It was a clear night and the full moon beamed brightly in the sky. A student from a Zen temple decided to climb the mountain to a lookout point to appreciate the view.
Upon arriving to the lookout, he found one of the Zen masters was already there. He sat in silence, staring intently at the floor in front of him.
Curious, the student asked — "Master, the sky is so clear and beautiful tonight, what do you see on the ground that is so captivating?”
The master, without looking away, replied — "I am looking at the reflection of the moon in a dewdrop on this leaf."
He pointed towards a small dew-soaked leaf on the ground at his feet. A tiny luminous sphere lay cradled in its center.
"Is the moon in the sky more real than the one in the dewdrop?" — the master asked, turning to the student.
The student pondered a moment, then admitted — "I do not know, Master."
After a long silence, the master finally turned to him and said — "One must understand that what is vast is found in the minute. The entire moon, the whole of the sky, is reflected in one drop of dew. So too is the nature of reality reflected in one's own heart.”