Reborn as Happy Animal or Sad Human? part 1

Last Saturday, I was introduced to six wonderful things whereby it is said that it will prevent someone from being reborn into the lower realms. The six items are:
- a cloth to cover the body of a deceased starting from the head down
- a pendant that blessed the wearer and whomsoever came into contact with it
- pills blessed with relics from the previous 8 Buddhas
- a picture that enables whoever looks at it to avoid the 3 lower realms
- a CD that enables whoever hears it to avoid the 3 lower realms
- incense sticks that enables whoever smells it to avoid the 3 lower realms

These items made me think if I really have the karmic potential to be reborn into the lower realms, and by some stroke of some collaborative good karma, if a Buddha were to offer me a ONE chance to choose between these 2 options, which will I choose.

1. to be reborn as a dog, but owned by a wealthy family. Properly fed and taken care of properly.

Or,

2. to be reborn as a human, very sick or physically and/or mentally challenged (such as being blind, deaf, psychotic, wheel-chair bound or bedridden for most of your life).

And whatever I choose, will be blessed by the Buddha. Or, be blessed by one of the 6 holy items mentioned above. However, I will not be absolved of the negative karma I have committed (if I do not purify it).

So, in such situation, I will have to make a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. To be reborn as a dog will mean being in a lower realm, but being a human is a higher realm than a dog. But being a dog will mean being born stupid, whereas being a human, you will have an unhealthy painful body. And the consequences of each, are not just these. There are more to each choice.

As I ponder and make my choice, I invite you to partake of this decision-making AS IF IT IS A GENUINE CASE THAT WILL DEFINITELY HAPPEN TO YOU!!!

You can ignore this "poll" if you want, but you will miss learning something I feel is important. Ultimately it is not the choice you make – human or animal – that is important. Rather the reason why you should take part in this poll is that it will engender the thinking process inside you and utilize whatever dharma you have learned so far. The choice is not as simple as it looks, because each comes with a consequence. By being involved in such deep thinking, I earnestly hope you will learn something about yourself in the process. It is not for me to tell you what are the learning experiences, because each person will have their unique learning potential.

So treat this poll as if that after making your choice, you will need to live with the choice you have made.

Don’t take too long to make your choice. You never know whether you have a negative karma to be reborn as an animal. Life is like that – we live with the choices we have made. BE BRAVE, THINK CAREFULLY and MAKE YOUR CHOICE NOW.

Make your choice first before reading the below!

____________________________________________________
In most cases, we don't determine the condition of our rebirth. But karma is not a static thing, we can plant subtle karmic imprints and make strong aspirations today that should you have done any negative actions that warrants your rebirth into the lower realms, but also having the collaborative good karma (such as taking part in this poll, resulting in this "collaborative karma") you will likely take rebirth as a sick/ poor human, instead of a healthy animal. By being reborn a human, although sick, you will avert being reborn into the lower realms. And you are sick because of the negative karma you have created.... will still be there if you donot purify them with the Budddhist purification methods. I have learned that karma is not a "destined" or "fated" matter. We can actively shape it in small measures depending on how heavy is the karma. The heavier it is, the less likely we are able to shape it. So, by voting, we are creating imprints in our minds to aspire either to be a sad human or a happy animal in the future. Donot assume you donot have a bad karma bad enough to result your rebirth as an animal. You never know. So, if you vote for "human", you will create karmic imprints to be reborn as human in those circumstances mentioned, but with poor health and unhappy (to suffer the karma you have created)...but nonetheless a human rebirth. And if you have been given the chance to create small karmic imprints for the better, but do not take the opportunity, that's also creating small karmic imprints. Even by not doing anything, it's a choice, i.e. a decision has been made. By nto making a choice, don't regret if you meet with the Buddha one day (after you have been reborn as an animal) and he said to you, "Dear son/daughter, why do you not take the many opportunties that I have created for you to avoid being reborn into the lower realms? My agents and I tried many ways to help you, but you donot recognise the opportunity that laid before you." By then, it's too late, you have been reborn as a dog (even if as Bill Gate's pet dog) ... with zero chance of understanding the dharma. Once you are there in the lower realms, it's far far harder to "climb up" again.