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Dreams on the peaks of the mountains

2nd Edition  

ISBN 978-0-6487506-3-5 

This book presents a collection of poems by the Most Venerable Tuệ Sỹ, a Vietnamese Zen Master, translated from Vietnamese into English with accompanying explanations.

The Most Venerable Tuệ Sỹ was unjustly sentenced to death on September 30, 1988, by the Vietnamese Communist government. International pressure forced Hanoi to commute his sentence to 20 years in prison. In 1998, offered a pardon, he responded with unwavering defiance: “As I do not recognize the value of the trial or the legal validity of the judgment and as you have no right to detain me, neither do you have the right to pardon me.” He then embarked on a hunger strike, his spirit remaining unbroken even as his body weakened. After 10 days, on the brink of death, he was finally released.

Despite the hardships he endured, he never wavered in his dedication to his faith and his pursuit of knowledge. Through the translation of his poems, I’ve been touched by the profound impact he had on both Vietnamese culture and Zen Buddhism. 

In Zen Buddhism, he wove Zen principles into his verses, drawing inspiration from the simplicity of a stream, the ordinariness of a mustard seed, and even the delicate traces of moss lingering on eyelids.

I was captivated by his explanation of nothingness: "Nothingness is when a summer butterfly lands on a flower, folds its wings, and sways with the wind of the grass and forest flowers".

Though I never met him, Tuệ Sỹ's words resonated deeply within me. This 476-page book is a tribute to his enduring legacy.

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