A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near Hakuin. One day, without any warning, her parents discovered she was pregnant. This made her parents 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 neighbours and everything else the child needed by
* takuhatsu.
A year later the girl 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 fish market.
The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back.
Hakuin smiled and willingly yielded the child, saying: “Is that so? It’s good to hear this baby has his/her father.”
* * takuhatsu.(Jap.). A term for the monk’s alms-begging round, or, in a zen temple, the time when monks bring their bowls to the refectory.
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