An Unexpected Vesak Eve Romantic Encounter

I was surfing Linkedin last evening and I happened to chance upon my ex-girlfriend's profile. Her name's Jacelyn. We went separate ways in the year 2007 after 3 years of courtship, she wanted to be a Christian, I wanted to be a Buddhist, and when we broke up, she told me that God asked her to do it. So, she wanted to pin the blame on God, I argued with her, she insisted that we break, and that marks the end of our romance.

As I read her Linkedin profile last night, and again this morning, I still feel the pain in me, not sure whether is it because I still liked her, but more because I felt betrayed you see. She wanted her life to be entirely Christian, so I became an obstacle to her because I also wanted my life to be entirely Buddhist. All these years I stayed aloof from folks who single-mindedly wanted to be theist, because our views diverge, and it's better off we don't spend too much time together.

Still, instead of harping on a past romance gone wrong, the reason why I started this post is because I want to give thanks for what went right. After I broke up with Jacelyn, I met a girl whose name is Alicia in the year 2010, and she agreed to be my partner despite knowing my flaws. I was with her for the past 14 years, and she encouraged me and cheered me on when the going got tough. Life as a practising Buddhist was never meant to be easy, but Alicia engaged me and inspired me to be the best version of myself. So, in many ways, I am thankful for what happened during my youth, because if I had not met Jacelyn and discovered what I did not want in my life, I wouldn't have met Alicia who was the surprise package of what I wished to have as a lay Buddhist. These days I no longer blame God for what happened between me and Jacelyn, but I am grateful because Alicia entered my life and helped me become the Buddhist I wanted to be. Alicia knows that I wanted to practise celibacy and continence, so we both behaved ourselves and did not get involved in deeply sexual acts. I am still doing my best to introduce some forms of ascetism and austerity in my life, I believe in the Buddha, and I would like to spend the rest of my life mindfully as a simple Buddhist.

For those who wanted to be a Christian and was against me becoming a Buddhist, I say, "Good riddance." I welcome the Triple Gem into my life, and I am happy that all these years I have sought the path of liberation. Buddhism has been worth every buck to me all these years, I count my blessings that Jacelyn left me alone behind and it gave me the chance to explore the Buddhist teachings and embrace Buddhist discipline to my best of abilities.

I'm still not married though, Alicia is 39 years old this year, while I am 43. If I were to settle down in marriage, I'd marry Alicia. Alicia has been my karmic benefactor and everything she has done, I have always benefitted from her loving kindness. Thank you.

Thank You, Buddha. Happy Vesak Day.