Wanna read a Zen story?

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Is That So?

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A beautiful girl in the village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who was the father. 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. 



My interpretation:
The story can be interpreted in various ways:
Some would say (and rightly so) that the Zen master should not have accepted the child and allowed the girl to get away with her lie. I have no argument against their approach and if I were in Zen master's place my nature would not allow me to accept the child.

But when I try to understand the response of Zen Master ("Is that so?"). The Zen Master is a person who does not have attachment with the world. So he is not worried about people's opinion of him whether they like him or hate him. He is a detached observer. He is wise too. So he would not come to conclusions without hearing both sides of a story.

Hence his response is in sync with his wisdom and detachment - a passive challenge to the accusers and an invitation to look more deeply into the matter.


I am grateful for the original comments:

1. Perhaps it is too obvious that "Is that so?" is both a passive challenge to the accusers and an invitation to look more deeply into the matter -- both of which were repeatedly declined. The Hakuin wisely declines to force the issue, accepting minor injustice while avoiding greater disharmony.
2. The master has achieved complete acceptance of every person, situation and emotion. He has no fear of being unjustly labeled. He receives the child and gives up the child with the same peace of mind. He is both a detached observer and a complete participant.

P.S : The last "Is that so?" also has an interpretation. Can you find it?

Source: http://users.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/isthatso.html