Relax

NMH 07-02-2026 © Fish by Master Qi Baishi (1863-1957) Kingfisher has a special talent: drawing with his beak. There is nothing mysterious about that. Daily practice over countless days has forged a remarkable ability. Add to this a bit of the innate endowment of a bird supreme at catching fish, and the training itself becomes enjoyable. But Kingfisher using his beak to draw on the ground is something very strange. Busy pecking here, then hopping to scratch out marks there, Ki

Chẫu Chàng Hanoi, Spring 31-1-2026 © 2023 Anhinga, painting of Bùi Quang Khiêm Does the Bird Village like traveling? Of course it does. By nature—loving freedom, open-spirited, fond of arguing, and always on the wing—how wouldn’t birds enjoy journeys to faraway places? Even so, for the Bird Village, this remains a distant dream. Long-distance travel is both difficult and dangerous. Only Pelicans, as a migratory species, can manage it—but they are not villagers. So the dream o

NMH 25-1-2026 © VQH Zhuangzi sees Kingfisher fidgeting among the branches of a peach tree and, puzzled, asks: — Why is it that today Kingfisher is not on the bamboo branch, meditating and catching fish, but instead hopping about on a peach tree like this? Hearing Zhuangzi’s voice, Kingfisher is overjoyed and replies at once: — Master, please save me, for my mind is unsettled. For days now, I’ve been thinking about the legend of the Immortal Peach of the Queen Mother of the We

NMH 01-01-2026 An illustration of ‘You give me a papaya; I return to you a piece of jade’ From time to time, there are days when Zhuangzi finds himself at a loss in his thinking. At such moments, Master Zhuang’s face tightens into a frown; even when he smiles, it looks twisted and rather unsightly. At times like these, the limited learning of Kingfisher can unexpectedly prove useful. This noon, in the cool air of winter, on the first day of the new year, the sunlight was pale

NMH 13-12-2025 Created by ChatGPT Early in the morning, Zhuangzi notices Kingfisher by the pond. At times, it joyfully plunges into the water and flies back up, carefree and refreshed. Yet after a while, it grows pensive, its demeanor turning quietly somber. Zhuangzi walks to the pond’s edge, near the branch Kingfisher has chosen to perch on, and waves his hand. When Kingfisher flies over, Zhuangzi asks: — Your spirit seems unsettled and erratic—are you perhaps caught in a dr

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 tha

NMH 01-12-2025 Created by ChatGPT As Zhuangzi strolls along the riverbank, watching the fish joyfully dart through the water, he notices Kingfisher perch gloomily on a willow branch and asks: — I see the river full of fish—each one plump and lively. Why, then, are you so downcast? Kingfisher sighs: — Ever since you helped me witness the light of the Dao through The Six Persimmons painting, I have been delighted and pondered even more deeply. Yet the deeper I think, the more

La Viet Phuong 25-11-2025 Created by ChatGPT One breezy afternoon, Zhuangzi and Kingfisher sit by the pond, enjoying tea while watching the gentle ripples spread across the water’s surface. After a while, Kingfisher asks: — Master, in this world, what is ultimately the most valuable thing? Zhuangzi takes a slow sip of tea, smiles, and replies: — There is no such thing as "the most valuable.” Anything can be precious, and anything can become worthless. Kingfisher frowns: — How