A Rival in Love Reborn as Her Child

In a cozy living room, soft golden light fell upon an old sofa. Mai was washing dishes in the kitchen, while her husband Hung sat on the sofa reading a newspaper. Little Bi, three years old, was playing with his toys in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, little Bi stopped. His clear eyes looked straight at Mai. "Mommy," he said softly, "I remember that in my past life, I was your lover."

Mai froze, setting down the bowl she was washing. Water flowed steadily from the tap, but she heard none of it. "What are you saying, Bi?"

"I was Dung," the boy said, naming Mai's former lover who had died in a motorcycle accident five years earlier. "I remember it clearly. I even remember the moment I was hit by the vehicle. And I promised I would come back to you."

Mai felt her heart tighten. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She remembered the days she had spent with Dung, remembered his smile, his eyes, and the promise he made before he passed away: "I will come back to you."

Hung put down his newspaper, his brow furrowing. "My dear, the little one is just talking nonsense. Don't pay attention to it."

But Mai knew that little Bi's words were not simply nonsense. She felt the truth deep in her heart. And more frightening still, she felt a strange bond with her son, one that went beyond an ordinary mother's love.

In the months that followed, little Bi often spoke of memories from his past life, memories that only Mai could have known. Once, he mentioned a memory from a private café, a place that only she and Dung had known about.

"I remember the first time you and I sat in the café on the corner of Nguyen Hue street," the boy said, his eyes brightening. "You were wearing a white dress, and I told you..."

Mai embraced her son tightly, tears streaming down. "That's enough," she whispered. "That's enough, my child..."

Hung, though he did not believe in supernatural things, began to feel uneasy. He could not deny that little Bi's accounts were too detailed and too accurate. And what was more troubling, he felt jealous of his own son.

"My rival in love has been reborn as my own child," he thought to himself, finding the absurdity strangely amusing. "What am I supposed to do now? I can't be jealous, but I can't not be jealous either."

One evening, after little Bi had gone to sleep, Hung sat down beside Mai. "My dear," he said, his voice low, "I don't believe in samsara (cycle of rebirth) or anything like that. But I know what you're thinking. And I want you to know that no matter what happens, I am still your husband, and Bi is our child."

Mai looked at her husband, her eyes red from weeping. "I know," she whispered. "But I cannot deny that I feel the truth of it. And that breaks my heart."

The story of Mai's family is one of the most delicate tales about the cycle of rebirth. It shows that samsara (cycle of rebirth) not only brings lessons about cause and effect (karmic law), but also creates complicated and difficult situations in our present lives.

Today, Mai's family still lives happily together. Little Bi has grown up like an ordinary child, though at times he still remembers his past life, still remembers his mother's former lover. And they have all learned to accept and love one another, despite the complicated relationships carried over from the past.

The meaning of the story:

This story shows that the cycle of rebirth can create delicate and complicated situations in our present lives. A departed lover may be reborn as the child of the one they loved, creating a relationship that is both parent and former lover. This reminds us that samsara (cycle of rebirth) carries with it complicated relationships from past lives, and that we must learn to accept and love one another despite the past that has gone before.

Compiled from a dharma talk by the Venerable Thich Chan Quang.