You’ll more than likely come back as animal, bug or plankton. Good try better luck next time.
Reincarnation is an awesome cycle. All living things die and thus all living things are reborn, right? Well that gets a bit sketchy depending on who you talk to. Some folks seem to have the opinion that Humans always come back as humans, other folks like me believe that there are many possibilities. I think that trees, and animals, fish and reptiles all have their redeeming and appealing natures when considering that next time around some part or all of me might be in one of them. And that’s where I get the disagreement. Many would argue that once the soul has risen to the human level it is impossible for it or any part of it to return as something less than human. I say “give me a break!” Less than human is an ego driven concept, life is life. The beliefs and connections made by indigenous peoples all over the world do not differentiate between human and animal. In contrast to common modern thinking on the subject, the indigenous peoples and ancient civilizations mixed the races of animal and man and spirit.
I think that there are other aspects of rebirth as well. The many planes of existence are populated with spirits and demons, ghosts and all manner of beings. Jigokudō is the last place we want to end up but is fitting for some. Gakidō seems to be a common point of return for many in this century that aspire to greed and lust, always hungry for more. And then there’s Tendō, a heavenly place where you get the choice to return whenever and however you like to teach and provide aid for those trapped in the cycle.
So why do some folks cling to the idea that past lives are always human and future lives must be advancements in the cycle. But what is advancement to someone who didn’t get it.
Shambhala says this “Between the various forms of existence there is no essential difference, only a karmic difference of degree. In none of them is life without limits. However, it is only as a human that one can attain enlightenment. For this reason Buddhism esteems the human mode of existence more highly than that of the gods and speaks in this context of the “precious human body.” Incarnation as a human being is regarded as a rare opportunity in the cycle of samsara to escape the cycle and it is a challenge and obligation of humans to perceive this opportunity and strive toward liberation (enlightenment)........Although the gods are allotted a very long, happy life as a reward for previous good deeds, it is precisely this happiness that constitutes the primary hindrance on their path to liberation, since because of it they cannot recognize the truth of suffering.”
So if we can only attain enlightenment when we are human then it only makes sense that if we don’t, we have a greater chance of exiting the stream as an animal or insect or plant next time.
I think that many Buddhists shun this idea because it means that they have a narrow window to get it right.
Reincarnation is an awesome cycle. All living things die and thus all living things are reborn, right? Well that gets a bit sketchy depending on who you talk to. Some folks seem to have the opinion that Humans always come back as humans, other folks like me believe that there are many possibilities. I think that trees, and animals, fish and reptiles all have their redeeming and appealing natures when considering that next time around some part or all of me might be in one of them. And that’s where I get the disagreement. Many would argue that once the soul has risen to the human level it is impossible for it or any part of it to return as something less than human. I say “give me a break!” Less than human is an ego driven concept, life is life. The beliefs and connections made by indigenous peoples all over the world do not differentiate between human and animal. In contrast to common modern thinking on the subject, the indigenous peoples and ancient civilizations mixed the races of animal and man and spirit.
I think that there are other aspects of rebirth as well. The many planes of existence are populated with spirits and demons, ghosts and all manner of beings. Jigokudō is the last place we want to end up but is fitting for some. Gakidō seems to be a common point of return for many in this century that aspire to greed and lust, always hungry for more. And then there’s Tendō, a heavenly place where you get the choice to return whenever and however you like to teach and provide aid for those trapped in the cycle.
So why do some folks cling to the idea that past lives are always human and future lives must be advancements in the cycle. But what is advancement to someone who didn’t get it.
Shambhala says this “Between the various forms of existence there is no essential difference, only a karmic difference of degree. In none of them is life without limits. However, it is only as a human that one can attain enlightenment. For this reason Buddhism esteems the human mode of existence more highly than that of the gods and speaks in this context of the “precious human body.” Incarnation as a human being is regarded as a rare opportunity in the cycle of samsara to escape the cycle and it is a challenge and obligation of humans to perceive this opportunity and strive toward liberation (enlightenment)........Although the gods are allotted a very long, happy life as a reward for previous good deeds, it is precisely this happiness that constitutes the primary hindrance on their path to liberation, since because of it they cannot recognize the truth of suffering.”
So if we can only attain enlightenment when we are human then it only makes sense that if we don’t, we have a greater chance of exiting the stream as an animal or insect or plant next time.
I think that many Buddhists shun this idea because it means that they have a narrow window to get it right.
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