The Sorceress' Revolt
Author: Toriumi Jinzō
Translator: Ainikki the Archivist
Ko Biji's Story
Part Five: Desires and Treasures
Nearly three months had passed since Sei Koko had returned from Yongxing Mountain. Clouds changed to snow in the early morning. By the afternoon, warm sunlight caused the new snow to melt, and swollen streams overflowed with sparkling water. Spring was almost here.
Upon her return, Sei Koko began deciphering the Heavenly Book immediately. She worked like a woman possessed and was completely changed from who she used to be. Her lifelong ambitions were nearing realization. She believed what Empress Wu Zetian had told her implicitly and also worked to make sure that what she'd heard would become true.
Sei Koko kept her own desires secret even as her hopes grew. She entrusted everything to the future, and worked.
Naturally, Yang Chun had no idea what she was doing with the Heavenly Book. Sei Koko told him that it was a special prayer for the construction of the new temple. Because it was so esoteric and important, Sei Koko had access to the chamber where she translated and deciphered limited to Yang Chun, herself, her attendant, Ko Biji and Tanshi. Yang Chun had absolute trust in her and questioned nothing. Single-minded faith made him set aside all doubt to an almost frightening degree.
Sei Koko had revealed nothing of Wu Zetian's plans to Tanshi or Ko Biji.
Sei Koko did her translating in the hall of the main building of the new temple. A charcoal fire burned red-hot in a large brazier in the center of the hall. An altar was set up on one side with candles burning brightly upon it. Tanshi had changed his usual monk's robes to more nondescript Daoist believer robes in an effort to blend in better and foil any pursuers who might still be looking for him. He had a desire to master Daoist teachings, so the change in wardrobe didn't trouble him much. Ko Biji disliked the Daoist uniform for women, but she was not permitted to wear anything else; Sei Koko's orders were strict in this regard.
Sei Koko, Tanshi and Ko Biji sat at a large table near the burning brazier and pored over the text of the Heavenly Book. Sei Koko examined the characters in ancient bone script and updated them to modern Chinese. Sometimes it took an entire day to translate a single character, making the task extremely difficult. Tanshi's stone rubbing of the original had been done in haste and fear, and they had no better copy to use to make a transcription. Deciphering and translating was slow work.
Tanshi copied the modern Chinese translation into a small bound paper booklet that was about three inches long and two inches wide. This small book was convenient for keeping track of the translation on a character-by-character basis; it was also useful for limiting knowledge of their translation leaking to others. Two copies of this booklet were made, one for Tanshi and one for Sei Koko. They carried out this work with great solemnity.
For her part, Sei Koko didn't care what Tanshi did with his copy of the book. She didn't need him anymore and was usually thinking up ways to get rid of him. When they had first started the transcription together in winter, she'd told him, "The Book of Desires and Treasures was bestowed by heaven through the auspices of fate. Deciphering it is a sacred task. Always keep your mind pure and be mindful of the five precepts and ten virtues.1 If you break any of the precepts, I shall cease deciphering the Heavenly Book."
All the untranslated text of the Heavenly Book was kept and maintained by Sei Koko. Tanshi never tried to take it from her, so she didn't suspect him of studying the text on his own. She devoted herself to the translation work, excited to learn about the evolution of the Chinese language and the progression of Daoist principles over the centuries.
***
Sei Koko's private chambers were located between Tanshi's and Ko Biji's, primarily so that Sei Koko could keep watch over their movements at night.
Even during the day, she tried her best to not allow Tanshi and Ko Biji to meet unsupervised. Ko Biji was in charge of the kitchen, so there were few opportunities for them to talk. Tanshi intended to follow Sei Koko's orders and keep his promises until the day the translation was completed. Ko Biji seemed dissatisfied, but she never uttered a word of protest to her mother or anyone else.
Every morning, Tanshi awoke before the rest of the house and engaged in sitting meditation. He had practiced sitting meditation in the temple where he was raised from a young age under the guidance of his foster father, Jiun. As a child, he'd started his meditation by sitting in the half-lotus position, with only one foot sole pressed to his inner thigh, and worked his way into the lotus position. Now that he was full-grown and practiced at it, Tanshi could sit in the lotus position for hours without trouble. His left palm rested against his left, thumbs touching lightly together on his lower abdomen. He sat up straight, eyes half-closed with his ankles crossed in front of him. Gradually, he slipped into a state of mind that was free of thoughts and personal desires.
Tanshi had practiced some form of sitting meditation every single day since he was seven years old, even after he became a wandering monk. When he was indoors he would face a wall, and when he was outdoors he sat in front of a rock or a large tree. Sitting meditation was a practice for unifying the mind and achieving transcendental enlightenment. It was practiced in both Buddhism and Daoism.
Despite Sei Koko's obvious distrust, Tanshi obeyed all of the Buddhist precepts and did not seek out Ko Biji, not even when Sei Koko was away on her pilgrimage to Yongxing Mountain. It was cruel of Sei Koko to use the excuse of religious practice to keep them apart, and it was difficult for Tanshi to keep his word, but he did.
Translator's Note
1 The five precepts and ten virtues of Buddhism govern the behavior of believers. Laymen usually observe the first five precepts, while monks and nuns normally observe the full ten.
These precepts are:
(1) Not taking life
(2) Not taking what is not given
(3) Not committing sexual misconduct
(4) Not engaging in false speech
(5) Not using intoxicants
(6) Not eating after midday
(7) Not participating in worldly amusements
(8) Not adorning the body with ornaments and using perfume
(9) Not sleeping on high and luxurious beds
(10) Not accepting gold and silver
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