Legacy

NMH

04-12-2025

Created by ChatGPT

Early in the morning, seeing Kingfisher frozen in place, staring intently at the water’s surface, Zhuangzi calls out:

– Why are you lost in such vague thoughts that you’ve forgotten to catch fish, Kingfisher?

Noticing Zhuangzi, Kingfisher brightens and swoops down. After a moment of contemplation, he says:

– Catching fish may help with cultivation, but it leaves behind no legacy. It’s dull and trivial. Please teach me how to live in a way that leaves an enduring legacy.

Zhuangzi replies:

– To teach you something I myself do not have is indeed difficult. But it’s an interesting question, so let us discuss it.

Kingfisher asks:

– What makes a legacy?

Zhuangzi answers:

– To be remembered, to be pondered, to be discussed.

Kingfisher continues:

– And what makes the world remember, ponder, and discuss?

Zhuangzi says:

– It must be something difficult—something many strive for but never reach, something they brush against without noticing, something they are shown but cannot grasp.

Sensing a hidden meaning, Kingfisher lowers his voice:

– Hearing your words, it seems that an everlasting legacy is something only those who have attained the Dao can create?!

Zhuangzi does not respond. He gazes at the water, then gently sweeps his hand in a Taiji-like motion. Kingfisher, sharp-eyed, notices the movement left a trace like rippling water.

With a sigh, Kingfisher asks:

– So, you have confirmed it. Then, in this life of catching fish, I can only wander freely among branches and waters. Leaving a legacy is but an impossible dream.

Zhuangzi shakes his head and smiles:

– Not necessarily. I never cling to words, but for someone like you—merely catching fish, yet honored as ‘Kingfisher’—that should not be dismissed lightly. What is it in the act of catching fish that makes people remember and discuss it for generations? The fish? The feathers? Your shape in flight…?

Understanding dawns on Kingfisher.

– How marvelous. Like Master Muqi, who attained the Dao and left behind a painting of six persimmons, at first glance, few can see the Dao in it. I have begun to grasp a little.

Zhuangzi whispers:

– To understand is wondrous. But to practice the Dao requires quietness and effectiveness.

Sensing he was about to learn something new, Kingfisher grows eager.

– Your teaching is indeed right. I shall put it into practice immediately. Just say it briefly—I will understand.

Zhuangzi says:

– We’ll need a plate of grilled fish. One must have sustenance before uplifting the Dao.

References

[1] Vuong QH. (2024). Wild Wise Weird. https://books.google.com/books?id=N10jEQAAQBAJ

[2] Zhuang Zhou. (1964). Zhuangzi.

[3] Nguyen MH. (2025). Kingfisherish Wandering. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVLLLXNW/ 

[4] Nguyen MH. (2025). On Six Persimmons by Master Muqi Fachang. https://www.xomchim.com/post/on-six-persimmons-by-master-muqi-fachang