1.
many rebirths across past and future lives
A Buddhist concept referring to the many lifetimes a soul passes through in the cycle of rebirth. Used almost exclusively in the proverb 袖振り合うも多生の縁.
多生の縁を感じる。
I feel a karmic connection from past lives.
袖振り合うも多生の縁と言う。
They say even a brush of sleeves is a karmic bond from past lives.
偶然出会ったように見えても、実は多生の縁があるのかもしれない。
Even though we seem to have met by chance, perhaps there is actually a karmic tie from past lives.
Almost never used outside the Buddhist proverb below. The word literally means "many births" — the soul being reborn many times across lifetimes.
FIXED EXPRESSION:
- 袖振り合うも多生の縁: Even brushing sleeves with a stranger is the result of a karmic bond from past lives — used to suggest that no encounter is truly random.
NOTES:
- Sometimes written 他生 with the same meaning; both forms appear in the proverb.
- Not to be confused with the homophone 多少 (somewhat; a little).