Reflections on Vietnam

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Thich Nhat Hanh

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Special section (INTS 265): Chinese in...
Hoa or Chinese in Vietnam
Au Lac
Hoi An
1782 Massacre of Chinese in Cholon

	The Stone Boy and Other Stories by Thich Nhat Hanh, et al: The Stone Boy and Other Stories is a anthology of short narratives by Thich Nhat Hanh. Thich Nhat Hanh's writing brings together elements of Vietnamese legend and juxtaposes them with stories of the terrible atrocities meted out on the Vietnamese for the duration of and subsequent to its hostilities with France and the US. Thich Nhat Hanh, therefore, is a creation of his individual involvement in Vietnam's very recent history. Not much is really written about Thich Nhat Hanh - in terms of his private life and involvement and this is a great entrée into his mystery. Thich Nhat Hanh uses heaps of farming metaphors and stories. His stories revolve mostly around the notion of "mindfulness," of become aware of things deeply, as in a really profound way, which is fundamental to a Buddhist conception of enlightenment. Thich Nhat Hanh's tales time after time highlight the import of "true seeing." Thich Nhat Hanh focuses on transcendence rather than anguish. Thich Nhat Hanh gives readers an opening for profound meditation. The eleven stories in The Stone Boy are come with brief commentaries as to their source and are helpful not only for the reason that it gives insight into the historical or spiritual contexts but they moreover provide proof of Thich Nhat Hanh's immense skill as a writer and understanding of complex items through his Upaya (skillful means). This book is a must for every collection.
	Going Home: Jesus and Buddha As Brothers by Thich Nhat Hanh: In this short book, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh continues the ecumenical mission he started in the late 1990s. The work developed from teachings he gave at Plum Village, his retreat center located in France. In an inter-faith modality, Hanh does not argue for conversion but instead the cultivation of a mindfulness of their own religious traditions -- or as he calls him in this book - roots. Speaking of roots, Hanh, sought his vocation as a Buddhist monk in Vietnam at the young age of 16. His unrelenting strivings for peace in his war-destroyed country only resulted in his expulsion but moreover a more developed relationships with Christians. Some notable colleagues include Thomas Merton and Martin Luther King Jr. (who later nominated Hanh for a Nobel Peace Price), a both were also opposed to war. From the start, Hanh developed a working feel for both Buddhism and Christianity -- both have much to gain from interaction between each other. This Going Home is a spiritual offering the honored great teacher's dharma teachings, presented to Christian and Buddhist alike. For the curious, like myself, it offers interesting insight into the Buddha mind. Hanh has been known to Americans as a champion for peace and justice and a conduit for the West to the labyrinth of Vietnamese Buddhism and culture. From Plum Village he travels around the globe, leading retreats on mindfulness. It could be argued that after His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Hanh is probably the world's most visible spokesperson for Buddhism. This book Going Home is an ongoing talk with Jesus himself and includes several Christian perspectives. Hanh cites Paul Tillich's approach to God as the ground of being. Hanh reads Tillich's approach as comparable to the Buddhist comprehension of Nirvana. Nirvana bears the same association to the phenomenal world as water bears to waves -- a metaphor that he uses throughout the book. Unfortunately, there is no human concept that can capture the full reality of the of God. In this light, Hanh argues for the necessity of transcending concepts and notions through mindfulness -- the careful attention to the present moment. Hanh embraces Jesus as a brother on the journey. Hanh, moreover, tells us that he is not interested in the body of Jesus, but only in Jesus's teachings. Hanh is sure that Jesus engaged in walking and sitting meditation during his time of temptation in the wilderness. Hanh draws a parallel between the Holy Spirit with the practice of mindfulness in concrete ways in the Five Mindfulness Techniques. Hanh find a contradiction regarding Jesus' oneness with the Father through his explanation that within the metaphor of the wave, Jesus is not other than the water, the ultimate. The utterances during Jesus's crucifixion that he has been abandoned by God, recorded in Mark and Matthew, seems irreconcilable to Hanh, since it is impossible that the wave could be separated from or abandoned by the water. Despite the simplicity of the metaphor, I have to admit that it is indeed thought provoking. Lastly, interestingly enough, Hanh never encounters Jesus as outside of his Buddhist purview. Harmony comes at the price of difference. Jesus and the Buddha might be brothers, but they are not identical twins. Hanh, despite the very risky task of joining the two very different ontological frameworks seem to fall short. The effort, however, is noble in and of itself but it never really hits a home run. Unfortunately, Hanh often seems to suggest that Buddhists and Christians can talk to one another, they must first soft-pedal or ignore those beliefs that make them discrete in the first place. I agree with Hanh -- the differences are inconsequential -- they seem to matter most to those who feel threatened. So in a real world application, human beings being what they are will inevitably sabotage the effort. Hanh sees it as a waste of time to dwell on "whether God is a person or not a person," unfortunately this question significant in Christianity; Hanh also posits that "nothing can come from nothing," be cognizant that creatio ex nihilo is a key Christian belief. Understanding Buddhism better is understood in these pages, but other Buddhist beliefs can also pose an impediment to ecumenical efforts. Hanh says: individuals can become too attached to their own ideas of nirvana, forgetting that "nirvana means extinction of all notions." Hanh's does have tendency to push aside significant (only to purists) differences between Buddhism and Christianity. Going Home speaks softly about the need for tolerance in overcoming those differences. Going Home is an interesting first step towards a greater understanding between two ontology's that have to date have been separated by mutual fear and ignorance. For the effort and the courage to write I give Going Home the 5 stars and Hanh props -- the man is necessary.
	Miracle of Mindfulness an Introduction by Thich Nhat Hanh, et al: Most likely Thich Nhat Hanh's most popular and compelling work, Miracle of Mindfulness is as much about being mindful of your thoughts and consciousness as it is about just trying to relax in order to attain a sense of clarity. In a time of extreme angst and hasty deliberations, this book is an antidote to civilization. In a move that is reminiscent of Krishnamurti, he brings such mundane things as washing dishes alive through a sense of mindfulness and actually "being there" when doing things like daily chores. It gives one's life a sense of vitality and energy where there were once discordant thoughts. This world famous Buddhist of the Zen tradition presents a step-by-step approach that will appeal to all but especially to the self-help enthusiast out there with his begging bowl seeking gems of wisdom. This is by no means a trivial book and provides an extremely interesting counterpoint to books out there dealing with self-help. If we are to effect positive change in the world, we need to start from the inside - find that "happy place" and proceed with a sense of calm that allows us to find the road - to ourselves.

	Cyclo ~ Tran Nu Yên-Khê: Tran Anh Hung seems to have developed some edge. Gone is the elegy to and organic and pastoral and with Cyclo we are transported to grittier space - that space where we have lost our innocence. The causeways of Ho Chi Minh City are a metaphor for that sense loss of innocence in Cyclo. From the director of The Scent of Green Papaya gone is the pastoral elegy we have grown to love. In a way it is, it a way it is not a departure from the aesthetic lyricism of both The Scent of Green Papaya and The Vertical Ray of the Sun. The movie is violent, disjointed, convoluted, and it is nothing short of a representation of the strong, seductive pull of desperation. According to this rendition in Vietnam, a cyclo is a pedicab driver. A crucial member of society - the one that keeps the metropolis moving, the cyclo inhabits the lowest levels of the social order. The cyclo not only endures the horrendous physical deterioration for miniscule pay but he also fears for his life being threatened by gangs and turf wars. In Tran's multifaceted movie the protagonist is an 18-year-old never do well, acted by Le Van Loc. The cyclo loses both parents and finds himself subject to the whims of the Madam, the underworld boss lady acted by Nguyen Nhu Quynh. Almost as if on purpose - in an effort to trap him, the cyclo's bicycle is stolen. In order to pay back the loss, the Madam forces him to work - with of all people Tony Leung Chiu Wai of Wong Kar-wai fame - who plays the Poet, making the cyclo her prisoner. A sympathetic thug, the Poet recites his poetry in voice-over. The Poet, although he does not really say much throughout the movie is a pivotal character who introduces the cyclo to the foundations of crime. The Poet is also, ironically, the lover of the cyclo's sister - the stunning Tran Nu Yen-Khe. In an effort to effect some form of analysis, Cyclo is narrated though the perspective of a young man's trying to survive the mean streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Tran builds - or tries to build - a sense of mystery. I think it is amazing, this departure, the movie is less lyrical, less pastoral - we are subjected to a dreamscape of hallucinatory imagery and crisp editing reminiscent of Wong Kar-wai. The impact is a surrealism that we have not seem before - in a way showing us that Tran has range and is willing to take risk. Tran allows his camera from time to time to do what he does best - long master shots - we escape the slatted doors and look over the battered buildings unfinished edges into at the frenzied and apathetic metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. It's a powerful tool for portraying the cyclo's segregation and sense of anomie. Tran once again goes inside the man's mind and we his sordid world through his perspective. Once again, like The Scent of Green Papaya - we hear the ever present looming sounds of helicopter propellers - giving the mean street an even greater edge. Tran's dystopia is unnerving, edgy, and risky yet somehow we know we are watching a deeply metaphoric Tran film. Disturbingly, towards the finale, the cyclo begins to feel a sense of empowerment. He discovers the use of a handgun. There was hidden social commentary all over the place. The film includes an exploration of the confluence of drugs, liquor, easy money, and crime that permeated most of the scenes including the cyclo. The cyclo pulls a pseudo Apocalypse Now scene as he slathers blue paint on himself and in Tran form destroys the fish tank. My only hope is that he takes care of the animals in these movies the way Kim Ki-duk does with his players. My sense is that the cyclo's descent to hell is paved in Krishna blue rather than the cliché blood red. For certain - what with The Scent of Green Papaya and The Vertical Ray of the Sun, Tran has a penchant for at time graphic but more time subtle imagery, even when his meanings are ambiguous. As mentioned previously, Cyclo is a departure from the lyrical The Scent of Green Papaya as well as The Vertical Ray of the Sun. Think of it as sign of Tran's spirit of adventure and faith in his audience's aptitude to bend to the multifaceted, psychologically difficult films he produces.
	The Scent of Green Papaya ~ Tran Nu Yên-Khê: Tran Anh Hung's the Scent of Green Papaya is a masterpiece for the ages. It is effectively two stories - the story of a young and then older Mui. Tran's movie, it can be argued - here as well as in "The Vertical Ray of the Sun" and less in "Cyclo" that he follows the predictable elements of the "pastoral" and deals head on with the issue of country/city tensions. Tran's country/city tension is simple but not simplistic - indeed it can be argued that it is complex. The visuals of nature and tradition occur within the city and are surrounded by urban decay. With regards to the first section of the movie, when Mui is still a child, Tran develops her connection to nature with almost painting like images of nature as Mui fuses with the outside space of the house - when she is around the space collapses into itself both visually and through sound. I find myself nostalgic about the opening scene with Mui's first moments in her new abode. Right of the bat (no pun intended), the twittering of crickets overpowers most other auditory stimuli. There was a scene between Mui's new patron and husband playing an instrument, the twittering of crickets is heard over the music. Mui is almost always enclosed and bound by nature. When Mui is present, we see small animals and plants. Not to belabor the point, Mui's bed is underneath a window that looks out onto the garden of tropical bushes and a palm-like plant - again re-enforcing Mui's connection to nature. My sense is Tran's reference to nature is an elegy to things past - to a pre-modern Vietnam before the entry of the French and Americans. Consider this, when Mui is in the camera's sights in an enclosed space we always find plants or animals. Conversely, when Mui is not present, the scene is devoid of the same. In short, Mui's world is nature. With regards to the second section, Múi becomes once again the elegy to pre-modernity - we see her tempted by modern culture when her former employers can no longer afford her as give her a chance at a better situation through the transfer to Khuyen's house. Of the less subtle juxtapositions is Mui vis-à-vis Khuyen's westernized fiancée. The fiancée begins to leave parts of her western "non-organic" beauty behind - her high heels and lipstick. The fiancée's beauty is artificial and problematizes the natural beauty - that defines this pastoral project. This artificial beauty exemplifies, actually counters, the artificial beauty which is Tran's "organic" project. Múi encounters these items in here heretofore organic space, she is spellbound and understandably cautious. With regards to the high heels and the lipstick - both metaphors for the unwanted unnatural - Mui wants to try on the high heels howevver never really completes its. With regards to the lipstick - she actually takes the plunge only later on to wipe it off. Múi fuses the two worlds when she dons the traditional Au Dai juxtaposed with the non-organic lipstick. Tran uses the lipstick to show the fusion (more like conquest) of modernity and urbanity forces onto nature and tradition. One could argue that playing on this juxtaposition is a metaphor for the different spaces one of modern Viet Nam and the other of Tran's more organic and pastoral vision of a pre-war/pre-modern Viet Nam as Múi wipes the lipstick off in shame. I cannot overemphasize the beauty and depth of this movie. If you have not seen the movie - see it. If you have not bought the movie - buy it.
	The Vertical Ray of the Sun ~ Tran Nu Yên-Khê: One of the best movies I have seen in along time. The movie is a virtual collection of images of simple beauty. There is one failing though - despite trying to depict the "ordinary" the movie is far removed from the everyday. The movie is about three sisters and their brother, pressed by the anniversary of their mom's death to congregate at the eldest sister's cafe. They are a tightly knit family, who shares their innermost secrets in a safe and reassuring environment - at least that is what it looks like on tthe surface. The movie explores "relationships" at different stages of development - which is why it is difficult to really "remember" any one part. At times, they all keep secrets of sexual nature, most significantly - the baby of the siblings - Lien. Lien iss seeking a husband not unlike her brother Hai. The movie explores - with a very real sense of beauty the complex and ambiguous relationship of Lien and Hai. When Lien discovers an aspect of their mother's past it seems like the whole clan is thrown into chaos. What she uncovers seems to threaten the romaniticized vision of their parents - something I am certain we all share. Light and lightness pervade this movie and the action is natural and not stilted. I recommend it to one and all who could use a light moment.

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