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Mindfulness in The Tale of Kieu, The Mid-Autumn Moonlight
This year marks the 235th birthday of Nguyen Du, the author of the epic poem The Tale of Kieu – the story of Thuy Kieu, a woman of great beauty and talent, yet burdened with deep suffering. Kieu – the girl whose beauty could topple kingdoms – met Kim Trong on a spring day; within just twelve short hours, they exchanged a hairpin, a silk scarf, vows beneath the moon, and locks of hair as keepsakes. Their love is expressed through verses full of restraint and elegance, while also revealing the Eastern view that “talent rhymes with calamity” and the teaching to refrain from “gut-wrenching” music – cultural products that stir up suffering.
Two Zen verses from The Tale of Kieu:
“Now our faces are clear to each other, who knows if this will not turn out to be a dream”
open the way for the practice of mindfulness with the branches and leaves, the moonlight, and every moment of the present. At the end of the talk, the Mid-Autumn Festival program at Plum Village was announced, including:
- Mooncakes and tea meditation
- Lanterns of all shapes, lion dance, and lantern procession
- Storytelling, moon gazing, and a joint celebration of all three hamlets on the night of the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.