Brothers in the Forest

**Summary:** A story about solidarity between the Kinh and Thượng peoples through the legend of Mother Âu Cơ, and the responsibility of Buddhists in the highlands to help their ethnic minority brothers and sisters.

The afternoon at the temple was quiet, with the golden sunlight fading through the leaves. The venerable monk sat on the elevated platform, looking down at the row of listening Buddhists. At the back, a middle-aged man with tanned skin and deep, thoughtful eyes remained seated in silence. The monk smiled, his voice warm and resonant: "We have the family of Mr. Tánh Thông from Đắk Lắk attending tomorrow's ordination ceremony, but I don't see them yet. Does anyone know?" The man gently shook his head, a flicker of sadness in his eyes. The monk asked no more, simply saying softly, "It's alright. I understand. No problem."

Then the monk began to slowly recount the legend of Mother Âu Cơ—the story of a hundred eggs hatching into a hundred children, half following their father down to the sea, half following their mother up to the mountain. "The Kinh people and the Thượng people are all brothers and sisters from one family," he said, his voice distant and reflective. "There was an American writer who once said that the Vietnamese have a legend of separation, so they always tend to be divided. He spoke truly. Yet, in the heart of every Vietnamese, there remains a deep longing for reunion."

A man sitting nearby, gently turning a bracelet in his hand, sighed lightly. "Venerable teacher, I feel that sometimes we Kinh people take advantage of the Thượng. We bring them glittering glass trinkets to exchange for their gold, silver, and antiques. It's no wonder they dislike us." The monk nodded, looking directly at him. "That is true. In the past, the Kinh deceived and exploited them. But now, we must change. We must love them selflessly, like true brothers and sisters."

A young woman, holding a small child, asked timidly, "But, Venerable teacher, the Thượng have many strange customs. How can we get close to them?" The monk smiled gently. "We must learn their good ways. When I was young, I worked on a swidden field with a Thượng woman. Seeing that each family had only a few children, I asked her about family planning. She lifted her shirt, pointed to some burn marks on her abdomen from incense sticks, and said, 'When you want to stop having children, burn this spot, and it stops immediately.' Modern science doesn't know about that method yet. Or take Dr. Trần Cao Sang, who went into the villages to find medicine for disease S, and perhaps even found ways to live with the virus. The Thượng people have many precious herbal remedies."

The air in the temple grew still. The monk continued, "But more importantly, we must bring the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) to them. If they believe in the law of cause and effect (karmic law) and live kindly, their lives will improve. There is a story I always remember: long ago, Trần Nhật Duật—a prince of the Trần Dynasty—went to call on Thượng leaders to unite against the Yuan invaders. When he arrived, they looked at him with suspicion and hostility. But he could speak their language and knew their secret signals. For example, they had a greeting: 'Coming here brightens the right eye; entering the house brightens the left eye.' Only members of the tribe would know this, yet Trần Nhật Duật knew it all. Then came the moment for drinking the communal wine: the Thượng drank through their nostrils, inserting a tube and inhaling with a loud snort without choking. He did exactly the same. The leaders then clapped their hands and accepted him as a brother. Because of this, they united to fight the enemy."

An elderly man, leaning on a cane, spoke up. "Venerable teacher, but now the Thượng are being incited. They are rebelling, demanding to separate. We Kinh people resent them greatly." The monk looked at him directly, his voice firm. "To hate is to fall into the trap of foreign powers. They incite the Thượng to hate the Kinh, and incite the Kinh to hate the Thượng, so the country falls apart. As Buddhists, we must be clear-minded: do not hate. Whatever they do, we still love them. We love them like a younger sibling who has erred. We must love first, and they will love in return."

The monk paused, looking around at everyone. "You Buddhists in Đắk Lắk, in the Central Highlands, bear a great responsibility. Organize relief and aid missions. Gather clothes, salt, rice, and cakes to transport to their villages. Sit with them, ask how they are, and share the Dharma. But remember, you must have the guidance of the authorities and the protection of the police, because they are being stirred up and may act recklessly. Our intentions are good, but we must also be wise."

A middle-aged woman, her eyes reddening with tears, asked, "What should we say to them now, Venerable teacher?" The monk smiled. "Advise them to maintain their customs of ancestral worship. Do not let foreign religions erase their culture. Tell them about the law of cause and effect (karmic law): do good, meet good; do evil, meet evil. Share real-life stories with them. And give them a map of Vietnam. Many Thượng people do not even know their country is shaped like the letter S. Show them: here is your village, here is the sea, here is the mountains. The Kinh and the Thượng are one body. If anyone tears us apart, it is like cutting off hands and feet."

As the afternoon waned and the candlelight flickered on the altar, the monk concluded: "By doing these things, you accumulate blessings from merit in two ways: first, blessings according to the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) for having guided sentient beings; second, blessings for the nation, making the bonds of fellow countrymen stronger, which no force can destroy."

**Meaning of the story:** The Kinh and Thượng peoples are all brothers and sisters from one family, sharing a common origin in the legend of Mother Âu Cơ. Buddhists in the highlands have the responsibility to bring the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) to help their ethnic minority brothers and sisters selflessly, humbly learning from their good ways, and building national solidarity, while avoiding falling into the divisive schemes of foreign powers.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.*