What does it mean to be born by transformation?

person

Recently, I read about there being 4 types of birth.

'Born from eggs': e.g. snakes, birds.
'Born from wombs'" e.g. humans, cattle.
'Born from moisture': e.g. mosquitoes, worms.
'Born from transformation': e.g. gods, ghosts.

I get the first three, does anyone know more about what it means to be born by transformation?

Vajraheart

For instance at death you are transformed into a ghost, or if you have high merit, into a god, for example. You not born from an egg, womb or moisture, but by transforming from one to the other. It's also possible to transform from a god to a ghost or from a ghost to a god.

aura

In the natural world your 2 good mundane eyes will show you that snakes and birds are born from out of eggs, humans and cattle are born from out of wombs, and mosquitoes and worms are apparently born from out of the water.

With a microscope to clarify and aid the vision of your 2 good mundane eyes, the observation is easily made that all life is born of eggs, it is just that some eggs are just too tiny to observe unaided.

With the open 3rd eye to clarify the vision of your 2 good mundane eyes, the observation is easily made of apparently "living" images/entities made entirely of light somewhat beyond the mundane world yet overlaid on it. Those images/entities that retain familiar appearances common to the mundane world are commonly referred to as "ghosts" and those images that are beyond retaining familiar appearances common to the mundane world are commonly referred to as "gods" (although that term itself improperly personifies (mundane-i-fies!)what is well beyond the mundane. Those images/entities exist as (are "born" as) a transformation of the light. The light is not mundane light. The light pervades all the universe where one's 2 good mundane eyes see only emptiness and darkness. The emptiness the Buddha speaks of is not the empty darkness of space that is seen with the 2 mundane eyes. The emptiness of the Buddha is full.... full of LIGHT! It is not a matter of belief. It is a simple natural phenomenon easily observed at the point of death (whether you do or don't actually cross over into it by dying). You'll see. It is there all along. It's just that it's all too huge to observe without the aid of that wide open 3rd eye.

Floating_Abu

Recently, I read about there being 4 types of birth.

'Born from eggs': e.g. snakes, birds.
'Born from wombs'" e.g. humans, cattle.
'Born from moisture': e.g. mosquitoes, worms.
'Born from transformation': e.g. gods, ghosts.

I get the first three, does anyone know more about what it means to be born by transformation?

If you sit down in meditation and count the breaths, 1-10, 1-10 again and again then this might help. (but it takes longer)

Best wishes,
Abu

DhammaDhatu

Recently, I read about there being 4 types of birth.

Sariputta, there are these four kinds of generation. What are the four? Egg-born generation, womb-born generation, moisture-born generation and spontaneous (opapatika) generation.

What is egg-born generation? There are these beings born by breaking out of the shell of an egg; this is called egg-born generation.

What is womb-born generation? There are these beings born by breaking out from the caul; this is called womb-born generation.

What is moisture-born generation? There are these beings born in a rotten fish, in a rotten corpse, in rotten dough, in a cesspit, or in a sewer; this is called moisture-born generation.

What is spontaneous generation? There are gods and denizens of hell and certain human beings and some beings in the lower worlds; this is called spontaneous generation. These are the four kinds of generation.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.012.ntbb.html

"Opapatika" literally means "accidental." It has been interpreted as meaning "spontaneously born,"

http://www.vipassati.ch/english/books/Paticcasamuppada-Practical-Dependent-Origination_ebook.html

The real meaning of the word "birth" as the Buddha meant it is not the birth from a mother's womb, that's too physical. The birth that the Buddha was pointing to was spiritual, the birth of clinging to "I" and "mine". In one day there can be hundreds of births; the amount depends on a person's capacity, but in each birth the "I" and "mine" arises, slowly fades, and grad­ually disappears and dies. Shortly, on contact with a sense-object, another arises. Each birth generates a reaction that carries over to the next. This is what is called the kamma of a previous life ripening in the present birth. It is then transmitted further. Every birth is like this. This is what kamma - fruit and the reception of kamma fruit is meant to refer to. Such an inter­pretation agrees with the Buddha's own words. If we don't take it that way then we stray from the point. We must understand birth, kamma, and the fruits of kamma in this way. For example, there can be birth as the desirer of some pleasing object and then death followed by birth as a thief or robber, and then a further death followed by birth as the enjoyer of that object. In a short time there is birth as a prisoner in the dock and then, having been found guilty, birth as a convict in jail.

http://www.meditationsheffield.com/Books/BhikkhuBuddhadasa_Heart_Wood_from_the_Bo_Tree.htm

THE FIRST OF the Four Woeful States is hell. Hell is anxiety (in Thai, literally “a hot heart”). Whenever one experiences anxiety, burning, and scorching, one is simultaneously reborn as a creature of hell. It is a spontaneous rebirth, a mental rebirth. Although the body physically inhabits the human realm, as soon as anxiety arises the mind falls into hell. Anxiety about possible loss of prestige and fame, anxiety of any sort — that is hell.

http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books5/Buddhadassa_Bhikkhu_Buddha_Dhamma_for_University_Students.pdf

DhammaDhatu

I get the first three, does anyone know more about what it means to be born by transformation?

It simply means you mind is transformed by its karma. That is all.

Regards

DhammaDhatu

For example, your mind has fear & worry, it is spontaneously born as a "ghost".

Your mind thinks is has power, it is spontaneously born as a "god" (deva).

Your mind has suffering, heartbreak, despair, anger, frustration, etc, it is spontaneously born in "hell".

Your mind thinks: "I am a good person", it is spontaneously born human.

Your mind shows kindness & compassion, it is spontaneously born as a (brahma) "god".

So if you examine your state of mind, you can learn how it is spontaneously born according to its mental states; according to what it "becomes".

Regards

person

@DhammaDhatu Thanks, thats helpful. But I guess my question was more in regards to the literal interpretation. I mean like when I was born in this body it was from my mother's womb. It seems from the four modes of birth there is some literal "transformation" that occurs when a being is born into one of these other realms and its not just referring to a moment to moment transformation of our mental states.

nibbuti

Thanks Dhatu.

Vajraheart

@DhammaDhatu Thanks, thats helpful. But I guess my question was more in regards to the literal interpretation. I mean like when I was born in this body it was from my mother's womb. It seems from the four modes of birth there is some literal "transformation" that occurs when a being is born into one of these other realms and its not just referring to a moment to moment transformation of our mental states.

I answered the question, when your mind transforms from inside a body to out of the body when you die, you are born into another dimension through transformation, maybe the hungry ghost dimension or a dimension of deities.

DhammaDhatu

I mean like when I was born in this body it was from my mother's womb. It seems from the four modes of birth there is some literal "transformation" that occurs when a being is born into one of these other realms and its not just referring to a moment to moment transformation of our mental states.

Thanks Dhatu.

Jesus said: "Two men are ploughing a field, one is taken away, the other is left behind". Jesus said: "Those with ears, let them listen".

As Vajraheart said, he answered the question for you.

All the best

DD