Yes. I always found it fascinating. Animals are apaya beings and yet they have better sensory capacities than us.
- They can see spirits and gandhabbas for example. I think I sent it to you by email last year. The story of a man in a coma who was saved by his dog. He spent a few years in a coma and the doctors wanted him unplugged. The dog threatened to bite the doctors. He knew (the dog) that they wanted to unplug him!! A few days later the dog’s owner wakes up. The dog saw that the gandhabba was still linked to the physical body. However, on deeper analysis, these advanced senses are only there to amplify the stress and constant distress of their conditions. Petas remember their past lives and are constantly in regret.
- An average human would like to have all these abilities but he risks having severe depression seeing the horrible lives he had to go through in Samsara. Arahant Maha Mogallana often went to the niraya hells, without being affected. The mind of an arahant is immune to any unpleasant situation. If he was an average human without jhanas and abhinnas, he would have sunk into depression, seeing these worlds. Sometimes for some people, it’s better not to know certain things. We understand better why Lord Buddha said not to focus too much on this.
