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Buddhists/human reincarnation

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Expert: - 1/5/2010


Question
Buddha said that to reincarnate as a human being is almost imposible. And for this he gave the turtle example.
But then, he also said that it is almost imposible that any of two man taken randomly from the surface of the Earth  were not close relatives some time ago in the past.

Isn't here a contradiction?
If it's so hard to get reincarnated as a human being how can the second afirmation be true?

Pardon my english.

Thanks for your answer!

Answer
Dear Liviu,

Thank you for the opportunity to answer your question.

First of all, it is not impossible to be born a human, it is just very hard. Mostly, we spend our time in hell, or lower rebirths.

The second part of your question, there is no contradiction here. While an animal, you will have relatives, friends and enemies. When born as a human, you will also have relatives, friends and enemies. Imagine how many relatives, friends and enemies you would have met in a lifetime - maybe 1,000s? Well, multiply this by being born over a infinite amount of times (lets assume  a billion times).

1000 x 1,000,000,000 = 1,000,000,000,000?

So, over time, you would have had over 1,000 billion relatives, friends and enemies. So how is it hard to believe that any two people, with over 1,000 billion relatives each would not be related in some way in the past.

However, I think we are missing the point of the Buddha saying this. We tend to think people are enemies or strangers or whatnot, however, in some life, this person we are mad at, that we hate, that we can't forgive, was once our lover, our mother, our father, our son, our daughter, our grandchildren. In one life, we loved them, we would sacrifice for them, but in this life, we hurt them, we are angry with them, we shun them, we can't forgive them.

Knowing that we were all related at some point, helps us to forgive easier, helps us to move on easier.

I hope this has answered your question.

Sincerely,

Phra Anandapanyo

Buddhists

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Anandapanyo Bhikkhu

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I can answer questions about Buddhist practice, Buddhist understanding and how to apply Buddhism to daily life. I can help analyze Buddhist sayings and teachings. In addition, I can help with questions Buddhism stories, fables and Vinaya(rules). I have meditated for over 10 years and can help you start with meditation. In addition, I can help provide insight into what to do when you feel that you have hit a wall with your meditation. My main area of expertise is how to think in accordance with Sammaditthi (the right view - and number 1 in the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. If I cannot answer your question, I have many able teachers with over 20 years experience to help me, so chances are I will be able to find an answer for you.

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I have been practicing Buddhism for over 13 years. I started studying under various famous Thai Theravada masters. Finally, I met and studied under Phra Acariya Thoon Khippapanyo who has recently passed away on Nov 11, 2008 and is widely accepted as a great Arahant (fully enlightened) teacher of our time. In addition, I have personally read and studied much of the Buddhist scriptures and popular literature available. I have recently undertaken the ordination vows and have become a Buddhist monk in the theravada forest monk tradition. I reside at a temple with many dedicated practitioners and great teachers. I have been practicing training my mind to be aligned with right view (sammaditthi) for over 10 years. I have also been meditating for over 10 years. In my time spent with Acariya Thoon, I learned many things and was able to incorporate them into my life. In addition to practicing Buddhism within temples and my home, I used to own two restaurants and managed commercial real estate. I had to deal with many different and problems. I learned how to use Buddhism to fix my problems, both externally (my environment) and internally (within me).

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Electrical Engineering Degree from the University of California Santa Barbara MBA from San Francisco State

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