A Zen master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked1 into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found him.

　　"You 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, but he took the clothes and ran away. The Master sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused2, "I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

　　一位禪師住在山腳下的小棚屋里，過著極為簡樸的生活。一天夜里，一個(gè)小偷趁他外出時(shí)潛入他的家中，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)沒什么可偷的，這時(shí)禪師回來了，正好和小偷撞了個(gè)滿懷。

　　他對這個(gè)不速之客說：“你路途遙遠(yuǎn)來拜訪我，總不能空手而歸吧，請把我的衣服帶走吧，就當(dāng)我送你的禮物。”

　　小偷有些懵了，但還是帶上衣服倉皇而逃。禪師赤身裸體地坐著，凝望明月. “可憐的朋友，”他沉思到：“我多希望能送你這輪明月啊。”