The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of
a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only
to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found
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, but he took the clothes and ran away. The Master sat
naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, " I wish I
could give him this beautiful moon."