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Why am I human?

What factors into whether a soul is born into a human body as opposed to something else?

Comments

  • ToraldrisToraldris   -`-,-{@     Zen Nud... Buddhist     @}-,-`-   East Coast, USA Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @heyimacrab You're thinking transmigration. The facts are that when a man loves a woman... (you know what goes here)... and here you are, asking about souls when it's clear where you came from (and why).

    You'd get much further if you questioned this idea of a soul. What are you, really? Where would a soul even come from? Buddhism teaches Not-Self, and it's one of the most powerful tools to strip away the delusions of self/soul that are actually the primary cause of our ignorance (and subsequent suffering).

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    Where would a soul even come from?

    It's stored in the Alaya.

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran

    @heyimacrab said:
    What factors into whether a soul is born into a human body as opposed to something else?

    I believe they say the cause of a human birth is ethical conduct. Don't quote me on that though.

  • ChazChaz The Remarkable Chaz Anywhere, Everywhere & Nowhere Veteran

    @Nevermind said:
    It's stored in the Alaya.

    How do you define "soul"?

  • I thought you was a crab. :o

    Soles can be sold to the nice man with horns and a pointy tail. God knows what he wants with a non existent red herring . . .

    . . . Oh souls, I thought you were talking about something fishy . . . :scratch:

    So let me get this right, something you do not know of is capable of living as a lobster for a while. Then it can become 'you as a human' or maybe a tree? It is not April 1 . . . must be some sort of ancient superstition . . .

    Is it something to do with 'the force' and Jedi dharma? :wave:

    Vastmind
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    From where I stand.....you don't have a soul. Maybe this is a Christian question. They believe in souls.... and they don't believe they are born in something else....

    Edit: This also may be a Hindu question....

    Toraldris
  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    @Chaz said:
    How do you define "soul"?

    lobsterpersonmisterCope
  • ChazChaz The Remarkable Chaz Anywhere, Everywhere & Nowhere Veteran

    @Nevermind said:

    Errrrr ...... sorry, but that's funk, not soul.

    Vastmind
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran

    ^^^ I cant decide. That should get a LOL, an insightful and a BOOM. (clap)

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    Yeah, there should be a mildly amusing button. :p

  • Desire.

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @Nevermind said:
    Yeah, there should be a mildly amusing button. :p

    Nope. It was beyond mildy.

    It'll be ok. Just take your boom like a good debater would. If the LOL part hurts your feelings...well....that's the cost of doing BOOM business and attempting to refute/debate everything with everybody. Don't play if you cant take losing.

    Just sayin' .... And yes...feel free to comeback for a piece of me...I'm ready today, baby!

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran

    You're normally Johnny on the spot. Come right back, Jack.

    You must be getting your best material together. Make sure your next move is your best move. .. :coffee: ..

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @Vastmind said:
    Nope. It was beyond mildy.

    Granted it was a good comeback, but it wasn't LOL for me personally, cuz to say that the "the godfather of soul" isn't soul just ain't that funny, to me.

  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @heyimacrab said:
    What factors into whether a soul is born into a human body as opposed to something else?

    What is that your business?
    from 'Annie Hall'

    more useless answers on request, useful questions also welcome ;) . . . too wikid?

    Vastmind
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @Nevermind said:
    Granted it was a good comeback, but it wasn't LOL for me personally, cuz to say that the "the godfather of soul" isn't soul just ain't that funny, to me.

    I know Sherlock. Your not the one who did the LOL. So It was me who thought it was THAT funny.

    Try looking up his history with funk....not just what you heard people call him. That might give more context for you.

    The ball is in your court now......

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    Hmmm... maybe you're right, saying that the godfather of soul isn't soul is funny after all. HAHA!

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    Nope...I'm not right.

    'HAHA'...oh! so you get to laugh, but no one else?

    Nah...I'm not granting a good comback.... Try again.

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    @Vastmind said:
    so you get to laugh, but no one else?

    That's what being bitter and hateful is all about, baby! :)

    Vastmind
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    BOOM on me. lololololol

    See? That's how it's done. .. :D ..

    If you want to continue to see if you can go toe to toe with me....I suggest you find a way to bring it back on topic before we get closed.....

    You know how much you love getting the last word....

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    Ok...fine...I'll help you out. ( crosses my arms)

    Being bitter and hateful can be part of being human...but it's not necessary.
    No matter how much you like to argue people down...your a human and need love too!

    Also, not being able to take a BOOM also seems to be part of being human.
    You'll find out what you need to find out. We all do.....

    I see the crowd might be leaving you with no one to argue with on the other thread....

    ( opens my arms) Come on back to Momma.....

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    @Vastmind said:
    ...your a human and need love too!

    That made me laugh out loud. Good one. :)

    I see the crowd might be leaving you with no one to argue with on the other thread....

    Sadly, my friends lack stamina.

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    It's ok...us humans lack a lot of things.

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited April 2014

    Sorry. We hate to inform you...but your counter comment has gone past the shot clock.
    Any attention and glory you are seeking will be futile.

    See ya next game.

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    edited April 2014

    @heyimacrab said:
    What factors into whether a soul is born into a human body as opposed to something else?

    All factors, actually. Consider, why do you not become a bunny rabbit in the next moment? Magic tricks aside, there are all manner of causes and conditions which lead to you becoming a human being in the next moment, as opposed to something else. It is no different with rebirth.

    @Vastmind‌ said:
    You know how much you love getting the last word....

    Obviously not true.

  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran

    "The Thirty-one Planes of Existence" has the traditional causes of birth in various places listed according to the old Buddhist scriptures. :)

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html

  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator

    I'm not sure I'm entirely on board (at this point anyhow) with the idea that we can go backwards once we have incarnated as a human. To me it makes better sense as a continuous forward progression, not a back and forth one. But I probably get stuck in the linear idea of time too much. It doesn't make much sense to me because I don't understand how a woodtick finally breaks out of the blood sucking pest mode to raise its "level" enough to be born into something with emotion and reasoning. Pretty hard to build good karma as a tick, it seems. So for me, it seems to be more about states of mind. You might not actually be reborn as a woodtick. But perhaps a human version of one that is a leech, that suffers in ignorance to the extreme, that uses people, and so on. I think being stuck in one of those Buddhist realms as a state of mind seem much more painful than to go backwards to an actual, physical, animal life where they live much more in an ignorance is bliss state. They don't have much opportunity to make up their bad karma when they operate only out of instinct.

    That's leaving the whole idea of a soul out of it. Usually a soul is defined as something that contains essence of who we are (what makes us recognizable as us) that carries over, but that is not generally how Buddhism recognizes it, and it (whatever it is) is not referred to as a soul.

    banned_crab
  • betaboybetaboy Veteran
    edited April 2014

    After reading some posts on this thread, I am pretty much asking the same question that the op is asking........(smh)

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    (whatever it is) is not referred to as a soul.

    A rose by any other name is not as sweet. :(

    lobster
  • robotrobot Veteran

    @Nevermind said:
    A rose by any other name is not as sweet. :(

    Of course you mean "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    Would smell as sweet as what?

  • robotrobot Veteran

    @Nevermind said:
    Would smell as sweet as what?

    As a rose.

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran

    A rose by any other name would smell as sweet as a rose?

    Uh, I think it's time for more funk!

  • robotrobot Veteran

    Take it up with Shakespeare.

  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    edited April 2014

    "Bewildered, lost in a dream,
    In the love I need why did we part,
    Bewildered, has love, has love died dear"

This discussion has been closed.