Does Reincarnation In Buddhism Degrade Nature?

Question

If bad people are reborn as animals, isn't this saying that animals are insignificant and doesn't this contradict Buddhisms teachings of respecting all living things?

Answer 1

How can something that does not exist degrade anything? The Word of God tells us that we are appointed ONCE to die and after that...we face the judgment. (Heb 9:27)

However, I do see what you are trying to get at and yes, I would see it as a double standard.

Answer 2

Animals lead a life of sufferings and misery . Due to the past karmic energy , one is reborn to a lower realm of existence .

Animals are not insignificant . How can you say that ? Buddhism reach out to help these poor beings . I cant say much here .. you are really Buddhism illiterate

Answer 3

Your view on the Buddhist concept of Rebirth is a wrong view. Buddhists do not adhere to Reincarnation at all. The concept is Rebirth.

Reincarnation involves everything about a person surviving death including your Christian term "soul". You are Christian I imagine that is why the misinterpretation and misunderstanding. there is no "soul" to Buddhists, nor does anything about a person survive death. There are too many concepts to explain fully here, suffice to say, Rebirth to Buddhists can be to the Lower Realms.

There is no Buddhist concept which says anything regarding "bad" people or "causing bad people to be Reborn into the Animal Realm" as you so blithely put it. There is only negative effects of Karma. Karma by itself does not "cause" Rebirth either. Your perceptions are very badly misguided.

However, there is the case that negative Karma can in conjunction with other "factors" result in such a negative Rebirth as you mention. This simply means that a persons consciousness is so full of delusions that their karma becomes so negative that Rebirth is inevitable and that Rebirth is to a Lower Realm.

The Buddhist concepts of the various Realms simply means that those Lower Realms contain Beings which have a consciousness which is more Animal in nature. Human Beings who are Reborn to those Realms still have to evolve their consciousness to move back here. This means that there are Beings in those Lower Realms who are evolving their consciousness and who have been in Human Form in a past Life this is not to say that all Animals are past Humans though. This is why they are important to Buddhists, they are far from insignificant, they are Aware....

Being Reborn at all is a negative event to Buddhists. The goal is to escape the endless Cycle of Karma and Rebirth.

There is no contradiction, there is only Karma. Buddhists do much more than merely respect "living things", we cherish Life, all Life including your Life and "bad people's Life", your term "living things" is such a limited viewpoint.

Peace from a Buddhist....

Answer 4

According to ancient Hindu texts, the Karma of the present
birth decides the next birth.

Let us suppose that you are doing your second year in
engineering. You did not answer well in the final examinations. You have to repeat the year.
Supposing that some higher institute in
engineering asks such students to repeat from
the first year since the standard of answering is not upto
the mark expected for second year, do you feel it
degrading ? First year is also an engineering course!

There is a hierarchy in living beings. However, every
thing in nature is unique, including the one cell living
being. A soul learns some thing unique by taking those
birth. Depending on the past Karma, souls are obliged
to take various living forms.

Advaita theory says that a soul is a amall piece of
the Super Soul (Parama Atma, Almighty). It does
not distinguish between the soul of a man and the
soul of an animal. In fact, the animals have better
senses than man - they are more close to nature
and part of nature.

Humans have the tendency to destroy nature.

Answer 5

All living things are a manifestation of the same Divine force. However in the game of life, some forms of life are created with lower level of consciousness and intelligence. This is not degradation but a fact of nature. Buddhists consider all living things respectful in that they should not be harmed for our personal pleasure. They have an equal right to live as us.

Answer 6

uh......no. Karmic reincarnation is not about the particular being you are reborn as - it's about the experiences and lessons you have to get through in that particular lifetime. And don't forget that animals themselves represent different types of energy and someone reborn as an animal most likely has to in that lifetime learn the lessons that the particular animal energy represents. You know, totem animals?

Answer 7

While it does view humans -- and particularly male humans -- as the epitome of the chain of incarnation, it does not mean that animals are insignificant. Quite the opposite, actually, as the cat you feed was once, or may sometime be, a human like yourself. If anything, it causes us to realize that life as a whole is sacred, and that we are not the only beings with souls on this -- or any other -- planet.

Answer 8

I would love to be reborn as my puppy, "Teddy". He has a nice dry home, food twice a day, snacks when he does good things, doesn't have to go to work. He gets play time twice a day outside to play with tennis balls and chase bubbles. He gets to live in the present moment every day of his life. It may be a step up the ladder for me if I were given the privilege of being born into a home like his!

Answer 9

What is better? Becoming a Human or a Animal.

Any child would say becoming a human is better.

The first precept of a Buddhist is "I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying or harming living beings."
This shows how much Buddhism care about animals.

Animals have or living in poor state than man.That is simple .

Your argue is totally wrong.

Answer 10

a criminal can be reborn to be an animal since animal has a tough life and people didn't respect their life - so that they will suffer because of their sin . But a Buddhist must respect all life since all life is valuable. Animal may have a tough life but it doesn't mean you can disrespect them since Buddha has told - a human, who kill as much animal as he of her likes, will die and be reborn as the animal so that people like him or her may kill them; but if all people respects the life of the animals, animals will not suffer. It is not Buddha's will to make animal suffer but it is the will of human.

Answer 11

I don't think that morals are so important in the supposed reincarnations, I think its much more about habits/behavior.

Also, I suggest not taking the texts as only literal. The real purpose of reincarnation texts is to explain how changes (death leading to life) are functioning, in a practical way, in our lives.

Just my thoughts, subject to change.