• 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
    13·
    5 hours ago

    considering other life forms “lower” implies a sense of karmic supremacy. reflect on that to improve your karma and practice better dahrma

    • frightful_hobgoblin@lemmy.mlOP
      3·
      2 hours ago

      Yes, to be born as a man you must have some virtuous karma. You and I (and the son in the meme) have been born in lower realms many many times, same as the animals you meet.

      ‘Lower’ in this context refers to the amount of suffering. From least suffering to most, it goes –

      1. Gods/devas
2. Demigods/asura/Æsir
3. Men
4. Animals
5. Hungry ghosts (preta, प्रेत)
6. Beings in hell

      Even though being a human hurts more than being a god or demigod, it is the most fortunate because we have the right amount of pain to motivate renunciation. The lives of gods and demigods are too happy to drive them to seek liberation from rebirths.

      A man has the ability to understand Right View, and take action to rewire his mind and choose his actions in accordance with Right View. A horse does not. There are no Dharma practitioners who are horses.

      Your comment is based on the syllogism –

      A) I am the result of actions taken that have led to a fortunate rebirth

      B) The nature of my existence is as a separate self, outside of and in competition with other selves, capable of being compared to them

      Therefore –

      Conclusion: I am a superior self.

      But the problem with the syllogism is the 1st and 2nd premises contradict each other. If you are a swirling-together of causes that have created a temporary formation, then you are not a separate self. And if you are not a separate self, there is no basis for the ego-view, no basis for pride.

      • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
        1·
        2 hours ago

        appreciate your honest response to my joke answer.

        but as someone who despises hierarchies, I rather view all forms of life, from worms to humans to possible gods. as all worth and valid forms of existing. non to be looked down on.

        gives me the vibe of a parent seeing a construction worker and telling their son “that’s the reason you should go to college”. each one’s life’s is as rich, complicated and worthy of basic respect as each other.