Is That So? . . .A Happy Soul Is A Healthy One
We live in a world that often times doesn't make much sense and inside our being there can be a yearning to resist.
A feeling of personal responsibility to try to change the very nature of reality which is rarely black or white, up or down, left or right.
We sometimes cling to the material world as if it were real even though everything in existence changes.
We will argue, fight, and defend our opinions as if they really matter.
If you were to ask most people what they want in life, the answer would be happiness.
The pursuit of happiness seems to be a forever riding hamster wheel which we cannot get off.
In my experience happiness has been achieved with help from a simple Zen Koan.
"Is that so?"
The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbors and every one who knew him as one living a pure life.
A beautiful girl in the town was pregnant. Her parents were extremely angry and pressured her to provide the name of the father. The girl was resistant to confessing, and embarrassed. Finally she named Hakuin as the father. The outraged parents confronted Hakuin with their daughters accusation, and he simply replied "Is that so?".
When the child was born, the angry parents brought the baby to Hakuin, who now was viewed as a pariah by the whole town. They demanded that he take care of and provide for the child since it was his responsibility. "Is that so?" Hakuin said with a calm voice as he accepted the child.
Hakuin took very good card care of the baby for many months as a single caregiver.
After a year, the daughter could no longer withstand the lie she had told her parents. She confessed that the real father was a young man in the town whom she tried to protect. The parents immediately went to Hakuin to ask for forgiveness, apologize at length, and to get the child back.
"Is that so?" Hakuin said as he handed them the child.
.
.
.
How would your Ego have reacted in each situation?
Would you have argued, defended, or resisted?
Can you see the wisdom in this method of living?
Do you let every tide within the wave of life distract from your happiness?
Hahaha, love the story, you just made my evening sweeter @rawdawg :D
Very glad kind sir. . :)
Ego is an interesting thing. Most people argue because they want to assert the self. They do not want to be misunderstood. Sometimes allowing others to misunderstand us is a mistake, I think?? Sometimes I have let things slide, because I didn't want to expend the energy in setting something right, in other words, I didn't consider it worth pursuing, but then it's hung in the air and somehow I've had to set it to right later. But - I guess if it bothered me enough in the first instance, I'd have done it then. Yes, I see the wisdom in, "is that so?" Thank you, @rawdawg, for sharing this acorn of wisdom :)
I love it, a great thing to read first thing in the morning. Thanks for sharing!
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Yes dear,
We won't ready to thinking about myself.Even we have not any eager to change us.For this reason there are many argument and dissatisfaction. If we can not change to us.... for that we will not be happy.
This post has received gratitude of 3.25 % from @appreciator thanks to: @rawdawg.