I remember reading that rebirth in the hel_l realms is actually preferable to being reborn in the animal realms. This would seem strange because it is also said that the most amount of suffering one could possibly imagine in the human realm does not compare with the least amount in hel_l........ one would be inclined to not desire rebirth in the hel_l realms wouldn't we.

But....the karma which caused us to take rebirth in the hel_l realms...once expended ...we shall then be able to escape and take rebirth elsewhere.

The animal realm is suffering in ignorance, and once we are reborn there it is very difficult to escape from.

Some people believe that because animals act upon instinct and are very much less able to think and consider and make decisions than we are in the human realm, that animals do not create any karma whilst they are there.

The negative karma which caused them to take rebirth in that realm will gradually be expended, but the reason that they are stuck there for a very long time is because they are also still capable of creating negative karma, whilst having little opportunity to create any positive karma.

Suppose a being is born as a Tiger...it kills deer and other jungle animals for food..... and because it causes suffering and torment to other beings it creates negative karma...

A man living in a jungle village also kills jungle animals for food ....but receives a greater amount of karma for the act because a human is capable of knowing right from wrong and has the chance to find alternatives, such as eating only vegetarian food.

A city dweller who comes and hunts jungle animals for sport or to sell, earns more karma than the jungle dweller for the same act.

The Tiger has no choice but to kill for its food....so it may be reborn as a Tiger for hundreds of lives....then perhaps take rebirth as a Deer for hundreds of lives, being eaten by Tigers, but because it eats only vegetarian food and does not terrorise other animals, does not create much new negative karma.

An animal living close to humans like a dog or elephant, is creating karma with humans and also creating the cause to eventually escape the animal realm and perhaps take rebirth in the human realm once more.

Picking up some dust on his fingernail the buddha asked his companions which was the greater..the small amount of dust...or the whole earth. Naturally they replied that there was no comparison...and the Buddha replied that the small amount of dust compared the number of beings in the human realm...with beings in the lower realms..the states of misery.

And your point is?????

And your point is?????

This is the Buddhism forum.... if you have nothing constructive to say then keep noble silence.