The law of Karma applies to all living beings as it does to humans, but animals are not able to create new karma in this lifetime, because they only pay off their debts from past karma.
At the time of death, all our sufferings terminate. We start living a full life with full happiness, as there is no more karma to pay for. So we should not think of an Animal’s death. It might be the end of his sufferings, and he is going to live a life of happiness as per his karmas.
Karm Yoni means the animals and the humans who are performing karma are in the karm yoni. They are reaping the reactions of karma performed in their past human lives but they are not creating any new karma.
Also, Animals don’t have intellect, so they can’t perform Dharma, Adharma, Karma, or Bhog as humans do. When they perform Karmas, they were born as humans (they were once human and have forgotten it because of ignorance).
A view widely prevalent is that the soul of an animal may transmigrate into a human body after its death. However, even if this does happen, if the animal, during its lifetime, indulged in eating flesh and blood of other animals and was cruel to them, it would be difficult for the soul to transmigrate into a human body. Therefore, you should not accuse all animals of being bad just because a few of them are bad. You should cultivate a love for all animals. You should not indulge in violence against them; rather, they should be protected and helped to lead their natural lives.
The souls of all the insects (be it bees or ants), which do not possess intelligence and free will, transmigrate and evolve similarly to the souls of animals. It is difficult to ascertain whether the souls of lower species can also transmigrate into an enlightened human body.
The law of karma or sanchita karma applies only to the beings endowed with intelligence. Karma is of two kinds – sanchita and prarabdha. Prarabdha karma is latent karma that manifests itself at the appropriate time and place as per the design of the law of karma. It is inflexible and difficult to overcome. The karma that manifests in this very life is called prarabdha karma. The karma that will manifest in future lives is called sanchita karma.
The law of karma is a rigid law that never wavers or fails in its course of action. It cannot be circumvented or interfered with nor can it be invalidated by any agency or being except God. It is a natural law that serves as an instrument for justice and righteousness. It dispenses both punishments and rewards and ensures that good is rewarded and evil punished in the long run. It is based on righteousness and punishes even a slight deviation from rectitude.
However, as said earlier, it is not the body but the soul that makes one an individual. The difference between a human body and that of an animal is quite obvious, but there is much similarity in their respective souls. In fact, every living being has a soul. The souls of animals and those of human beings are not different from each other in any way.
When you pray for others, you may hear the words of selfless love: "I will do for others what I would like them to do for me". This is an act of compassion and kindness that blesses not only the one being prayed for but you who prays, too. Animals are helpless when they are in trouble. They have no way to find a way out by themselves. In this sense, the karma of animals is even more serious than ours. We can at least help them by praying for them. There was a story in China about a Buddhist monk who saved a mouse from being killed by a cat. The mouse repaid the monk by gnawing through ropes that bound the monk's hands and feet when he was imprisoned for speaking out against an evil government official. The mouse's reward was being fed by the monk here and there whenever the monk was on a begging tour.
One animal suffering you can save, ten of your family members; one hundred people will be saved. One thousand people will be saved by saving one country. One million people will be saved by saving the whole world.
In Buddhism, there is the word "Karma", which means "action" or "intention" and refers to the moral effect of our actions and intentions. Karma is neither positive nor negative in itself; it is simply the fruit of a seed that was sown sometime in the past.
Feeling sorry for a defenseless animal, we can make an effort to rescue it from its suffering. This feeling of sympathy and kindness form roots of kindness and understanding in our minds, which will bring us happiness in the future. On the other hand, killing helpless animals keep digging our negative karma hole deeper and deeper.
Karma is a Sanskrit word that translates as action or deed. In Hinduism and Buddhism, karma refers to the aspect of an action that has a moral dimension. The phrase "karma goes around comes around" reflects the law of karma. It means that what we do in this life will affect what happens to us in the next. If our intentions and actions are good, karma will not punish us when we die. If our intentions and actions are bad, karma will not reward us when we die. Buddhism teaches that the cause of suffering is desire. If we overcome desire, we can liberate ourselves from suffering.
For this reason, animals have karma that is one of rebirth, where they can come back into it as humans, lamas, or protectors. This provides them with the opportunity for further development and spiritual progress that they would not have otherwise had.
This might sound like an oversimplification, but it becomes clearer in certain circumstances. They can become enlightened at a higher level by taking vows as humans in these roles. But as the same, they could also take vows as humans and not become enlightened. Hence the difference is made by the karma of their previous life.
For example, a lion will hunt and kill a deer because it is hungry. In this situation, the lion has no choice in the matter, it simply acts as an instinct or nerve reaction. In this process, it will also be destroyed as well. The deer loses its life and the lion also dies of hunger.
However, humans possess intelligence and free will and they can plan ahead of time and think about the consequences of their actions. This means that they can plan to kill an animal and eat it. However, they can also choose to let that animal go. If they choose the latter option, the deer will live and the lion will survive as well.
Animals cannot progress on the spiritual path on their own and will need the help of a compassionate human being.
The human being can in turn evolve on his or her own spiritual path by helping the animals. The master key is compassion.
Compassion is the supreme means of love and the highest virtue because it not only benefits those with whom we relate directly but also affects all other beings indirectly.
Thus loving and helping other beings, we are in reality loving and helping ourselves because we are all interconnected and interdependent.
If we love and help enough other beings, our spiritual evolution will become inevitable. In fact, our entire world community would benefit as a result.
The rise of social media has made it possible for anyone to post or comment about anything that comes to mind. And because of this, much of what we read about is negative and oftentimes offensive. Although this is all fine, some go the extra mile and even take pride in being offensive. They will attack people they consider losers or just someone they don’t like.
The animal kingdom is very interesting to humans. We enjoy watching the Discovery Channel, seeing photos on Pinterest and elsewhere on the Internet. The animals give us a sense of joy when we see them. We love their cute looks, adorable behavior, and the way they connect with us in our minds.
Many animal lovers enjoy owning pets or spending time with them at a zoo or wildlife sanctuary. This is because we have a kinship with them and recognize that we share some of their needs and wants.
However, the animals provide humans with an opportunity to practice compassion and nonviolence and earn good merit. This in turn helps them to cleanse their own karma.
Those who understand the suffering of living beings and take upon the suffering of others upon themselves contribute greatly to the spiritual evolution of life upon earth.
When you practice compassion, friendliness, and nonviolence towards others, you not only earn good karma but also help others to awaken to their true nature.
A kind word or action will help a child to blossom and will help him or her grow up healthy, strong, and compassionate.
A friendly smile can soften the hearts of others and bring joy to those who see it, even if they are strangers. It is said that all great spiritual teachers have practiced these methods to achieve enlightenment.
It is a common belief that we have been incarnated on earth by divine power to do karma. If you do not believe in the existence of God it may be hard to understand how our past actions can cause present circumstances. Nevertheless, karma exists. We are all living proof of it.
When we were born, our karma was the reason for our existence. Our karma is what makes us who we are: our likes or dislikes, our talents and abilities, and our present circumstances. The circumstances we are currently living in will also affect how future circumstances play out. If you find yourself in an undesirable situation, question yourself: Is this my karma?
If you have a problem, the problem’s cause will eventually be traced back to actions you have taken in your previous life or your current lifetime. Therefore, you must understand your karma and work to improve it.
Karma for Animals
What about Karma? I feel that animals are not here just to be harmed but to learn from us. I do not condone the suffering of any animal, but also ask my readers to understand that there is a reason for their existence.
If you are out in nature, you can be attacked by animals. In the wild, every living being has a right to defend itself. For example, when a bear enters your camp and threatens you and those who seek your protection, it is perfectly normal and morally obligatory to use all means of defense – except weapons that are designed to cause unnecessary suffering – to protect yourself and others. It’s also acceptable to eliminate the threat of dangerous pests and animals that threaten your environment.
The same thing applies to human beings. When they threaten you with bodily harm or want to take away your freedom, it’s perfectly normal and morally obligatory to defend yourself. That includes using vaccines and killing dangerous pests and animals that threaten your environment. It should be clear that this doesn’t mean that we can take the law into our own hands. Only competent authorities are permitted to use force against criminals.
The law of karma applies only to human beings.
This is logical: the evolution of the ape is not so far from that of humans, and man has a similar intellect. That is why people can understand each other and appreciate the same things.
The law of karma does not apply to animals, which are much less evolved than humans. For them, people are a foreign species, and they are not supposed to understand the moral values and traditions of people. As a result, they can be killed even if they have no negative intentions towards you.
Therefore, when you are attacked by an animal, you must be prepared to defend yourself and your loved ones, using any available means. So it is morally permissible and even obligatory to kill an animal that threatens you. If this does not help, you can try to make it neutral to you: for example, utilizing an antidote or vaccines, or by other means of protection.
