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The term 'acceptance', though universally accepted as the fundamental ingredient of ascension, we often mess up with its paradox. Many times, we seek the excuse of our passiveness/laziness in name of acceptance. If you are going to accept whatsoever happens, why to choose the particular one? The question seems to be making sense. Ironically, we often are indifferent during the choice, and attaching with the results. What happens to the understanding during the unfavorable results?
I like to share a Zen Story.
The Zen Master Hakuin lived in a town in Japan. He was held in high regard and many people came to him for spiritual teaching. Then it happened that the teenage daughter of his next-door neighbor became pregnant. When being questioned by her angry and scolding parents as to the identity of the father, she finally told them that he was Hakuin, the Zen Master. In great anger the parents rushed over to Hakuin and told him with much shouting and accusing that their daughter had confessed that he was the father. All he replied was,
“Is that so?”
News of the scandal spread throughout the town and beyond. The Master lost his reputation. This did not trouble him. Nobody came to see him anymore. He remained unmoved. When the child was born, the parents brought the baby to Hakuin. “You are the father, so you look after him.”
The Master took loving care of the child. A year later, the mother remorsefully confessed to her parents that the real father of the child was the young man who worked at the butcher shop. In great distress they went to see Hakuin to apologize and ask for forgiveness. “We are really sorry. We have come to take the baby back. Our daughter confessed that you are not the father.”
“Is that so?” is all he would may as he handed the baby over to them.
The Master responds to falsehood and truth, bad news and good news, in exactly the same way: “Is that so?” He allows the form of the moment, good or bad, to be as it is and so does not become a participant in human drama. To him there is only this moment, and this moment is as it is. Events are not personalized. He is nobody's victim. He is so completely at one with what happens that what happens has no power over him anymore. Only if you resist what happens are you at the mercy of what happens, and the world will determine your happiness and unhappiness.
The baby is looked after with loving care. Bad turns into good through the power of nonresistance. Always responding to what the present moment requires, he lets go of the baby when it is time to do so.
What do you think?
Love Link: Eckhart Tolle: New Earth
Interesting post! Thought the story is a good read, i am not sure about "Bad turns into good through the power of nonresistance". I just can't get the ideology of the Zen masters!
ReplyDeleteBut you have posed a valid question:If you are going to accept whatsoever happens, why to choose the particular one? probably due to our intuition that depends upon our mindset at a particular instance!