A common idiom in Japanese I’ve heard a few times over the years is the phrase en ga aru (縁がある) or the opposite en ga nai (縁がない). These phrases are highly idiomatic and according to JapanesePod101.com, could mean things like “it was meant/not meant to be” or other such things. The key to these idioms is the word 縁 (en), which again JPod101 states that it could mean an emotional or social relation or bond. If you don’t have a bond with someone, something else, then it wasn’t meant to be, in other words. This is a mundane way example of the term.
The Buddhist notion of karma is a difficult subject as it is in Buddhism, and a frequent point of confusion about Buddhists themselves.1 However, when you add linguistic issues, things get even more complicated. A quick consultation of my favorite Japanese-English dictionary revealed many terms for karma with subtle differences in nuance, and sometimes the word 縁 is used in those terms, sometimes not. I’ve also heard the term 仏縁 (butsu-en) used in Buddhism to refer to a kind of karmic relation to one Buddhist figure or another. Someone might be really drawn to Kannon Bodhisattva for example, while someone else might be drawn to the founder, Shakyamuni Buddha. The idea is that this is thought to be related to events in a past life that affect one’s disposition in this life.2
This same idea can also be found in the Japanese phrase: sode furiau mo tashō no en 袖振り 合うも多生の 縁 （そでふりあう も たしょうのえん ）, which means “even when the sleeves of two people brush together, this is the result of a past life”.
In any case though, the term 縁 denotes the idea of karma, inter-dependency and by extension “fate”. Fate, of course, in the Buddhist context denotes a sense that actions in the past come to fruition in the future when the right conditions fall into place. By extension, your actions and intentions now will do the same, so choose wisely!
However, speaking of relationships, there’s an amusing relationship between the two words 縁 (en) and 円 (en). Both are pronounced the same way, but the second kanji refers to round things, and of course, coins. Hence, in Japanese culture, it’s customary to thrown in a 5-yen (5円, “go en”) coin thrown in to donation boxes at Japanese Buddhist temples (お寺, otera) or Shinto shrines (神社, jinja).3 People may do this for a number of reasons, but there’s a sense in trying to bring events around in their favor. But if in the end it doesn’t work out, maybe it wasn’t meant to be. 
P.S. Also for you Buddhists out there, note the frequent use of “en” in the popular Japanese Buddhist liturgy, the 10-phrase Kannon Sutra.
1 For reference, see the Nibbedhika Sutta ( AN 6.63 ) in the Pali Canon:
“Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, & intellect.”
Or, for an exhaustive coverage of the fruition of karma and by extension the creation of Buddhist Hells, see the Earth-Store Bodhisattva Sutra, chapter 3:
“Fifthly, if a person falls into this hell, he will die myriads of times and be revived myriads of times each day and each night from the time of his initial entrance unto hundreds of thousands of future kalpas, and he will never have any relief or rest whatsoever from his suffering and torture even for one instant. It is only with the exhaustion of his sinful karma that he will finally be able to gain rebirth. Owing to such continuity of suffering and torture, this hell [the worst level] is, therefore, known as Avici [Unending].”
2 Do not think that Asian Buddhists are all naive literalists though. This is a common stereotype that Westerns and even Western Buddhists make toward Asians, and really bothers me.
3 Of course, you can throw in more or less than this. I tend to have a lot of leftover change toward the end of my visits in Japan, so I tend to donate it. Also, many smaller, less popular temples/shrines may struggle to make ends meet, so those little coins do help. I can think of at last some temples who do use the funds for charity work, supporting monastics and other noble deeds, not just meeting operational costs or other pointless extravagances. In any case, giving is always better than hoarding. 
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
Also, there are shrines and temples where one can pray for ‘en musubi’ or tying the knot of en–meaning ‘find a marriage partner.’ One time I went to a Kabuki performance where an actor was assuming a prestigious new name. Everyone in the audience received a tiny red (good color for 縁) envelope with a shiny five yen (go en) coin in it. And on the other hand, in a cemetery, there may be graves that have become 無縁墓 ‘mu en baka’ or a grave (haka) that has no more en–no survivors or any family members to visit the grave.
Thanks for putting your spare ‘en’ in the temple box! Actually, I have really come to believe that the amount is much much less significant than the intention to make a donation, whatever the amount. And in the case of Sensoji, a very popular temple, it might get a million visitors in just a few days during a very busy season, so only 5 yen per person from a group that size becomes a good chunk of change.
Also, think of all the ‘en’ that is manifesting on the internets! Mind-boggling!
JL
I think that, often, with cultural idioms, people utter them without even thinking about what they mean. I hear people in this country comment about “fate” all the time. If I know them well, and the conversation leaves space to do so, sometimes I’ll ask if the person literally believes in fate. Usually, the answer is “Well, no, but you know, it’s just a figure of speech.” It’s the same with common expressions that have archaic origins – “rule of thumb,” “pull out all the stops,” “red-handed,” etc. I’m sure it’s much the same with people n Asia.
Hi guys:
Johnl: Very insightful, thank you. I agree that intention vs. amount is important too. Temples like Sensoji or Kawasaki Daishi draw huge crowds and probably a good income as a result, but there’s plenty of smaller places that could use it. I think it also lessens the dependency of such temples on “funeral work”, but that’s just me.
Jamie: Quite true. A few times I’ve posted how Japanese Buddhist terms become popular vernacular while losing their original meaning, but then we do it too in Christian culture Western socities. It’s kind of a fascinating subject to me.
Well, there may be “internet karma,” but remember that it’s only virtual karma
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On the Buddhist concept of karma, I have always liked, as a Zen sort of person, the Hyakujo and the fox koan (Mumonkan #2). Not by any means the cut-and-dried idea of karma Westerners usually have in mind.
Ha ha ha! Do have a recommended link to That koan by the way? It is a good topic for the blog. I’ve read it once in Brad Warner’s book (which was pretty good), but can’t recall the story in detail.