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Zen Stories
3. Is That So?
The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbors
as one living a pure life.
A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food
store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning
her parents
discovered she was with child.
This made her parents angry. She would not confess
who the man was, but after much harassment at last
named Hakuin.
In great anger the parents went to the master. 'Is
that so?' was all he would say.
After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin.
By this time he had lost his reputation, which did
not trouble him, but
he took very good care of the child. He obtained
milk from his neighbors and everything else the
little one needed.A year later the girl-mother could stand it no
longer. She told her parents the truth - that the
real father of the child was a
young man who worked in the fish market.
The mother and father of the girl at once went to
Hakuin to ask his forgiveness, to apologize at
length, and to get the child
back again.
Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he
said was, 'Is that so?'
4. Obedience
The master Bankei’s talks were attended not only by
Zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects.
He never quoted
sutras nor indulged in scholastic dissertations.
Instead his words were spoken directly from his
heart to the harts of his
listeners.
His large audiences angered a priest of the Nichiren
sect because the adherents had left to hear about
Zen. The self centered
Nichiren priest came to the temple determined to
debate with Bankei.
'Hey, Zen teacher,’ he called out. 'Wait a minute.
Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a
man like myself
does not respect you. Can you make me obey yon?'
‘Come up beside me and I will show you,' said Bankei.
Proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd
to the teacher.
Bankei smiled. 'Come over to my left side.'
The priest obeyed.
‘No,’ said Bankei, 'we may talk better if you are on
the right side. Step over here.’
The priest proudly stepped over to the right.
'You see,' observed Bankei, 'you are obeying me and
I think you are a very gentle person. Now sit down
and listen.'
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