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The Tale of Kieu – Through the Lens of Mindful Contemplation, Part 5
The other day, we read up to verse 1525, “Who has split the moon in two…”, and discussed the classical Chinese anecdote: “Who holds the golden cup, divides it in two – half sinks in the water, half floats in emptiness,” where a young novice helps the poet Zhang Ji and the abbot Hanshan, relating to the poem: “The crows cry in the night, dew fills the sky… River maples, fishing lights, facing sleepless sorrow,” then hearing the great bell at midnight to complete the four lines:
- The moon sets, crows cry, dew fills the sky
- River maples, fishing lights, facing sleepless sorrow
- Outside Suzhou city, the Hanshan Temple
- At midnight, the bell’s sound reaches the traveler’s boat
Moving to verse 1705 of The Tale of Kieu, Thuc Sinh returns home and sees Kieu: “The water flows, the fallen flowers are at rest,” yet still believes she is dead. The night of serving wine to Kieu and Hoan Thu is a night of nightmares:
• Tall sails, straight ropes… the hounds and hawks plot their evil scheme, dragging her away…
• Dragged down temporarily to the gatehouse, still half asleep… Suddenly awakened from a yellow millet dream, where is home? Which mansion?
• In anger, a storm breaks… declaring, “This one is not a good person… let her feel thirty lashes at once.”
Becoming a Flower Slave, Kieu endures a chain of humiliation: “The Flower Slave is ordered to change her name… battered by wind and rain, her hair tangled, her skin darkened with soot.” The housekeeper “uses skillful words to open the path of compassion,” helping Kieu to lessen her indulgence in wine and sensual pleasures, and advising, “Know your place… if you must run, then let it be.” When Hoan Thu returns, the two serve wine; Kieu plays the lute, “the four strings weep and lament,” breaking Thuc Sinh’s heart. He stays awake “through five watches of the night,” eyes full of tears, and then Hoan Thu “opens the door of escape,” allowing Kieu to leave home and become a nun at the Avalokiteshvara Pavilion: “There is the Avalokiteshvara Pavilion in my garden… let her go there to keep the temple, to chant sutras… The blue robe is exchanged for the kasaya, her Dharma name is Trac Tuyen.” Practicing alone, “as if near the purple forest, as if far from the dusty world,” without teacher or friend, “the doors and locks are tight, the net is close, but the pearl falls in a deserted place,” her body still entangled in worldly debts, not yet truly attaining the Way.
