Animal reincarnation

Thank you, yann for your comments.

Yes. Rebirth is an issue that many in the West have a hard time to deal with. I suggest reading the post, “What Reincarnates? – Concept of a Lifestream.”
– Please refer to bullet numbers in the post if you have questions.

I am not sure what you mean by “Also just a tip, you should high-ligh the lexical pages because they are hard to find on the home page. I spend a few hours reading and browsing the internet for pali translations while the lexical was there all along.”

The Pali Glossary could be helpful and can be found here: “Tables and Summaries.”

Welcome Yann,

Yes, you are right. Put simply, whatever existence you make yourself fit for, that existence you will attain. Not necessarily sooner; could be later, depending on whatever abhisankharas (‘will’ plus emotional attachment) are strongest at that particular moment.

In my case as well, Buddhadhamma is an extension of how I had conceived Reality in the main. Only, now the whole plan lay before me.

Yes, DO read the posts. You will find the details there. The Forum will prove of value as well.

I will try to address SOME of yann’s questions below. It takes some effort to understand the key concepts.

“Therefore, it is difficult to see how a human mind, even though it might be inhabited by greed or other mental impurities, could regress toward an animal life form post mortem.”

– The seeds for future lives are created during the lifetime. For example, if one kills another human, a kamma bija (seed) is created. That kammic energy can bring a “bad birth” in the future.

“Most of past life material i have read rarely if ever mention non human past lives.”
– Yes. Humans normally cannot recall past lives in other existence (bhava).
– Even that capability is there only for a few, and only as a child. As that child grows, such memories from past lives fade away.

“So human existence has a natural tendency to drag you toward fighting, hatred, accumulation of goods for survival, etc…”
– Not so if one comprehends Buddha Dhamma. Then one would stay away from such tendencies because one is aware of the bad consequences.

“Also if you are not born in a good environment, it is very difficult to develop intellect and understanding.”
– Yes.

“Most dying people are extremely tormented and unhappy. It seems absurd to me that they should be directed in a negative direction for a few understandable negative emotions.”
– Who is directing them? One is fully responsible for one’s destiny. If they had learned Dhamma, they would not be tormented.

“This passage is also hard for me to grasp.

Out of the 31 realms of existence (see, “The Grand Unified Theory of Dhamma“), the mind has much less capability in most other realms. Thus, it is very difficult to get rid of bad kamma seeds and cultivate good ones while in realms other than the human. Therefore, one should make the utmost effort to get rid of the bad seeds and to develop “good seeds” during this short life span of 100 years or so.”
– Think about the animal realm. Animals are like robots. They cannot learn Dhamma.
– Those in higher realms are CAPABLE of learning Dhamma. But they don’t have any incentive. They do not see much suffering around them.

“So human existence has a natural tendency to drag you toward fighting, hatred, accumulation of goods for survival, etc…. Even if you tend to be a moral person. Also if you are not born in a good environment, it is very difficult to develop intellect and understanding.”
– Yes. That is why relatively few people are interested in Buddha Dhamma. They do not take time to think about the “bigger picture” of the rebirth process among 31 realms. Of course, most people have not even heard about Buddha Dhamma.

“What would cause the end of this kammic potential?”
– One’s own thoughts with greed, anger, and ignorance (of the Buddha Dhamma).

Some of the essential concepts are discussed at, “Living Dhamma” and “Moral Living and Fundamentals” sections.

I find it a disturbing idea that the “last thought at the death moment” determines your next incarnation. That one moment can be so descisive is disturbing.

It feels like one is never safe this way, because one might have a bad thought at the death moment. One can do good all the time and still have a miserable rebirth this way when one at the death moment has a bad thought. It does not contribute to less fear of dying.

Sybe07 and yann: There are many things that we do not like. However, we cannot change Nature’s laws. If you can provide any supporting material we can discuss.

Buddha’s teachings are vast and all self-consistent. The only way to disprove them would be to find any inconsistencies.

So, if you can find any inconsistencies with the material on this website, please feel free to state them.

Yes, that the last thought moment determines the next birth may be quite unsettling.

However we must not forget that in many suttas it is also said that observing the 5 precepts and living a moral life leads to heavenly worlds; BUT in one other (at least) it is stated that even given that, one may still end up in a lower bhava, depending on precedent or antecedent causes. I do not remember which sutta that is. So is there anything we can do about it? This is the question.

If you have eaten sausages the whole week for breakfast, it will be the thought of sausages that comes to the mind at breakfast time next. So constantly living by the Dhamma makes it more likely that we are in that state at the moment of death. But still there seems to be no guarantee.

The guarantee is this: those who have gone for Refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, i.e. even before attaining the Sotapanna Stage, are ‘exempt from places of loss, the animal realm, hell..” That in itself means that one will not GRASP a thought (if it were to arise), an arammana, that leads to those places.

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Jittananto

y not, Sybe07, yann: “Yes, that the last thought moment determines the next birth may be quite unsettling.

The key to understanding here is the following.

That last thought-moment does not come to the mind arbitrarily.

Usually, it is related to the strongest kamma (good or bad) that one has done in all previous lives (including the present life). The Buddha gave the following analogy, which I have discussed before.
In those days, cows were kept in barns overnight. In the morning, the gate would be opened and the cows will go out and start eating grass. The cows are anxious to come out by the morning, but only the strongest push their way to the front to be close to the gate.
– In the same way, stronger kamma would come to the mind of a dying person.

There is a second factor that comes into play, and that is what y not is referring to.
– One may have attained a magga phala (or at least the Sotapanna Anugami stage) during life. Then that person’s mind would not grasp any thought object suitable for rebirth in lower realms. Then it will be replaced by a thought object corresponding to the next strongest kamma in line. If that is also not compatible with the mindset of the person that would not be grasped either. That process would happen very quickly until an arammana (thought object) compatible with the mindset is grasped.
– Of course, an Arahant’s mind would not grasp any arammana due to any previous kamma. Thus an Arahant would not be reborn anywhere in the 31 realms.

A good example is Angulimala who killed almost a thousand people. But he attained the Arahanthood, and thus became free of all rebirths. If he had not attained the Arahanthhod, he would have been born in a lower realm.
See, “Account of Angulimāla – Many Insights to Buddha Dhamma.”

I just came across the following article:
“KASTRUP: NO, CONSCIOUSNESS CANNOT BE JUST A BYPRODUCT”

Scientists and philosophers are beginning to realize that consciousness CANNOT arise from inert matter.

But they have no idea how consciousness arises.

Consciousness can arise only if a “seat of the mind” (hadaya vatthu) is created by Nature, via kammic energy.
– We create our own future lives (that are conscious) with our own actions.

The series of posts on “Origin of Life” analyze that in detail and came to that conclusion in the post, “Origin of Life – One Creates One’s Own Future Lives.”

yann,

Before you acquire at least a reasonably good idea of the Buddha’s Teaching, you are in no position to even have an opinion on whether “it is very safe to assume that they do not resemble 100% the original teachings”. Read the sections on the Site as Lal suggested. Then, THEN, ‘one should be able to think for himself and examine carefully what he believes’ By all means examine the Teaching, doubt It even, but be sure you have the main facts first. I too harboured this doubt at one time, so it is not condemning, as long as one is bent on resolving the issue.

The Teaching was written down by Arahants. They are the model, the very personification of Perfection, excluding, of course, a Buddha Himself. Once you see who or what an Arahant is, it will seem to you absurd,inconceivable, that Arahants could in any way twist the truth, or be agents of that, even unknowingly.

Once you get a good picture of the Teaching, examine it, reflect on it and based on that you SEE: ‘Here is what Reality is all about. At last! This is the Way. This is what I will pursue my whole life through’, you have gone for Refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. You are free of the apayas.

May you attain it soon. How soon is entirely up to you.