Steal the Moon

When you meditate, invite yourself to feel the self-esteem, the dignity, and strong humility of the Buddha that you are." - Sogyal Rinpoche

Okay, so this thief is robbing a Buddhist monastery, and as he's in the Roshi's room looking for loot to take, the Master wakes up and sees the thief. "Here," the Master says, "Take my wallet and watch. They're right there on the dresser."

The thief nabs the wallet and watch and starts to head for the door, when the Master says "Wait!" The thief freezes, and the Master says, "Here. You forgot my robe and bowl. Please take these, too."

The thief accepts the bowl and robe and, completely non-plussed, heads out the door and into the night. The Master looks out the window and sees the moon, and says, "What a beautiful night! If only I could have given him the moon, too."


I think this story has many meanings. First of all, it is a demonstration of generosity and charity, the dana paramita. The Master, instead of repelling the thief (he could easily have just shouted "Freeze" and then waited for the monks to come haul the frozen thief away), he took pity on his need. Not having what you want is suffering, and the Master saw the thief's pain and had compassion for the thief. So in addition to the usual loot (wallet and watch), he also gave him a monk's most treasured possessions - the bowl and the robe. And as if that weren't enough, he wished he was also able to give him the very moon in the sky!

On another level, the story tells how it is impossible for a Master to "give" Zen enlightenment to his students. The thief is any monk, or you or I, or anyone seeking Zen enlightenment. The Master gives (instructs) what he can, but still the thief is not fulfilled and is wanting more. Giving the bowl and robes is symbolic of ordaining the disciple, the ceremony of tokudo. But even formally becoming a Monk, entering the stream, is not enlightenment. The Master only wishes he could give real illumination to his student, let him truly see the moon in the sky for what it really is, and not the concept of "moon in sky," but it is for the student (thief) to realize the true perception for himself.

Finally, the literal (absolute) and symbolic (relative) meanings merge - two arrows meeting in mid-air. There actually is a very real thief, robbing the monastery, and the Master recognizes his pain and his delusion (stealing will not give the thief what he truly wants). The Master gives the thief everything he can out of generosity and compassion, but only wishes he could give him enlightenment to see his errors and the karma that he is creating. If enlightened, the thief would see the actual, concrete moon, just as the Master does ("What a beautiful night!"), and realize that he already has the moon, the stars and the sky, and is lacking nothing - there is no need to steal! He already has everything! He is complete!