Children of His Majesty

Yamaoka Tesshu was a tutor of the emperor. He was also a master of fencing and a profound student of Zen.

His home was the abode of vagabonds. He had only one suit of clothes, [because his caring for the needy] kept him always poor.

The emperor, observing how worn his garments were, gave Yamaoka some money to buy new ones. The next time Yamaoka appeared in public he was wearing the same old outfit.

“What became of the new clothes I paid for, Yamaoka?” asked the emperor.

“I provided clothes for the children of Your Majesty,” explained Yamaoka.

from 101 Zen Stories
as printed in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones