process of Reincarnation - Questions

[sinistercurrent]

Dear community,

During my explorations of the Eastern religions I never understand die process of reincarnation completely. There are some questions I never found answered.

1 People believe that animals cannot act free and therefore do not build up karma. Why is a soul that lived in an animal body reborn in a human being when the animal cannot build up karma?

2 Wouldn't an animal have to be liberate directly from the cycle of samsara because it can't build up karma?

3 Were souls born directly as humans? If souls are first born as animals without having previously lived in a human body, how can they build up karma?

Thank you!

sinistercurrent

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

There is no one answer as they're vast traditions made up of sects and individuals who hold a wide array of views. You have to decide for yourself what makes the most sense.

Personally, I believe in a type of reincarnation, or rather that a part of us is passed down through the family line perhaps. I don't make a distinction between humans and animals because we are animals. But that's me.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Dear community,

During my explorations of the Eastern religions I never understand die process of reincarnation completely. There are some questions I never found answered.

1 People believe that animals cannot act free and therefore do not build up karma. Why is a soul that lived in an animal body reborn in a human being when the animal cannot build up karma?

2 Wouldn't an animal have to be liberate directly from the cycle of samsara because it can't build up karma?

3 Were souls born directly as humans? If souls are first born as animals without having previously lived in a human body, how can they build up karma?

Thank you!

sinistercurrent

To fully understand the reincarnation we must be fully enlightened, but from a none enlighten viewpoint, it can maybe be seen something like this.
If an entity gains too much karma in human existence and becomes born as an animal in the next life, it will be incredibly difficult to gain enough virtue and be ridd of enough negative karma to be able to become a human being in the future life. Is it possible? yes in my understanding it is possible to even escape Hell because even hell is not permanent if one should end u there, so in a way, the more animals or lesser individuals suffer in their life, the more karma they will repay. So animals who have a fantastic life may not shred a lot of karma when they are animals. (i do not say we should treat animals badly, because that is the wrong too).

 

[George-ananda]

Dear community,

During my explorations of the Eastern religions I never understand die process of reincarnation completely. There are some questions I never found answered.

1 People believe that animals cannot act free and therefore do not build up karma. Why is a soul that lived in an animal body reborn in a human being when the animal cannot build up karma?

2 Wouldn't an animal have to be liberate directly from the cycle of samsara because it can't build up karma?

3 Were souls born directly as humans? If souls are first born as animals without having previously lived in a human body, how can they build up karma?

Thank you!

sinistercurrent

There are different opinions on every question. I will give you my best understanding.

Humans have individual souls. One soul for each body. Animals have group souls; one soul many bodies. A more advanced domesticated animal like a loving and intelligent dog or cat may split off from the group soul and thereby form an individualized soul and incarnate as a human in their next life.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Dear community,

During my explorations of the Eastern religions I never understand die process of reincarnation completely. There are some questions I never found answered.

1 People believe that animals cannot act free and therefore do not build up karma. Why is a soul that lived in an animal body reborn in a human being when the animal cannot build up karma?

2 Wouldn't an animal have to be liberate directly from the cycle of samsara because it can't build up karma?

3 Were souls born directly as humans? If souls are first born as animals without having previously lived in a human body, how can they build up karma?

Thank you!

sinistercurrent

I tried to stay away from the fantastical elements and just prefer the put the pieces of the puzzle together based on observed and documented facts. When you think about it we're nothing but a collection of atoms that come together and fall apart making life-and-death similar to the waves of an ocean. Form Rises and Falls yet it never really goes away, it just rearranges into new forms. It's why I like the metaphorical use of extinguishing and lighting candle flames to help understand what's going on.

It's a type of 'rebirth' I'm privy to.
Maybe you could even call it a soulless reincarnation where in spite of death and birth, we all still remain intact in terms of the makeup of who we are , as well as the makeup of the entire universe.

Things like souls and all that stuff, it's pretty much hogwash and all it's going to do is confuse people even further. Look at the Hindu caste system for instance. It's a complete mess.

 

[Nakosis]

Dear community,

During my explorations of the Eastern religions I never understand die process of reincarnation completely. There are some questions I never found answered.

1 People believe that animals cannot act free and therefore do not build up karma. Why is a soul that lived in an animal body reborn in a human being when the animal cannot build up karma?

2 Wouldn't an animal have to be liberate directly from the cycle of samsara because it can't build up karma?

3 Were souls born directly as humans? If souls are first born as animals without having previously lived in a human body, how can they build up karma?

Thank you!

sinistercurrent

Best understand for karma is that karma is cause and effect. You do destructive acts then expect destructive effects. Do beneficial acts and expect beneficial effects. If you don't like the results of your actions, then do something else, get different results. So there is no karma buildup or karma balance. Just start doing good, stop doing bad. Right now, at this moment and stuff will get better. Continue to do bad stuff then don't expect life to get any better.

Souls, kind of pointless to ask about souls. What does anyone actually know about souls? Dozens of stories about souls. Are any factual?

Believe any story about souls you want. Certainly they were created from other stories about souls. No actual knowledge, just stories people choose to believe.

 

[Cooky]

To fully understand the reincarnation we must be fully enlightened, but from a none enlighten viewpoint, it can maybe be seen something like this.
If an entity gains too much karma in human existence and becomes born as an animal in the next life, it will be incredibly difficult to gain enough virtue and be ridd of enough negative karma to be able to become a human being in the future life. Is it possible? yes in my understanding it is possible to even escape Hell because even hell is not permanent if one should end u there, so in a way, the more animals or lesser individuals suffer in their life, the more karma they will repay. So animals who have a fantastic life may not shred a lot of karma when they are animals. (i do not say we should treat animals badly, because that is the wrong too).

At a certain point of enlightenment, is it possible to gain insight on what or where you were in a previous life? For instance, have you ever pondered and came to a likely scenario of your own previous life/s..?

 

[Spirit of Light]

At a certain point of enlightenment, is it possible to gain insight on what or where you were in a previous life? For instance, have you ever pondered and came to a likely scenario of your own previous life/s..?

In my experience, Yes when a person gains higher enlightenment (if one has gradual enlightenment) for my own experience with past life I can not say for sure, but it seems that I remember some of my past life (human) as a blacksmith, but I can not confirm it, so can I take it as a sure sign i was blacksmith? No, I can not

 

[ajay0]

It is vasanas/karma or the inherent psychological tendences borne out of egocentric actions that propel reincarnation.

Every vasana or psychological tendency created by egocentric behavior and stored in the unconscious, germinates desires in the form of cravings and aversions.

1 People believe that animals cannot act free and therefore do not build up karma. Why is a soul that lived in an animal body reborn in a human being when the animal cannot build up karma?

Different sects have different teachings on this regard.

The Prajapita Brahmakumaris, for instance, believe that animal soul groups and human soul groups are distinct and there is no transmigration amongst different species.

What Is the Story After Death - Brahma Kumaris - Original and Official website

https://reachouttrust.org/overview-of-brahma-kumaris/

2 Wouldn't an animal have to be liberate directly from the cycle of samsara because it can't build up karma?

The animal too have karma, though it is negligible compared to human beings. It takes a higher state of consciousness to burn up karma, and which is possible in human beings and not possible in animals. Awareness and total love is said to burn up karma, and most spiritual exercises are designed in this regard.

 

[Vinayaka]

At a certain point of enlightenment, is it possible to gain insight on what or where you were in a previous life? For instance, have you ever pondered and came to a likely scenario of your own previous life/s..?

Many folks make the claims. Some seem more certain that others. I've had hints about mine, as well as all five of my children. A couple were really strong 'hints'. By hint, I mean intuition.

But one of the reasons to doubt, for me, is that people more often think they were someone of the same gender, rather than the opposite gender. Logic dictates that should be 50/50.

So although one can say nobody could really know, I personally believe there are those who d really know. But generally the entire thing is considered irrelevant to what a soul is doing with their current life this very moment. So it becomes nothing much more than trivia.

 

[leov]

At a certain point of enlightenment, is it possible to gain insight on what or where you were in a previous life? For instance, have you ever pondered and came to a likely scenario of your own previous life/s..?