The Moon

A Zen Koan.

A Zen master lived a peaceful life in the mountains.

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

The master returned from a walk and caught the thief red-handed.

"You have come a long way to visit me!" — he proclaimed to the thief — "you should not leave empty-handed!"

"Take my clothes as a gift"

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunked away into the shadows.

The master sat naked in his hut, watching the moon.

"Poor guy" — he thought — "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon"