Summary
Once upon a time, in the country of Shinano (Nagano Prefecture), there lived a young widow. Shinano is where the temple called Zenkoji is located. The widow had lost her husband a few years ago, and in her despair, she could no longer believe in gods or Buddhas. Since her husband's death, she had not gone to the temple to pray.
On a hot day, she was working in the fields, wearing a hand towel on her head. Suddenly, a large cow appeared out of nowhere and charged towards her. The widow let out a loud scream and jumped aside. Fortunately, she managed to avoid the cow, but she was momentarily dazed. When she looked at the cow, she saw that the hand towel was on its head. It had fallen off her head when she jumped aside and had gotten caught on the cow's horn. The cow ran away after circling the field twice, still with the towel caught on its horn.
Angry, the widow chased after the cow to retrieve her towel, but no matter how much she ran, she could not match the cow's speed. After a while, the cow became a distant blur and eventually disappeared from sight. The widow, having chased desperately, was out of breath. She stopped, took a deep breath, and looked around. Lo and behold, she found herself in the precincts of Zenkoji temple.
“What could this be?” the widow wondered as she lowered her eyes to the ground. It appeared that the cow’s saliva had formed something resembling words on the ground:
"Believe in the Buddha. Whether you go to hell or paradise depends on whether you believe in the Buddha."
The widow felt a strange sensation, as if someone were beckoning her to come closer. She took a step towards the main hall of the temple. Inside, a monk was chanting sutras. Although she could hardly understand the content of the chants, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Soon, tears began to flow.
"What a sinful life I have led!" the widow realized.
From that day onward, she began to believe in the Buddha, frequently visited the temple, and prayed for the souls of her deceased husband and herself.
A few days later, the widow decided to visit the Jizo statues in and around the village. As she approached the first statue, she noticed something white on its head. Looking closely, she exclaimed, “Oh, this is the hand towel I lost!”
The Jizo statue, adorned with the hand towel, bore a compassionate expression. The widow understood that this Jizo had transformed into a cow to guide her to the temple. Struck with awe, she began to believe in the Buddha even more and wished to enter the Buddhist monastic life. While she knew it would not be easy to become a nun, she had neither parents nor children to take care of.
"There’s no need to hesitate," she told herself.
Whether the widow truly became a nun is unknown. Even if she did not, she surely lived a proper life. Now, do you believe in the Buddha?
