Words of Wisdom for Aug. 9, 2019: Nyogen Senzaki on Ryokan The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

“Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of the 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.’

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. ‘Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.’”

— Nyogen Senzaki

19027