This minimalist Zen koan illustrates how the Japanese master Mokusen Hiki silently demonstrated the virtue of financial and emotional balance, pointing to the Middle Way where true wealth lies in knowing when to save and when to give.
Mokusen Hiki was living in a temple in the province of Tamba, Japan. One of his adherents complained of the stinginess of his wife.
Mokusen visited the adherent’s wife and showed her his clenched fist before her face.
“What do you mean by that?” asked the surprised woman.
“Suppose my fist were always like that. What would you call it?” he asked.
“Deformed,” replied the woman.
Then he opened his hand flat in her face and asked: “Suppose it were always like that. What then?”
“Another kind of deformity,” said the wife.
“If you understand that much,” finished Mokusen, “you are a good wife.” Then he left.
After his visit, this wife helped her husband to distribute as well as to save.
Courtesy: Zen koans at https://ashidakim.com
Historical Note: Tamba Province was an ancient, mountainous region of feudal Japan spanning parts of modern-day Kyoto and Hyōgo prefectures. Known for its rugged terrain and deep spiritual heritage, it served as a quiet sanctuary for Zen practitioners like Mokusen Hiki who sought isolation from the bustling political capitals of the Edo period.