tiền oan nghiệp chướng

Definition
  1. Noun (Buddhist & Folk Belief Concept):
    • Karmic debt from a past life: A fixed phrase denoting suffering, misfortune, or adversity in one's current life that is believed to be the inevitable retribution for misdeeds or sins committed in a previous existence, according to Buddhist and Vietnamese folk belief.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • Anh ta gặp nhiều bất hạnh, có lẽ đó là tiền oan nghiệp chướng. (He encounters much misfortune; perhaps it is karmic debt from a past life.)
    • Bà cụ tin rằng căn bệnh hiểm nghèo của mình là do tiền oan nghiệp chướng. (The old woman believes her critical illness is due to karmic retribution from a past life.)
Advanced Usage
  • The phrase is often used to express a fatalistic or resigned perspective toward unexplained hardship, suggesting the current troubles are a preordained repayment for past wrongs.
    • Đôi khi người ta nhìn nhận khó khăn như một thứ tiền oan nghiệp chướng phải trả. (Sometimes people view difficulties as a kind of karmic debt that must be repaid.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Nghiệp chướng (n): Karmic obstacles; the negative consequences of one's actions (karma) that create hindrances.
    • Anh ấy đang cố gắng tu hành để hóa giải nghiệp chướng. (He is trying to cultivate virtue to resolve his karmic obstacles.)
  • Oan nghiệt (n/adj): Injustice coupled with bitter fate or karmic entanglement.
    • Mối quan hệ oan nghiệt đó khiến cả hai đau khổ. (That karmically entangled relationship causes both of them suffering.)
Synonyms
  • Karmic debt: A debt incurred from actions in past lives.
  • Past-life retribution: Punishment or suffering resulting from sins in a previous existence.
Related Idioms
  • Mang nặng oan khiên: To bear a heavy burden of injustice or karmic grievances.
    • Câu chuyện về người phụ nữ mang nặng oan khiên khiến ai cũng thương cảm. (The story of the woman bearing a heavy burden of karmic grievances evokes everyone's sympathy.)
  • Trả nợ đời, trả nợ kiếp: To repay life's debts, to repay karmic debts (from past lifetimes).
    • Có người quan niệm khổ đau trên đời chỉ là để trả nợ kiếp. (Some perceive suffering in life as merely repaying karmic debts.)