A story and six quotes

Story:
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, and to get the child back. Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: “Is that so?”


Quote 1: “That man sees people dying all around him every day, every moment, yet he thinks that he is not going to die!” – Yudhistra, the eldest of the pandava brothers, when asked as to what the most amazing thing in this world

Quote 2: Man has to face two tragedies in life, one when his desire is fulfilled and the other when it is not – George Bernard Shaw

Quote 3: Experience is merely whatever happens to us, whatever occurs. The confused mind views experience that arises of a cognitive contact as permanent, with an inherent existence from its own side. It confuses the experiences and appearances that arise out of beauty, wealth, fame, and power to be of a different substance than those arising out of anger, hatred and despair

Quote 4: It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves – Edmund Hillary

Quote 5: A problem cannot be solved by being in the same condition in which it was created – Albert Einstein

Quote 6: Personal responsibility…taking responsibility for your behaviour and not forever supposing that society must forgive you because it’s not your fault – Celebrated historian & Pulitzer price winner, Barbara Tuchman, when asked what she thought was most needed in the coming century.