Minimalism

To me, Zen stories stand for mindful living and minimalist habits. Likewise, they set a unique benchmark for coherence and minimalism in story-telling. Even though the message, quite often, may be subtle and even escape me altogether; as prose, they read like beautiful, concise and elegant blocks of programming code :) - having the same time-honored qualities of being simple, readable, single-purpose and piercingly precise! And they are profound and timeless! Which makes them a fascinating read any time.

One of the many stories that stand out in my memory from the book Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, is about a Zen master, who, having happily given away his last of material possessions to a thief he had caught red-handed; sits naked, basking in the moonlit sky, in quiet wonderment of creation. His only regret being that his moment of bliss and contentment under the moon cannot be given to the thief. The moon that shines on the thief alike, but is wholly lost on him. And the master knows that his real "riches" - a beautiful moment such as this - can neither be stolen, nor be given away to another at will!

Here's the Zen story, verbatim -

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. "You may 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. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow, " he mused, "I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

Source: The Moon Cannot be Stolen | ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES

Reminds me also of the protagonist Lizzy, from the brilliant "Pride and Prejudice", acknowledging the same, as she puts herself in the shoes of her beloved sister on the latter's new found fortune - "Till I have your disposition, your goodness, I never can have your happiness."