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When he was not propagating the Dharma, Zen Master Ryokan lived very modestly in a crude thatched hut at the foot of a mountain. One night, as he returned from teaching the sutras, he surprised a thief in his hut. The thief was scared and confused.
Ryokan kindly said to the empty-handed thief, “Can’t find anything to steal? I think you made this trip in vain. How about this? Take the robe I am wearing.”
The thief snatched the robe and fled.
Zen Master Ryokan, standing with his innerwear in the moonlight, watched the retreating figure of the thief and sighed with infinite regret, “It is a pity I cannot give him this beautiful moon!”
The moon cannot be stolen, nor can we be robbed of our most precious treasure – our Buddha nature. Everyone can enjoy the rich bounty of nature without fear of losing it. Why, then, would anyone degrade himself by becoming a thief?