AboutJustin Choo Expertise When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than a thousand questions since joining this category. You are welcome to try me.
Experience I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 30 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple.
My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @
http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Organizations I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
Publications YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)
Question QUESTION: Dear Justin Choo,
Do you believe that an animal such as a dragonfly can obtain merit in order to be reborn into the human realm? If so, does this imply that dragonflies have free will and moral consciousness? Is this question unimportant in the greater scheme of practicing Buddhism? Also, do you consider the animal realms in the Pali Canon to be metaphorical or literal?
Thank you very much.
ANSWER: Hi Tracy,
Our never-ending existence implies a very long time span. During this long time-span a life would have been through countless rebirths into all sorts of beings. When the bad vipakha (the effects of kamma)is exhausted the being would have the chance to reborn into higher life-forms. When a being is in the lower realms, in this case the dragon fly, it is more of depleting the bad vipakha than accumulating good kamma. It is like serving out a jail sentence.
<<Is this question unimportant in the greater scheme of practicing Buddhism?>>
It is indeed unimportant in the greater scheme of practising Buddhism.
Do we know for sure how exactly kamma works? But we can know for sure that reducing greed, hatred and delusion are beneficial to our well-being.
<<Also, do you consider the animal realms in the Pali Canon to be metaphorical or literal?>>
It is literally the animal realm that we see.
QUESTION: Dear Justin Choo,
I have a follow up question if you do not mind my asking. You mentioned "It is literally the animal realm that we see."
Do you mean that we are all in the animal realm now, even as lay people and monks of all different types of merit, and therefore that is all that we can see? Or do you mean something else?
Thank you,
Tracy
Answer Hi Tracy,
Thank you for the generous ratings. It is nice to know that one's contributions are appreciated.
"Lucky" that you receive "similar" answers from another teacher. In Buddhism it is not always so. The Buddha's teachings are so liberal/profound that quite often there are various interpretations. When faced with various interpretations, it's up to the individual to use his/her intelligence to come to the "best" conclusions.
The human realm and the animal realm are the two realms that exist on the same physical dimension; the same physical dimension that we can see one another. In simple explanation, the animals you see are existing in this world in their own realm, together with humans.
