Yuan Fen

Tricia is one of the members of the CHI China Yahoo group that I am also in. She always finds really informative articles on adoption and China then shares them with our group. She is a great resource, thanks Tricia! Today she posted the following information. I really liked the message so am sharing it here.

Yuanfen (or Yuan fen) is a Buddhist-related Chinese concept that refers to fate. In English we think of predestination as having to do with events of our lives, but yuanfen is related to fate in relationships between people. It is used positively to connote a blessing, a sense of 'meant to meet', 'meant to be together'. It can be defined broadly as the "binding force" that links two persons together in any relationship. When one meets a person who is hard to find, one can exclaim: "It is yuanfen that has brought us together!" This message speaks of love and the idea that everyone is predetermined to meet. It can be a reminder that it is yuanfen that will one day bring our daughter home to us. Be it God's will, yuanfen, or fate, we know it will happen.