The Story of Shukei
The exquisite Shukei was compelled to marry against her wishes when she was quite young. Later, after this marriage had ended, she attended the university, where she studied philosophy.
To see Shukei was to fall in love with her. Moreover, wherever she went, she in turn fell in love with others. Love was with her at the university, and afterwards when philosophy did not satisfy her and she visited the temple to learn about Zen, the Zen students fell in love with her. Shukei's whole life was saturated with love.
At last in Edo she became a real student of Zen. Her brothers at her temple praised her sincerity. One of them proved to be a kindred spirit and assisted her in the mastery of Zen.
The temple master was known to be strict. He kept the precepts himself and expected the priests to do so. Whatever zeal these priests have lost for Buddhism they seemed to have gained for having wives. The master used to take a broom and chase the women away when he found them in any of his temples, but the more he swept them out, the more seemed appear.
In this particular temple, the wife of the head priest had become jealous of Shukei's dedication and beauty. Hearing the students praise her Zen practice made this wife bristle. Finally she spread a rumor about that Shukei and her young male friend. This led to his expulsion and Shukei was asked to leave the temple.
"I may have mistepped" thought Shukei, "but the priest's wife shall not remain in the temple either if my friend is to be treated so unjustly."
That same night, she set fire to the 500 year old temple, burning it to the ground. In the morning she was apprehended by the police.
A young lawyer became interested in her and sought to defend her. She told him "Do not help me. I might act so as to be imprisoned again."
At last she had served her sentence of 7 years and was released from the prison, where the old warden also had become enamored of her.
But now everyone looked upon her as a "jailbird". No one would associate with her. Even the Zen attendants, who are to believe in enlightenment in this life and with this body, shunned her. Zen, Shukei found, was one thing and the followers of Zen quite another.
Falling ill, she met a priest who taught her the name of the Buddha of Love, and in this Shukei found some solace. She passed away when she was still beautiful and hardly 30 years old.
Her story was written down by a local writer before she passed and made its way to the people. Those who rejected Shukei, now read of her life with tears of remorse.
dcj commentary: Contrasting the external beauty and the shame creates an odd pairing. Another odd pairing is Zen being distinct from followers of Zen