The Moon Can not be Stolen

The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain.

One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him.

"You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and

you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon.

"Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."