Dealing with Life’s up’s and down’s

Life offers us many surprises. That’s the way life has been, is and will be. There’s nothing we can do about the things that come our way except our reaction to them. We have the control of our mind. I once heard a story that I want to share with you.

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 very 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 fishmarket.

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?”

From: 101zenstories.com

I have heard and read this story so many times. It captures the core of dealing with life‘s surprises. You might be thinking to yourself; if I have this perspective of life it’s going to be flat, life has to have its up‘s and down‘s. Yes, it may be so. On the other hand it’s not good to let your emotions and thoughts control your life every time something happens in your life.
Next time something happens to you try to think this simple sentence; is that so? And then release every attached feelings or thought you may have about the situation.