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Someone pleae asnwer my questions
What happens to animals, like a pet, when they die? What did buddha say about spirits or ghosts? When a loved one dies why dont we just seek out their reincarnated self?
Please e-mail me at himdyl@yahoo.com
Please e-mail me at himdyl@yahoo.com
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In the Pali Canon, the Buddha described thirty-one various realms of existence. When any sentient being who has not removed the cause for rebirth (craving) dies, they are reborn into one of the Thirty-one Planes of Existence depending on the accumulation of their past actions.
Ghosts are beings which are born into the realm of hungry shades. They wander hopelessly about this realm, searching in vain for sensual fulfillment. One is reborn into this realm due to ten unwholesome actions (MN 10), lack of virtue, and holding to wrong views (AN 10.177).
Jason
Our cat died (from a suspected poisoning by our ass**le neighbour).. My wifes father died later-according to her, John Edward looked straight at her ansd said "there are two JA's one here and one passed, (her dead dad and living brother share the initials JA) your father says-he has the cat!" so as far as I can tell-they share a similar realm as us humans when they/we die.
cheers
Jason already answered your question, so I won't add to what he said. I would just like to say that you can help your pets (or any animal) by repeating the OM MANI PADME HUNG mantra to them as often as you can. Just hearing the mantra, even though they don't understand it, can create the causes for a more fortunate rebirth as a human. Also if you live anywhere near a stupa, take the pet(s) around the stupa as many times as you can. This is particularly effective.
There is a story that one time an old man named Pelgye approached one of the Buddha's monks and asked to take ordination. The monk brought the old man to the Buddha, who examined the man to see if he had the merit necessary to take ordination. He looked and looked but could find none. Then he examined the man's past lives and found that once the man had been a wild pig. The wild pig was once chased by dogs around a stupa. The stupa had a crack in it, and the pig, wild with terror, had backed up to the stupa, wagging its tail in fright. The tail, which was smeared with mud, actually repaired the crack in the stupa. Even this unintentional merit was sufficient to allow the man to take ordination. So that is why it is important to do these things for your animals.
Palzang
With regards to the 31 planes of existence. Being of Western mind i find it difficult to believe in such things literally. Will such disbelief become a hinderance to my practice, or can it be understood figuratively?
If it is a hinderance ( i know doubt is) how can this be removed?
I honestly do not know if it is a hindrance per se; although, I can imagine that it makes understanding the rest of the Buddha's teachings a little more difficult—especially the connection between the twelve links of paticca-samuppada, kamma, and rebirth.
To remove doubt through conviction, one must study and contemplate the Buddha’s teachings; to remove doubt through direct experience, one must develop psychic powers through meditation and observe beings passing away and being reborn.
Sincerely,
Jason
Palzang
Because there is no "self" to reincarnate. What continues, what is reborn, is not the "self" as most people think of it. The loved ones we have known are gone. But what you do have is your memories of them. Cherish these memories.