A beautiful girl in the village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who the father was. 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.
This story exemplifies the Zen attitude towards the vicissitudes of life. Hakuin’s unflappable demeanor, free from resentment or defensiveness, displays a profound acceptance of “what is.”
As for the origin of the story, while it is widely associated with Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769), a reviver of the Rinzai school of Zen, it’s not entirely clear if this tale was based on a factual incident in his life or if it was a later parable crafted to convey Zen principles. Many Zen stories and koans have uncertain origins, often passed down orally before being recorded in writing. They serve more as teaching tools rather than historical accounts.
Bodhi Day 