Once, in a small village, a girl became pregnant and her angry parents demanded to know who was the father. The girl was fearful and embarrassed and impulsively named Hakuin, the Zen master respected by everyone for living such a good life. When the 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 and demanded that he take care of the child since it was his responsibility. "Is that so?" said Hakuin calmly as he accepted the child. Everyone treated Hakuin as a pariah. And for many months he took very good care of the child, feeding, loving and tending to the child's many needs. One day the child's mother could no longer live with her lie and she confessed that the real father was a young man of the village. The parents immediately went to Hakuin, apologized profusely, explained what had happened, and asked for the child back. "Is that so?" Hakuin said as he handed them the child.
No comments:
Post a Comment