We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
The Tale of Kieu – Through the Eyes of Mindfulness, Talk 16
Today we read verse 3241 from The Tale of Kieu:
Reflecting, it seems all things are ordained by Heaven,
Heaven has decreed that we are born into this human form.
If destined for dust, then dust it must be,
Only those meant for purity receive their share of purity.
Heaven shows no partiality to anyone,
Both talent and fate are bestowed in abundance.
But what use is relying on talent alone?
For talent and misfortune are but a single rhyme.
Having carried karma into this life,
Let us not blame Heaven, whether near or far.
The root of goodness lies in our own heart,
A virtuous heart is worth more than three measures of talent.
These rustic words, gathered and strung together,
May bring a little joy for a watch or two of the night drum.
– in which is emphasized: 1) the doctrine of Heaven’s Mandate and destiny, 2) “talent and misfortune are but a single rhyme,” 3) the concept that the root of goodness and the heart are higher than three measures of talent, 4) the image of the night drum linking the beginning and end—“A hundred years in this human realm… May bring a little joy for a watch or two of the night drum”—expressing the fleeting nature of human life.
Continuing with the words of Nun Tam Hop discussing the fate of Thuy Kieu:
– though there is preordination, Heaven’s Mandate, and the karma of both collective and individual origins, each person is still responsible for their own choices (“There is Heaven, but it is also up to us”)
– three wholesome actions somewhat helped Kieu: maintaining precepts to avoid sexual misconduct, selling herself out of filial piety that moved even Heaven, and “harming one to save thousands” (killing Tu Hai)
– yet it was precisely the demons leading the way, ghosts guiding the path of self-clinging and view-clinging that bound Kieu to those “paths of suffering” until, upon reaching the very bottom, she encountered Giac Duyen—the conditions of awakening, of mindfulness opening up freedom and sowing the seeds for the journey of liberation.
