The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

A Zen master lived a simple life in a hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief snuck into his hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

The Zen master returned and caught him. “You have come a long way to visit me, and you should not leave empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.”

The thief, bewildered, took his clothes and ran away.

The master sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.”