The old woman is a normal layperson. If the monk wanted her to act in a more enlightened way, he should have taught her how!
She's also justifiably angry. She just realized that she spent the fruits of her own decades of toil to cure a stranger's suffering, and that because of the monk's irresponsibility, the wisdom gained will die with him, and do nothing to ease humanity's suffering.
Even if she intended spend her money to help just one person, the money would be better spent on someone who is still capable of suffering.
And if the old monk hasn't actually attained enlightenment yet, then the money would be better spent on a less experienced monk much further from enlightenment, if he shows the signs of compassion that indicate that the wisdom he gains will be used to help mankind.
Why doesn't she "take it lightly", in a Zen sort of way?...
Zen isn't about taking things lightly. It's about figuring out what's important, and what's not worth worrying about. (Among other things).
Because of its roots in Mahayana Buddhism, helping everyone attain enlightenment and free themselves from suffering is very important.
And because Zen is largely agnostic towards the supernatural, including reincarnation, there is the idea that you probably only have one lifetime to (a) achieve enlightenment, and (b) help others to achieve enlightenment or at least mitigate their suffering.
So helping everyone attain enlightenment is not to save them from mythical torment in the Naraka hells, nor from the cycle of reincarnation, but rather to stop the recurring cycles of human suffering on Earth—to eventually make enlightenment available to every living person.
Story 6 is also an allusion to the parable of the burning house, which is about a father (an adult, representing someone who is enlightened) figuring out how to get his small children to drop their games and come running outside before the house burns down.
This is especially poignant in Zen, because if you attain enlightenment but do nothing to help ease the suffering of others, or at least transmit your understanding to someone who can, you have wasted your life, every minute of which is precious and irrecoverable. And hoarding enlightenment for yourself is very much like dying peacefully in your sleep while letting others burn to death.
In story 6, the monk has escaped the figurative burning house (overcoming his own suffering by attaining enlightenment in his lifetime), but has not done anything to rescue the children inside (ordinary laypeople who still suffer).
The old woman takes revenge by reversing the situation, in a more literal sense. Don't assume that the monk was outside the hut when it burned. >:)
She's also justifiably angry. She just realized that she spent the fruits of her own decades of toil to cure a stranger's suffering, and that because of the monk's irresponsibility, the wisdom gained will die with him, and do nothing to ease humanity's suffering.
Even if she intended spend her money to help just one person, the money would be better spent on someone who is still capable of suffering.
And if the old monk hasn't actually attained enlightenment yet, then the money would be better spent on a less experienced monk much further from enlightenment, if he shows the signs of compassion that indicate that the wisdom he gains will be used to help mankind.
Why doesn't she "take it lightly", in a Zen sort of way?...
Zen isn't about taking things lightly. It's about figuring out what's important, and what's not worth worrying about. (Among other things).
Because of its roots in Mahayana Buddhism, helping everyone attain enlightenment and free themselves from suffering is very important.
And because Zen is largely agnostic towards the supernatural, including reincarnation, there is the idea that you probably only have one lifetime to (a) achieve enlightenment, and (b) help others to achieve enlightenment or at least mitigate their suffering.
So helping everyone attain enlightenment is not to save them from mythical torment in the Naraka hells, nor from the cycle of reincarnation, but rather to stop the recurring cycles of human suffering on Earth—to eventually make enlightenment available to every living person.
Story 6 is also an allusion to the parable of the burning house, which is about a father (an adult, representing someone who is enlightened) figuring out how to get his small children to drop their games and come running outside before the house burns down.
This is especially poignant in Zen, because if you attain enlightenment but do nothing to help ease the suffering of others, or at least transmit your understanding to someone who can, you have wasted your life, every minute of which is precious and irrecoverable. And hoarding enlightenment for yourself is very much like dying peacefully in your sleep while letting others burn to death.
In story 6, the monk has escaped the figurative burning house (overcoming his own suffering by attaining enlightenment in his lifetime), but has not done anything to rescue the children inside (ordinary laypeople who still suffer).
The old woman takes revenge by reversing the situation, in a more literal sense. Don't assume that the monk was outside the hut when it burned. >:)