Is that so?

[Guest]

A beautiful girl in the village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who was the father. At first resistant to confess, the anxious and embarrassed girl finally pointed to Hakuin, the Zen master whom everyone previously revered for living such a pure life. When the outraged parents confronted Hakuin with their daughter's accusation, he simply replied "Is that so?"
When the child was born, the parents brought it to the Hakuin, who now was viewed as a pariah by the whole village. They demanded that he take care of the child since it was his responsibility. "Is that so?" Hakuin said calmly as he accepted the child.

For many months he took very good care of the child until the daughter could no longer withstand the lie she had told. She confessed that the real father was a young man in the village whom she had tried to protect. The parents immediately went to Hakuin to see if he would return the baby. With profuse apologies they explained what had happened. "Is that so?" Hakuin said as he handed them the child.

[Gonzo]

Is that so?  (my signature line from the Hakuin story)

[Naturyl]

Good topic. The story illustrates a non-discriminating approach to curcumstances, refraining from getting caught up in thoughts and conclusions about our experience. In all forms of Buddhism, including Zen, attachment and aversion are seen as the cause of suffering. Both cause us to desire things and circumstances to be other than what they are.
But in the story, Hakuin does not make any judgement of how things "should" be. He simply accepts the circumstances, asking "is that so" and then doing what is put in front of him. He doesn't go crazy trying to avoid or control the situation, because he knows that all circumstances are subject to change.

[Guest]