World and Lore / Kyoto mystery

A Long Way to Go

A monk was once walking outside the walls of his temple when he encountered a strikingly beautiful woman. Fired by an intense lust, he could not suppress the urge to try and woo her. But no sooner had he spoken to her than the woman rebuked him for his sinful ways and vanished before his very eyes. Believing the woman to have been an avatar of the Buddha, the monk felt a deep shame at his actions, and resolved thereafter to dedicate himself to spiritual practice.