Artwork: Moon of Compassion

Moon of Compassion

On Still Waters and the Practice of Gentle Presence

Inspired by the rice-farmers’ folklore, as shown in the Vietnam’s water puppet theatre, moonlit waters often become a stage where everyday life unfolds with quiet wisdom and gentle humor. Moon of Compassion draws from this cultural memory. The artist brings forward the Buddhist symbolism of the duck embodying calm strength, gentleness, and harmonious coexistence.

Crafted in hammered aluminum, a family of ducks—mother, father, and two young—glide across still waters beneath a luminous full moon painted in oil. The tranquil surface suggesting that beneath the subtle movements of daily life rests a deeper stillness.

In folk traditions, water birds often convey moral lessons of wisdom, simplicity, and peaceful living in harmony with nature. The duck, at ease in water, on land, and in flight, resonates with the Buddhist ideal of moving through changing conditions and maintaining balance amid transition. Its serene glide, paired with unseen effort below the surface, mirrors the discipline of inner composure joined with quiet perseverance.

The artist believes the work reflects the personality of the person it celebrates steady yet fluid, grounded yet open to change—carrying grace, compassion, and gentle luminosity into the world.