Koan: The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
Koan: 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.”
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August 31st, 2008 at 1:34 am
very new to buddhism, can i “understand” this. I think I do but not sure of its ok to?
September 1st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
As with all the koans, there is rarely a “right” or “wrong” answer.
You read the story and apply your own experiences to it to create some meaning that is unique to you. What it means to me, and what it means to you could be completely different things, yet both are “right.”
Some of these stories make no obvious sense to some people, but others can be affected strongly. That’s the benefit of them; sooner or later you’ll run into one that has a positive effect on you.