Is That So?

"Zen master, Hakuin, was praised by his neighbors as a person who was living a pure life. In a nearby village there lived a beautiful young girl whose parents owned a food store. One day, the girl's parents discovered she was with child. They flew into a rage and demanded she tell them who the father was. At first the embarrassed and humiliated girl would not confess, but after much harassment she named Hakuin. The outraged parents and villagers stormed up the hill to Hakuin's house to confront him. There, they shouted her accusation in foul language and shook their fists at him.

"Is that so?" was all Hakuin replied.

After the child was born the parents brought it to Hakuin saying it was his responsibility to care for it. By this time he had lost his reputation, and had been anathematized by everyone ~ which did not trouble him.

"Is that so?" was all he replied as he took the child in.

Hakuin took very good care of the child, obtaining milk and other necessities from his neighbors.

A year later the mother of the child could not live with her conscience and could no longer go on with the lie. She told her parents that the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fish market. The mother and father were shocked and very embarrassed at all the trouble they had caused the master. They and all the villagers went to Hakuin immediately to tell him the girl had lied and to ask his forgiveness. They apologized at length and asked him to give the child back.

"Is that so?" was all he said as he handed them the child."


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This is my favorite Zen story of all time. The first time I heard it was when it was presented as a skit at a celebration in Sparkill many years ago. The story always comes back to me when I am sorting out the jumble of pros and cons surrounding an issue or problem. The question itself, "Is That So?" and Hakuin, (said to have actually lived at one time), serve as a reminders to listen more deeply and to take up my own post at that neutral place in me where all negotiations are placed on the table and agreements are reached. From that vantage point, no matter what the situation or circumstances, I, as well as I possibly can in each moment, can be more objective and unattached to outcomes. I can act from a higher place in myself for the greater good. If I remember to do this, what is really important is not sacrificed to the mundane and subjective. Perhaps, because of the rarefied atmosphere in which I first heard this story, and the new places in myself I heard it from, whenever I am lost this idea is a simple little beacon that helps me to return Home to my higher self. Now, all these years later, my steps may slow from time to time and I may drag my feet but I am aware of that fact on an organic level and I remember to ask the question of myself: "Is That So?" and to keep moving forward and upward.

Awaken, Be at Peace, Be Happy, Be Well,