SPIRITUAL CULTURE IN THE TALE OF KIEU BY NGUYEN DU (FROM HEAVEN, BUDDHA, GOD AND THE FESTIVAL OF LIFE)

Abstract

Tale of Kieu by Nguyen Du is one of the works that play a particularly important role in the spiritual life of each generation of Vietnamese people. The work contains and preserves the nation’s honorable cultural values. One indispensable thing must be mentioned is the spiritual culture of the Vietnamese. In this article, we will approach the work of The Tale of Kieu through interpreting expressions and giving comments, evaluating the meaning of four typical spiritual forms: Heaven - Buddha - God - Festival of life. The general principle when Nguyen Du built these forms in the work lies in the fact that the author on the one hand affirms spirituality but on the other hand negates it, bringing people back to the dominant role in belief in spirituality own reality. First and foremost, these forms of spirituality are all built by Nguyen Du based on the unique Vietnamese styles of thinking and behaving for many generations.