Nguyen Binh Khiem is a well-known scholar and a big figure in Vietnamese history. He was able to predict that a few hundred years later, Đại Việt (the former name of Vietnam) would change its name to Vietnam. The following are some stories about his prophecies:
Saving a Governor from death
Nguyen Binh Khiem passed away at the age of 95. The legend said that before his death, he gave his descendants a bamboo tube painted with vermilion and gold, sealed at both ends, and told that exactly that year, that date, that time, must bring the tube to the Governor. The sage also further instructed his descendant absolutely not to open the tube to see before the right time arrived, and except the Governor, no one was allowed to open the tube.
After he died, the Saint’s descendants fell into poverty and decline. But it was not until the seventh generation that the bamboo tube was brought to the Governor’s palace, exactly on the date and time recorded in the genealogy. As the Governor heard that the sage’s descendants had brought a letter to meet, the Governor was very surprised. He ordered the man in. As he just got up and went out the door, he suddenly heard a “bang,” the heavy wooden beam fell right on the bed. Only after that, they figured out that the worms damaged the wooden beam.
The Governor opened the bamboo tube to see and found inside was a scroll, with two verses written: “I’m going to save you from a wooden beam falling. You should save my descendants from poverty.” As the Governor knew that the sage had saved his life, he helped the sage’s descendants a lot of money to repay the favor.
Prophet vs Feng shui master
Anecdotes also say that, before he died, Nguyen Binh Khiem wrote in his genealogy and told his descendants: “I have a stele ready and painted on my birthday. When I close my eyes, you must remember that when you lower the coffin, you must put the stele on the lid and then cover it with soil. Whenever a stranger comes to visit my grave and says, “What a blind saint,” we must immediately invite that person to our home and ask him where to relocate my grave. When it hasn’t happened, remember not to reform. If you disobey, your descendants will perish.”
His descendants said that, about ten years later, one day, a man came to look at the old man’s grave for a while and then said: “The good location for the grave is right at the foot, but you don’t know it, but you put your grave at this location. A saint? What a blind saint!” The people in the house heard about it and told the patriarch. He immediately invited the strange man to his house and asked him about the good location for the grave.
The man was a very famous Chinese Feng shui master. He came because he had heard about Nguyen Binh Khiem for a long time and wanted to come here to see the sage’s relics. When he was offered such a proposal, he thought that he was better than Nguyen Binh Khiem and was very proud. He told the family: “There’s no need to take it far, just dig it up and turn it around a bit.”
When the stele was dug up, everyone could see the words: “Today the good location goes down to the foot. Fifty years ago, it was at the top. What do you know, the one who was born later? The sage has never been blinded!” After reading it, the Feng shui master started to sweat, and he must acknowledge Nguyen Binh Khiem as a saint.
The temple of the Saint
In the 14th year of Minh Mang dynasty, Nguyen Cong Tru’s was sent by the King to reclaim land in Hai Duong. The problem is that it is necessary to dig a river and to dig a river, it is necessary to destroy the temple of Saint Nguyen Binh Khiem. Nguyen Cong Tru ordered the villagers to destroy the temple to dig a river.
Before breaking down, as someone dug into the temple to bring out the incense bowl, Nguyen Cong Tru suddenly saw a small stone stele covered with a cloth under the incense bowl. After cleaning, the stele revealed the words: “The 14th year of Minh Mang dynasty/ Nguyen Cong Tru destroys the temple. Destroying the temple, then make a one! Anyone who goes against this will lose his future.” After reading this, Nguyen Cong Tru not only cancel the order to destroy the temple but also remodeled it more spaciously.
The story of Nguyen Binh Khiem’s mom
Nguyen Binh Khiem’s mother was Tu Thuc Nhu, who spent much of her life was spent under the early Le dynasty, a period considered to be the peak of the centralized feudal monarchy in Vietnam. She grew up in a prestigious academic family, and she chose to marry Mr. Nguyen Van Dinh, a little-known disciple who grew up in Vinh Lai district but was not from a famous family. But the lady came to him because she saw a general giving birth to a son, which could later be a king, in him.
According to legend, she carefully calculated the right date and time for the birth of Nguyen Binh Khiem, whom she believed would create an empire in the future. Unfortunately, her husband made some mistakes on the first day of the marriage. So, she did not give birth to Nguyen Binh Khiem at the calculated time to get Khiem to be a future king.
When Nguyen Binh Khiem was a child, he was lullaby by her grandmother with folk songs or poems composed by her. When he was four years old, she taught her children sutras. Then, when she saw that her knowledge was no longer enough to pass on to her children, she entrusted Nguyen Binh Khiem to the famous Confucian scholars at the time.
Yet, after many special occasions, she realized that even though Khiem would be great in his future, he wouldn’t become the King. Being very disgruntled, she left, causing Binh Khiem to only grow up with his father.
Later, even though Nguyen Binh Khiem didn’t become the King, he was well respected and sought advice by political figures, and his advice shaped the country’s destiny.
