~ A Story of
Fate ~
by Anon
Translated from Chinese by K.H. Goh (Original Chinese
transcript)
I believe every relationship in this world is built upon Fate. You
reap what you sow.
Here is a Buddhist story:
There was a scholar who was to marry his fiancee, but on the day of
marriage, his fiancee changed her mind and married someone else.
The scholar was devastated and fell ill. His family seek all kinds
of medical treatment for him, but still he showed no sign of
recovery. They were about to give up hope on him when a wandering
monk passed by.
After learning about the scholar's condition, the monk walked to
the scholar's bed and took out a mirror for the dying man to
see.
In the mirror, the scholar saw a vast ocean, and the naked body of
a murdered woman lay on the beach.
A man passed by, looked at the body, shook his head and left.
Another man who passed by saw the body, took off his robes to cover
the body and left. Finally came a man passing by who saw the body,
dug a hole and laid the body carefully to rest before burying
it.
The scene in the mirror suddenly changed. The scholar saw his
fiancee in a nuptial chamber and another man was lifting her
wedding veil...
The scholar blinked at the monk, confused.
Slowly the monk explained, "The woman whose body you saw on the
beach was your fiancee in her previous life. In your previous life,
you were the second man who gave her his robes to cover her body.
To repay your kindness in this lifetime, she loved you for a period
of time and became your fiancee. However, ultimately the man whose
favor she has to return for the rest of her life is the third man
who buried her. And that man is now her husband."
Enlightened, the scholar sat up and recovered from his
depression.
It is truly amazing -- this thing called "Fate".
There was a movie in which the theme song went like this: "You can
say it is a big world, you can say it is a small world. But for the
promise of this lifetime, we shall spend our entire lives to
fulfil."
All of us are in this big grand masquerade, among the throng of
people, we seek expectantly... in that electrifying moment when our
fingers touch, the masks are removed to reveal our true
selves.
Before this moment, we were drifting aimlessly, not knowing what we
really wanted. Till you meet this particular person, you finally
realize what you really want is not what you have wished for in the
first place. It amazes you that standing in front of this person is
a different you! You without any mask!
Fate is not something meant to be forced upon. What is yours will
eventually come to your arms; what is not yours will never come to
be.
In any case, we should not lose heart and give up on our hopes for
love that is true, good and beautiful. The value of life, in a
certain sense, is determined by the maturity of how we love. Of how
we give and accept love.
Treasure what you have...
Time is too slow for those who wait;
Too swift for those who fear;
Too long for those who grief;
Too short for those who rejoice;
But for those who love...
Time is Eternity!
