Do All Insects Go To Heaven?

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by Jyotir

[indent]

Hi Big John,


I hope you can cite which specific legitimate teachings or traditions hold that to be true, vs. popular folk beliefs; "village" beliefs, common misconceptions from other cultures, etc., that are simply for the most part - not true.

Theravada Buddhist believe in the Pali Jataka which reiterates Buddha's past lives in which he had 357 human lives, 123 animal lives and 66 god lives (give or take a few lives).

I resonate much with Theravada Buddhism intertwined with Animism.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by iamthat

I am not familiar with the story that Buddha was once a monkey but we have to use our faculty of intelligent discrimination.

If this means that the consciousness which expressed itself through the Buddha had a recent previous incarnation as a monkey then I suggest that this can be dismissed as a myth.

If it means that the life-force which expressed itself through the Buddha had in

The account of the Buddha once having a life as a monkey is found in the Jatakas.

[freebird]

Then you have people who claim they remember past lives as animals (including insects)

[Jyotir]

Hi Big John,

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Theravada Buddhist believe in the Pali Jataka which reiterates Buddha's past lives in which he had 357 human lives, 123 animal lives and 66 god lives (give or take a few lives).

For the sake of clarity, the fact of human beings having had animal incarnations per se was never disputed. Rather, what was in question - and why the request for citation - was the (imo) mistaken notion that once a soul had undergone numerous human incarnations, 10, 20, 100, etc., that they might subsequently re-incarnate as a mouse or a moth, which generally doesn’t happen as it is regressive and contrary to the general evolutionary scheme of Nature.

There is a universal progression of incarnation consistent with the hierarchies represented by the ascending kingdoms, and also within them. So even within the animal kingdom it is unlikely that a soul that has already incarnated as a higher mammal such as a dog or horse, would ‘go back’ to being a worm or a fly, etc. Likewise, the soul of an oak tree, probably would not further re-incarnate as a single cell alga.

Earthly experience tends to be evolutionary (progressive), cumulative, and thorough.

~ J

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by Jyotir

Earthly experience tends to be evolutionary, cumulative, and thorough.

Speaking of said evolution:

"Unlike those soul configurations which inhabit and pursue Life’s objectives using more constitutionally ‘hard-wired’ (and therefore less capable of elective information processing) bodies, we (we, in this case, referencing souls ensconsed in more advanced kinds of physiological platforms; and advanced, in this case, referencing greater ‘bandwidth’ accommodating information-reception, information-processing and information-transmission capabilities) can and so may cognitively appreciate and apprehend the functional significance(s) of and so operationally elect to relate to the constellational configurations of our own and others’ existential gestalts (or aspects thereof) in ways of our own choosing (hence the phenomenon known as ‘free will’).

We have the potential to learn from and choose to change the patterns of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors based on the ‘feedback’ of personal experience so as to become more knowing and adept at creatively executing Life’s Love and Joy maximization aimed Source-code, which (as postulated and argued in Chapter 1) is the imperative that ubiquitously operates within all Being. Hence our development of keener discernment and the capacity to be more functionally discriminating (I don’t mean by way of stereotyping, of course!) and, consequently, our increasingly selective execution of possible choices such as acceptance, trust, [u]devotion[/i], wariness, rejection, banishment,* etc. in relation to others and increasing degrees of wisdom in terms of the ways in which we choose to deploy our ‘will’ in such regards.

[Footnote*: This is just a categorical list of conceptually black-and-white thought-feeling-and-behavior options which I have compiled to illustrate the point I am making. The ways which Mind and Spirit may choose to flow, and consequently ‘act’, in are spectrumatically infinite, both in terms of variety and admixtural combination.]

The learning and consequent wisdom-development I speak of is in the ‘direction’ of more fully appreciating the functional commonalities and connections between one’s ‘self’ and other ‘selves’ and so of relationally engaging with others as well as Life-at-Large in ways which, more and more so in the long term, synergically augment and improve the quality of both our own and others’ experiences and expressions of Love and Joy, thereby increasing the likelihood that not just our own but others’ wishes and desires to experience and express Love and Joy will be optimally fulfilled as well in the process (except of course if, when and as said others are so other‑exploitive and self-aggrandizing that they sully and diminish the potential for conjoint experience and expression of Love and Joy, in which case non‑cooperation and counteraction may be our choice, for the same aiming-to-maximize the experience and expression of Love and Joy in relation to and with others in Life’s Flow ‘reason’).

All of which explains our gradual progression (albeit, as a result of their still selfishly biased calculus in the foregoing regards, not in every soul’s case, and, even in the cases of those who do progress in this regard, often in periodically regressive, learning the ‘hard’ way, fashion!) from completely selfish, to familial, to clannish, to tribal, to ethnographic, to anthropocentric, and, finally, to cosmically all-inclusive, completely self-transcendent psychospiritual ‘i’dentifications and corollary allegiances, meaning that, with experience and education, over the course of time, folks increasingly think, feel and believe and so more and more conscientiously act knowing that, though each and every individual and group is unique and so differs from others in significant ways, one’s ‘self’ and all other ‘selves’ are really integral aspects of Life’s Flow and so, despite apparent differences, we are all relationally connected aspects of the same (pertaining to the Universe we are in, at least) Cosmic Being-Doing, which is Life Itself in action!*

[Footnote*: Hence the historically resonant, exhortative declarations by ‘fully awakened’ souls, such as: “Put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond [i.e. an ‘owned’ slave or ‘indentured’ servant] nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.” (Colossians*3:10-11); “As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (I Corinthians 12:12‑13); and “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ.” (Galatians 3:28).]

To the degree that, as a result of continuing to mentally and emotionally process our personal experiences, we become aware of ( i.e. consciously ‘awaken’ to) the fact that all our lives are (in other words, all Life is) basically coextant, the ‘sense’ we have of our own ‘i’dentity expands to become other-inclusive. And, as we then realize that just focusing on things by and for the benefit of our ‘own’ selves simply results in our (delusionally!) living in personally ‘i’solating thought-and-feeling ‘bubbles’, we may (logically then) choose to transcend (i.e., rise ‘above’ and evolve ‘beyond’) the limitations of whatever selfish perceptions and tendencies at that [i.e. at any given] point, as a result of past personal and social conditioning, continue to ‘govern’ and (so, in effect) ‘imprison’ us, and then more and more ‘freely’ grow to become more and more loving and enjoying of our ‘neighbors’ as our ‘selves’ (as advocated in Mark 12:31) in ever-widening, more and more Life‑embracing circles, and therefore and thereby (in due course) fully execute our innate Source-code ‘program’ to maximally experience and express Love and Joy in relationship to and with others. This, instead of just partially doing so by way of continuing to operate as the same ‘old’ ego‑‘i’dentity configurations focused on reaping and dispensing whatever Love and Joy ‘perks’ we (as a result of prior personal conditioning) happen to at any given point especially value in relation to particular others, for however long we may continue to live (as such☺ that is!)."

[TheGlow]

Originally Posted by freebird

If someone kills houseflies, or any other insects, plants or small living beings such as microbes. What happens to them? Do they reincarnate immediately after death? Or do they go in spirit world and then reimcarnate?
PS: I am not joking

From what I gather certain species are group souls so the end of one incarnation does not end the incarnation of that soul.

I don't kill many bugs, flies though in the house if they wont leave they do not stay alive very long. My prayer for them is to go on to a more pleasant existence. Generally I wished them well and suggested they might enjoy being a bunny rabbit. We have lots of wild ones and they seem to enjoy their life hopping through the yards.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by TheGlow

From what I gather certain species are group souls so the end of one incarnation does not end the incarnation of that soul.

I don't kill many bugs, flies though in the house if they wont leave they do not stay alive very long. My prayer for them is to go on to a more pleasant existence. Generally I wished them well and suggested they might enjoy being a bunny rabbit. We have lots of wild ones and they seem to enjoy their life hopping through the yards.

Deep wisdom in them thar words (IMO). May be applied in relation to \many people as well, methinks - though, if one lives a very 'protected' and 'privileged' life, one may not be 'given' the opportunity to make such choices and soul-grow from the experience.

[Shivani Devi]

Do you know what I find strange?

I make a joke post and it gets jumped all over. I make a serious post and it gets ignored.

Which behavior of mine is going to be thus reinforced and conditioned by others?

In my attention-seeking ways, which behavior is going to be perpetuated through the attention of others? Be it positive or negative attention, I care not.

This is why people act out... because their bad behavior elicits a response, while their good behavior never does ....and they will do anything to elicit a response......just saying.

[Dargor]

Originally Posted by Shivani Devi

Do you know what I find strange?

I make a joke post and it gets jumped all over. I make a serious post and it gets ignored.

Which behavior of mine is going to be thus reinforced and conditioned by others?

In my attention-seeking ways, which behavior is going to be perpetuated through the attention of others? Be it positive or negative attention, I care not.

This is why people act out... because their bad behavior elicits a response, while their good behavior never does ....and they will do anything to elicit a response......just saying.

That's just how people are, especially a certain someone here. No matter what you do, you're never good enough. I know that feeling more than most of those so-called spiritual folk that only go with the flow.

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by SlayerOfLight

That's just how people are, especially a certain someone here. No matter what you do, you're never good enough. I know that feeling more than most of those so-called spiritual folk that only go with the flow.

Yeah, I guess it just goes to show who hates me and who does not, because those spiritual people who say they honestly love me, would not just pick out and criticise my faults with abuse, whilst saying absolutely nothing about my positive qualities...and if "that's just how people ARE", then I guess that humankind is not what I thought it was, thus I am fully justified in my misanthropy because nobody has shown me or taught me any differently to this, so I have been conditioned that way anyway.

...but who knows, I'll probably get reborn as a cockroach for my sins because I fully believe that those who say "rely on yourself for love" say so because they are totally incapable of giving it..and yes, "spiritual hypocrisy" pretty much sucks.