[Yash RS]

Since all the animals don’t have a free will, they live like “puppets” of the nature. So will an animal (wild ) attack any noble person? I saw some videos in which some bhikkus were playing with a tiger and the tiger was very calm towards them.

[Lal]

Getting attacked by an animal is a kamma vipaka. It can happen to even an Arahant.
– For example, bāhiyo dārucīriya was killed by a cow just after attaining the Arahanthood. See, “Bāhiya Sutta (Ud 1.10)”
– The same thing happened to Pukkusāti: “Dhātuvibhaṅga Sutta (MN 140)”
– See the end of the sutta in both cases.

Also, we remember that Ven. Moggalana was killed by a bunch of people.
– Thus, as long as one lives with a human body, any kamma vipaka corresponding to the human realm can take place (good or bad).
– Of course, only a Buddha’s life cannot be taken by anyone. But a Buddha can be injured, as Devadatta did to Buddha Gotama.

P.S. Cultivating Metta Bhavana can get rid of some such kamma vipaka, but not all.

[Yash RS]

So did the cow in the first case commit an anantariya papa kamma?

[Lal]

Possibly, but not definitive.
– Animals do things like robots. So, their kamma generation is different. But it requires an Abhidhamma analysis involving what types of citta can be generated by animals.
– We need to worry about the types of kamma humans can do. A human is capable of doing ALL types of kamma, good and bad.

[Author]

Posts