The Soul Matters Theme for November this year is “Nurturing Gratitude” which fits nicely with the season of Thanksgiving and the other winter holidays ahead which honor the harvest, and the human capacity to thrive midst circumstances and environments that are often inhospitable to human survival without the creative human response to gather scarce resources, gather family and friends, and the wider community close to shelter each other from the elements that challenge us, and the circumstances that press in on our sense of what is good, holy, and meaningful.
To illustrate this, consider the Zen Koan below, which reminds us to shift our focus from what is missing to what is present and what makes for an open heart.
The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
(A Zen Koan Story)
Once upon a time, there was a Zen Master named Ryokan who lived a very simple life in a hut at the foot of a mountain.
He was a man who enjoyed the simple things in life and did not have many material possessions.
One night, while the Zen Master was outside for a nightly walk, a thief broke into his hut
The thief was shocked when he noticed that there was absolutely nothing to steal in the hut.
The Zen Master returned from his nightly walk and caught the thief.
The Zen Master simply smiled and said, “You must have come a long way to visit me, and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.
The thief was bewildered and thought for a moment….
In the end, he greedily took the Zen Master’s clothes and ran away.
Ryokan, the Zen master, shrugged and sat down naked.
He gazed at the beautiful moon and thought to himself.
“Poor fellow,” “I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon. ”
