The Eternal Bond of Love in Reincarnation : หน้า 6/62

the puddle to let Dipankara Buddha and his disciples walk over to the other side, so they would not get wet. Dipankara Buddha prophesied that Sumedha would become the next Buddha, known as Gautama Bimba was a village woman in that lifetime. She and Sumedha did not know each other. Upon seeing Sumedha's admirable act, she became fond of him and fell in love. She made an earnest wish to become Sumedha's wife, and to be reborn as his wife in every reincarnation. From that lifetime onwards, whenever Princess Bimba was reborn, she would become his life partner, and would pursue Perfections together until their final lifetime, where they separately attained Nibbana (known as Nirvana in Sanskrit) and were no longer subjected to incarnation. Love and bond grounded on virtues binds couples together through many lifetimes. Their past connection leads them to fall in love and care for each other. Some couples feel an instant connection, because they have made previous arrangements to meet again in future lives. This explains why some people fall in love at first sight. Although a connection from previous existences may exist for many couples, it does not mean that their love will necessarily be smooth and happy. When people are young and fall in love for the first time, they tend to be sweet and affectionate to each other. Some would even make resolutions or vows promising to love each other and live together forever. These are the kinds of wishes that are often made by people who are experiencing a new love. Once they have been together long enough, their passion for each other may gradually diminish and they soon stop making efforts to please each other. As people get older, they naturally become less attracted, and may find each other irritating and boring. This can result in separation through divorce or death. When a husband or wife looks for a way out, or gets attracted to someone who is more appealing, the problems turn into chaos and start to wreck the marriage Living together with another person is likened to wearing bracelets; a single bracelet makes no noise, but when two bracelets are worn together they rattle and jangle. PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com