A Tale of Fate and Encounters

Once upon a time, in a tranquil monastery nestled in the heart of a lush, peaceful valley, there lived a wise and venerable monk. The people from nearby villages would often visit the monk to seek his counsel on life’s mysteries and challenges.

One day, a group of villagers gathered around the monk, eager to hear his teachings. The monk began by sharing a profound quote attributed to Sakyamuni, the enlightened one:

“The people who appear in life are never accidental. It takes a moment to reach out, but it takes many years to hold hands. No matter who you meet, they are the person who should appear in your life, and it is no accident. This life is just a passerby.”

The villagers listened intently as the monk continued, quoting the Buddha’s wisdom:

“Life is also a random journey, and the body is the inn where the soul stays. For the boundless time, this life is just a passerby. It takes a very deep fate to walk the same road again and again; we go to the same place again and again and see the same people again and again.”

The monk paused and looked at the villagers with a knowing smile. “I have always believed,” he said, “that there is a kind of encounter in this world, not on the road, but in the heart. There is a kind of feeling that is not about staying together day and night, but about silently accompanying one another.”

As the villagers absorbed these profound teachings, the monk continued:

“Meeting each other in this life is fate. Looking back five hundred times in the past life can only pass by in this life. If we didn’t owe each other, how could we meet? It means that you owe me something from your previous generation, and you are destined to meet me in this life to repay it.”

The monk’s words resonated deeply with the villagers, who had come to understand the interconnectedness of their lives and the significance of the encounters they experienced. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing the intricate web of relationships and fates that bound them together.

One villager, moved by these teachings, asked the monk, “But what if we don’t appreciate these encounters? What if we resent or hate those we meet?”

The monk replied gently, “Dependencies arise and conditions perish, conditions come together and conditions dissipate, everything is God’s will, and we should cherish it. There is a cycle of cause and effect, a destined reincarnation. How could we meet each other if we didn’t owe each other?”

The villagers left the monastery with a newfound appreciation for the people who had crossed their paths, understanding that every encounter, every relationship, was a part of a greater cosmic design. They carried these teachings with them, forever changed by the wisdom of the monk and the profound truths they had learned that day.

Thank you for reading!