SO TO ZEN - Shasta Abbey

APPENDIX IICORRESPONDENCEThe following documents are part of a series of lettersbetween Koh‡ Zenji and Miss Peggy Kennett which showthat she was asked by him to come to Japan and study at thetemple S‡ji-ji, one of the two Headquarter Temples where S‡t‡Zen monks train to become full priests and where Koh‡ Zenjiwas the Abbot. Although no woman and person who had beenborn in a foreign country had been, officially, at S‡ji-ji in livingmemory, Koh‡ Zenji had long championed the cause of womenÕseducation and was now extending it to someone he feltwas worthy to be his Dharma Heir. It was not necessarily a populardecision at that time in Japan. Rev. Jiyu-KennettÕs presencein the monastery created considerable controversyincluding accusations that she had never been asked to come.These documents are published here as part of the historicrecord. Rumors and accusations, although contrary to theBuddhist Precepts, are present in all cases where controversialdecisions are taken. During his lifetime, the Buddha had instancesin which people accused him of wrongdoing todiscredit him, and his life was threatened by those jealous of his141