruning the unkempt branches of the apple trees. This monk was called Soliang, and he was as young as he was handsome. Only two years ago, he passed the last stage of initiation, and now he spent most of his time in the inner halls of the monastery, diligently indulging in prayers and various meditations.
Dutifully, he had completely immersed himself in his work, noticing nothing around him – not even the Goddess of the West. Xiwanmu did not interrupt the monk’s meditation; instead, she decided to wait for night to fall before she appeared before the monk in her true form. Without making any noise, she got up and crept out of the garden.
At that time, the monk was already having his third dream of the night, and each of those looked less and less like visions worthy of the initiated monks of Brocade Mountain, or indeed of any monks at all.
Therefore, when he heard the voice of the goddess, he left his third dream and immediately decided that before him was the fourth. And in this dream, it was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen who hung over him in her dress white as the moonlight.
It was not without reason that the monk stayed in the monastery to take care of the apple trees, and did not go on any pilgrimages, as his monastic brothers did. The tie strings of the komuso’s travelling hat had bloodied the monk’s ears, and without the strings the hat could not stay on his head. It kept slipping over the monk’s face and hindering his movements. The reason for this was the excessive caution that the monk adhered to. Out in the world, such caution was called cowardice.
An hour later, a monk named Soliang left the gates of the monastery on Brocade Mountain and set off downwards along a wide path to meet worldly worries, anxieties, and passions. Those turmoils did not disturb him, because the monk had enough of his own. The divine blessing of Xiwanmu lay on his face, and a canvas bag dangled over his shoulder. In the bag was a magic headband gifted by the goddess, a ceremonial gilded robe, a spare travelling robe, and a box with the eighth kamisutta inside.
During the time spent in meditation, three commandments were revealed to Soliang, which he translated into prayers available to every inhabitant of Chinayindu, as well as to the rest of the Earthen Realm.