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The Tale of Kieu – Through the Lens of Mindful Contemplation, Part 1
Nguyen Du did not merely write about the story of Thuy Kieu, but deeply penetrated into the flesh and bones of the character, transforming himself into the wandering girl in order to fully understand her heart and suffering. A reader with mindfulness, bringing their own suffering, wandering, and hardship to reflect upon each development, will find that The Tale of Kieu becomes a “classic” of life, helping us to contemplate our true nature and cultivate our mind. From the opening couplets to the concluding lines, it is like a lament about the paradoxical relationship between talent and fate:
talent and fate seem to be at odds with each other
to rely on talent alone—know that “talent” and “calamity” rhyme as one
Thuy Kieu’s life spanned fifteen years, filled with upheavals and all manner of circumstances, so that people would consult Kieu for divination, for in it everyone can find a stage of life that resonates with their own. In her youth, Kieu was outstandingly beautiful and supremely talented, but suffering began early with verses and melodies of tragic destiny. In the period of wandering, Kieu changed through many identities:
- student
- first wife of the nobleman Tu Hai
- servant
- concubine
- nun
- courtesan (wandering girl)
- bhikkhuni (female monastic)
Nguyen Du, originally a Confucian scholar loyal to one dynasty, after having to serve both the Le and Nguyen dynasties, felt himself like a wandering girl—such is the fate of misfortune. He reminds us: having already carried karma into this body, do not blame Heaven for being near or far; instead, we should cultivate the roots of goodness in our hearts, for the word heart (mindfulness, compassion) is worth three times the word talent.
