At the Feet of the “Great Fool”
Translated from the original French text by Grand Master Nam Anh, 1999
“Man is but a fragment of infinitesimal knowledge, utterly powerless before the law of Birth and Death, and standing before the vast and mysterious Great Way, he is nothing but a great fool!”
One last time, I cast my gaze over the low, moss-mottled brick wall. A stately house, built in the old architectural style of the previous century, sat behind a beautiful garden. All things seemed to have sunk into slumber beneath the sweltering midday heat of October.
After much hesitation, I pressed the bell firmly — this was already the seventh time I had come to this place. The fierce barking and thundering gallop of the two enormous German Shepherds were by now so familiar that I could distinguish the footfall of the male from that of the female. Standing patiently in wait, I pictured the old manservant — cold-faced and unwelcoming — stepping out once again to tell me curtly: “The master is not home!” In the end, after six months of relentless searching, I had finally found the true residence of the millionaire known as Hoàng Tường Phong — an elderly merchant in the import-export trade.
The two large gates, their hinges long rusted, groaned heavily as they swung open.
— You again!
In his voice, I detected an unusual change this time.
— I wish to see the master of this house, to deliver news that is both good and bad for him.
The old manservant, though well past seventy, moved with remarkable agility. One of the fierce dogs, fangs bared and lunging forward, was seized firmly in his grip. His hands were extraordinarily large — a testament to a profound level of martial skill — as he tightened his hold on the leather collar, nearly lifting the animal clean off the ground. With an air of secrecy, he lowered his voice:
— You are in luck today. The master has seen your perseverance, and has asked me to convey the following to you:
“Ordinary people often long to behold immortals, Buddhas, and saints, believing fervently that through prayer and supplication, Heaven and the Buddha will come to their aid. The ‘Wise’ are different — when they sense the presence of transcendent beings, they immediately set out in search of them. The ‘Enlightened’ seek nowhere at all, for they know that the Buddha is ever-present everywhere — even within our own hearts.”
Grasping the implication instantly, I stepped forward and said:
— Please show me the way.
With a respectful air, the old manservant invited me inside.
— What is the essence of Life and Death?
— To live in service to the world; to die in glory for the Way.
— What is a true Hero?
— To know oneself is to be wise; to conquer oneself is to be heroic.
— What does it mean to abandon what others seek, and to seek what others abandon?
— Today, people tear one another apart for petty self-interest; the whole world slaughters itself over political doctrines, forsaking the beauty of life and noble customs, drifting ever further from the Great Way. The Wise do not act thus — they conduct themselves according to true principle, setting aside self-interest to pursue the Righteous Path rather than political ideologies.
In the center of a room adorned with precious antiques, seated with great dignity upon a rosewood table carved in the Eastern style — its armrests bearing sculpted dragon heads — an elder with a face as benevolent as the Buddha suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter rang out so powerfully that time itself seemed to stand still, and the entire space plunged into an uncanny, abyssal silence. Startled, the two German Shepherds retreated behind the large gates and whimpered pitifully — yet my ears registered not a single sound.
— So that old Confucian scholar is still very much alive! You must surely be a trusted confidant of his!
He paused for a long moment, seemingly lost in thought:
— In this age of decline, what use is there in coming to me? What is it you seek from me?
— Venerable Master, it is precisely for that reason that I have come — to ask you to help me build a raft!
He leaned slightly forward, with an air of surprise:
— Do you truly believe you can cross a vast ocean full of storms and tempests on a mere raft?
— No, Master! I will take shelter on a small island and wait until the Dragon Flower Assembly.2
This elder was none other than Grand Master Nguyên Minh — the very figure for whom I had been required to recount “an old story, a thread of former grace” before being granted an audience. He exclaimed cheerfully:
— Good, very good! Come closer so that I may see you clearly.
I endured his penetrating gaze — as though it pierced through to the very depths of my soul — and calmly deflected the powerful current of inner energy emanating from the elder master. He suddenly rose to his feet and called out to the old manservant:
— Little Fool! See the guest out!
While I stood bewildered by his puzzling and seemingly inhospitable manner, he selected a plump, crimson persimmon from the fruit dish arranged on the grand ancestral altar and hurled it directly toward me. The force of impact caused the fruit to burst apart, its juice running freely through my fingers. As I stood there lost in contemplation, he turned his back, hands clasped behind him, and faced the window overlooking the inner courtyard. Beneath his thick white eyebrows — arched like a pair of silver swords — his gaze drifted far into the distance… Then suddenly he exclaimed:
— What a beautiful day it is today!
Indeed it was — in October, the rose bushes were in their most glorious bloom of the year. Ten thousand roses spread their velvet petals in vivid splendor, as though bathed in crimson beneath the brilliant sunlight, stirring within me a sudden awakening of passion and desire — instincts long buried in the unconscious. Beyond the window, pairs of butterflies, intoxicated by the warmth of the sun, fluttered and drifted, forgetting their way home. From somewhere unknown — or perhaps from some realm of emptiness — the crystalline notes of a piano suddenly rang out, growing ever more urgent and soaring ever higher… then abruptly, with a heavy hand, struck the farewell — like a command, like a sacred calling.
Seven years later… the year 1984
The clear, melodious toll of the golden bell brought the ceremony to a close, swallowed by the roaring cascade of a sudden downpour. Every few moments, the world blazed white for a few seconds, followed by an earth-shattering thunderclap. Since childhood, I had always felt a profound delight in pressing myself against rain-drenched glass, gazing in rapture at the awe-inspiring confrontation between Heaven and Earth.
Having completed three ritual prostrations in the proper form, I knelt at the feet of the Grand Master, awaiting his final words of instruction. How swiftly the days and months had passed — like the shadow of a white horse flashing past a window. Seven years had gone by in the blink of an eye, yet I still remembered with perfect clarity the serene expression on his face when I recounted “that thread of former grace” on the day of our first meeting. Now, those same eyes — bright as lightning beneath those high, prominent brows — reflecting a profound inner power, had gradually kindled a warm flame deep within their gaze. How much sweat had soaked the long road leading to the Master’s door! How many nights had I stood waiting in the freezing rain before a gate that only opened at the stroke of midnight…
“My child, your Master has performed the Ceremony of Descent from the Mountain for you in full accordance with the ancient customs of the Wing Chun school and the thousand-year-old rites of Kim Cương Temple. I have deliberately chosen this night of storm and rain to invoke the witness of the divine spirits. The Dragon Maiden will temper the impetuous fire of youth, and the Wind God will watch over you. Listen carefully: In your Tử Vi chart, the Palace of Travel belongs to the trigram Chấn — this signifies that you were born into this world on a night of thunder and storm. Therefore, your life will always be confronted with hardship and trials, with countless storms and tempests, and you will encounter many events of the utmost gravity. Yet it is precisely in your most perilous moments that you will find peace and safety, and in the heart of the raging storm, you will behold the Eastern Dawn. It is at the far corners of the sea and sky that your true arena lies — where the frozen sun melts upon branches of crystal. Remember: the most brilliant and courageous general is one who always achieves victory without ever having to engage in battle. Therefore, always nurture the Vast Righteous Energy within you, and recite often the Heart Sutra: ‘When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practiced the profound Prajnaparamita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty. Shariputra! Form is not other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form; form is precisely emptiness, emptiness is precisely form. Sensation, perception, formation, and consciousness are also like this…'”
Outside, the rain had ceased for a while. The Master rose to his feet, his voice calm and unhurried:
— The time has come for you to depart. You now possess the strength and capability to continue along the path of cultivation. Never return to this place again — such is the way of karma and destiny. For the “Fateful Encounter” long awaited has now fulfilled its purpose, and when the bond is fulfilled, it is complete. Go now, my child — at this moment, all flowery words and grand gestures are unnecessary.
With sincere and heartfelt remembrance of the grace of
Grand Master Nguyên Minh
