expression
even chance encounters are fated; today's events are shaped by past lives
A Buddhist-influenced proverb expressing that even the smallest interactions or coincidences are not random but result from karmic connections formed in previous lives. Often used to reflect on the mysterious nature of human relationships.
See also: 一樹の陰一河の流れも他生の縁 (いちじゅのかげいちがのながれもたしょうのえん)
旅先で偶然再会したのも、一河の流れを汲むも他生の縁というものだろう。
Meeting again by chance on a trip must be what they mean by 'even drawing water from the same river is a bond from a former life.'
A longer version of the same proverb, adding 'the shade of a single tree' to emphasize that even sharing the shade of the same tree is a karmic connection.
A traditional Japanese proverb rooted in Buddhist concepts of karma and reincarnation. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it reflects the idea that all encounters, no matter how trivial, are predestined by deeds in past lives.