Ryokan was an old Zen master who lived in a small hut at the foot of a mountain.
And one night a thief came and entered his home.
But the thieves quickly realized there was nothing to steal.
So Ryokan said,
Well,
You've come all this way.
You shouldn't leave empty handed.
Please take my clothes.
So he took off his clothes and handed them to the thief,
And the thief left and walked away.
And then Ryokan sat by the window and looked outside,
Saw the thief walking away,
And looked up at the night sky through the window.
And he saw the moon.
And he said,
If only I could give him this moon.
If only I could give him this moon.
There are many Zen stories like this,
And Zen stories are not so much meant to be intellectually understood,
They're meant to be felt.
Certainly you could consider the way in which a part of you is like the thief.
Who wants to get things,
Gain things,
Accumulate things that you don't already have.
And a part of you is like,
Rio Kahn.
It's a great relief to let go of everything you have,
Including your clothes in this way,
Your possessions,
The things that you attach to.
The thief enters.
Finds there is nothing to steal.
Ryo-Kan says,
You've come all this way.
You should not leave empty-handed.
Take my clothes,
Please.
And the thief leaves,
And Rio Kahn says,
If only I could give him this moon.
The thing that no one can have separately.
And that we all have together.
So I'll close here with the sound of a singing bowl,
A way of saying something without having to use words.
I will just say if you like this and if you are interested in more Zen stories and more Zen,
I do have a whole course that goes through my full experience of Zen in 111 sessions,
And there are many Zen stories and koans.
Quotes and practices and things like that.
It's called the Zen Path.
111 small steps to awaken your inner Buddha.
Rio Kansas.
If only I could give him this moon.
You
