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    Reincarnation as non-human beings

    A simple question which i expect will foster some very complicated answers!

    Q: Why is reincarnation as anything other than a human typically considered bad / inferior?
    If you found out that you were god, dreaming a life for yourself, and that you were identical with the external world, you would ask yourself: "So, what would I have happen to me in my life? what would be my perfect drama?":cool1:


    You died, and death was complete freedom from suffering - bliss. But it very quickly got lonely and repetitive in bliss, so you decided to be born once more. You've been doing this forever.

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    Vannakkam: Not sure where you got that information from. Is the kindergarten child 'inferior' to the university professor?

    There are several takes on reincarnation patterns within Hinduism. My personal take is that humans only very rarely are reborn as mammals, in a couple of special circumstances.

    But there are many takes on it. Another is that souls progress upwards in a linear fashion from vegetable to insect to reptile to mammal etc. Yet another is that animals have different types of souls. Yet another has the model like some random target shooting, you just get the body/species you deserve.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    I would assume its not inferior, but humans are considered 'superior' because its a rare birth and we have something called intellect beyond which is to other animals in the kingdom, and plants and other existing entities. Therefore it would be wise to use it and embark on your spiritual journey, or be a good citizen within societies confines, rather than waiting however long it will take to take birth as one again..

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    Pranam
    yam yam vapi smaran bhavam
    tyajaty ante kalevaram

    tam tam evaiti kaunteya

    sada tad-bhava-bhavitah


    Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail. 8.6

    nothing is either higher or lower good or bad, as far as i am concerned it is my desires that would propels me to act and that in turn will shape my future, what ever it is eventually i will have a suitable body to execute that desire to its fullest satisfaction. if i have a propensity to enjoy sleep and only sleep what use is for me to have highly evolved brain, i might as well be in a body that allows me to sleep for a long time.it not so simple though because we are caught up in so many desires.

    Unlike EM, i happen to believe as the shastra informs us there are 840000 species of life and we can fall back in to anyone of them if we are not careful. Human life is very special only because it can lead us out of this quagmire but we have to have that desire.

    Jai Shree Krishna
    Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
    Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
    The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    This is a complicated issue which I've thought over and over about. Ultimately, I think the prospect of the process of rebirth being a 'random shooting gallery' as EM puts it is too extreme, and ultimately unbecoming of who we are right now. In that sense I am not saying humanity is "better" than other forms of life, only better equipped to, as Ganeshprasad seems to hint, have the capacity to desire to get out of this material quagmire....

    Do humans ever revert to simpler species? I won't say no. I think it is very possible. Does this mean there is no purpose or meaning to such incarnations? We are all connected, in my view, and so nothing escapes the Net of Indra.

    My thought right now is: we get birth according to the state of our chit upon death and this amounts to a "remembrance" of who we take ourselves to be: a sort of practical self-image. Then those vasanas we take with us form our subtler and grosser bodies and we return, by our own volition, to the material plane....
    How can I put this in a sentence? Try next time.

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    Quote Originally Posted by Ganeshprasad View Post
    the shastra informs us there are 840000 species of life
    Vannakkam GP: I find it reassuring that this figure is in the ball park with modern science. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...living-species

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    Our minds are more advanced and we can act upon it (compared to other living beings). We are very complex and possess the ability to alter our circumstances too. In other words, we indirectly control other living beings (extinction and formation of new species in recent times have all been attributed to humans). Humans have the ability to 'realise'. We're very deep.

    Consider this scenario: A pet dog adopted by a wealthy family AND a baby born into a beggar's family. Which would be inferior now? The dog living in the lap of luxury or the baby destined for a beggar's life in unimaginable hardship?

    It goes back to karma i'd say. But, the baby has the chance of living a better life if he/she gets educated and gets a good job. The dog on the other hand, has to depend on his/her owners for a good life.

    That's a reason as to why we think other beings are inferior to humans. Keep in mind though, that the lions in the Sahara think of humans only as food and definitely consider themselves superior.

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    Re: Reincarnation as non-human beings

    Quote Originally Posted by ZarryT View Post
    A simple question which i expect will foster some very complicated answers!

    Q: Why is reincarnation as anything other than a human typically considered bad / inferior?
    As far as I know human birth is the only birth, where you can change the state of your mind through your karma. This is because of the choices we have This is the middle loka.

    The upper and lower loka are results of the state of mind or karma phal (results of karma). There, one hardly have chances to alter the state of mind.

    Human has to go through these lokas as it is difficult to get to the highest loka (moksha) at once.

    No birth is without reason and are all towards the one goal of moving towards the final point. All are necessary and essential.

    The upper lokas are towards the subtle matter region (not physical) and lower loka along with human loka are in the gross matter region (physical).
    Love and best wishes:hug:

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