Life's Journey, Reincarnation
In a thousand cycles, never questioned, never thought about why life is like this. Simply accepting the arrangement of heaven, spending one lifetime after another as an ant. Perhaps when experiencing hardship, I thought about it – I must have been a tyrannical monarch in a previous life, unaware of the suffering of the people, hence this punishment in this life; perhaps when achieving success, I thought about being a famous general in my previous life, with iron horses and gold weapons, expanding territory, and enjoying this life; perhaps in my previous previous lives, I was a farmer, a scholar, a beautiful woman, a handsome man… none of it mattered. At the foot of the Bridge of Souls, a bowl of Meng Po's soup forget fame and fortune, Jiangshan Mei Ren (beautiful scenery and people). Only sorrow and pain condense into a crimson spot on my chest, passed down for a thousand years. When dreaming, I wake up with a lingering pain, cold sweat dripping down.
This lifetime, I am a small-town citizen, experiencing the sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and spiciness of a small person. Similarly, I never questioned or thought about it. When flowers bloom, I've shed tears; when leaves fall, I've been heartbroken. Buddhism says: the cause you sow in one life will bear fruit in the next. I think I may have been a woman who collected fallen flowers in a previous life. 'Flowers bloom and wither, flowers fill the sky, the fragrance fades, who cares?' Just as old friends appear, awakening the hazy memories of my previous life. Watching them bloom and fall, I can't escape the destiny, shedding tears alone, feeling sorrowful and depressed.
The coronavirus ravaged the earth, responding to the government's call to stay home in a cramped dwelling. Counting day after day, 'Why?' flashed through my mind. I flipped through the books in my home, but there was no answer; I searched online, but I found nothing. I was very fascinated with 'Journey to the West' as a child, 'jumping out of the Three Realms, not bound by the five elements.' It seemed like this was the only way to escape one lifetime after another. Unfortunately, I don't know how to transform into seventy-two changes, nor can I wield the Eight Trigrams Ring. Even if I couldn't beat the little demons, I couldn't even ascend to fight against heavenly soldiers and generals. I could only live humbly, enduring darkness and injustice, waiting for the soup of Meng Po to be served after a hundred years to forget the suffering of this world. I hope this time Meng Po will give me a large bowl, the crimson spot on my chest is already too full of pain.
Perhaps I heard someone say: 'Society is like a jungle.' Jungle? Jungle rules apply to human society? Tapping my wooden head, I thought about it. But how does he not fear that a little rabbit will turn into a big wolf and bite him? Maybe he has a way to keep the little rabbit always a little rabbit, and use it as a meal. Little rabbits and big wolves will eventually go to collect Meng Po's soup; no one can escape forever, at most it will be passed down through generations. 'Seeing someone build a high building, seeing someone entertain guests, seeing someone's building collapse…' The cycle of heaven and earth, but only the person experiencing it can't see it. Staying home, doing nothing, I love to fantasize…
Could it be? Everything is possible…
……
