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 in it to steal.
Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may 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.
Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.”
More at https://theunboundedspirit.com/10-short-zen-stories/
Ryōkan Taigu (1758–1831) was a quiet and eccentric Sōtō Zen Buddhist monk who lived much of his life as a hermit. Ryōkan is remembered for his poetry and calligraphy, which present the essence of Zen life. He is also known by the name Ryokwan in English.
Image: A postage stamp issued by Thailand to commemorate Visakha Bucha Day 2009, an important date in the Buddhist calendar. The stamp depicts the Dhameka Stupa located at Sarnath near Varanasi, India, where the Buddha gave the first sermon to his first five Brahmin disciples after attaining enlightenment, revealing his eightfold path leading to nirvana. Courtesy: https://www.buddhiststamp.com/