We all face number of problems every day. Some stick to us harder than chewing gum on a pole, but if we look closely we are the ones who are holding them close. We want everything to get over soon and happiness to come without solving the issues. It is a story of a Zen monk “Hakuin Ekaku” who lived in a Japanese village at the bottom of Mount Fuji. Here’s how the story goes:
Hakuin Ekaku was Japanese Zen monk who gave new direction to Rinzai school through his teachings. Nearby Hakuin lived a couple owning a food store with their beautiful daughter. One day they discovered that she was pregnant. Angry parents made her confess the name of father of the child, which after long harassment she said Hakuin.
Parents in rage went to Hakuin. To all their anger he could only say, “Is that so?” When the child was born it was brought to the monk. Monk had lost his reputation which he didn’t care much about anyway, accepted the child. He gave him milk obtaining from neighbors and cared about child’s every need.
A year passed and the girl could not keep quiet any longer and confessed about the real father of the child, who was a man in the fish market. Couple at once went to Hakuin, apologized in front of him and further more asked for his forgiveness. Hakuin willingly gave them back the child saying only, “Is that so?”
Point of the story is we always judge things coming towards us into good or bad according to our preset requirements of life. It is important to know what we want, but no need to be rigid about it, saying we only want this or that way only. We often take risks and make decisions to get what we want and here is when the pressure starts or we feel stressed, anticipating bad outcomes of the decisions. We fear change and its consequences. Is it really necessary though? If we learn taking things as they come without judgement, without thinking too much about consequences, life would be less painful. We can then get a chance to do what we really want.
Related Artwork:
