Nasruddin and the Bears

A rich man had invited Nasruddin to go with him on a bear hunt. Reluctantly, Nasruddin accepted the invitation.
A few days later, he returned from the hunt beaming with happiness.
"How did it go?" his neighbor asked him.
"It was wonderful!" Nasruddin replied with a smile.
"How many bears did you kill?"
"None!"
"How many bears did you chase?"
"None!"
"How many bears did you see?"
"None!" said Nasruddin happily.
His neighbor stared at him in confusion.
"That is why it was wonderful!" Nasruddin explained. "I don't mind hunting bears if there are not any bears to be found."

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Inspired by: The Uncommon Sense of the Immortal Mullah Nasruddin by Ron Suresha, where it is story 63. You can also find the story in The Sufis by Idries Shah, free to read online at the Idries Shah Foundation.
Notes: In some versions, Nasruddin goes bear-hunting with a rich man, or the sultan, or Emperor Tamerlane, etc., and his interlocutor also varies: sometimes a friend, his wife, etc.

I included this book in Tiny Tales of Nasruddin, where it is story 105.

(brown bear)