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Sure but in Hinduism and Buddhism, humans are higher than animals. In general, only humans are capable of escaping samsara.

by slibhb 2y ago

lolinder 2y ago
Right, but that concept is itself very compatible with darwinian evolution. Humans are the current pinnacle of evolution when it comes to intelligence, but that doesn't mean everything else is entirely unintelligent.
- psychoslave 2y ago
  When we are judge and party, it’s easier to come with the scoring scale that put ourself on the top of the board. If intelligence definition is not imposed on us by nature itself, then we can only conclude that we are indeed great at producing evaluation scales that will flatter our egos. I guess many other animals are also very good at that game though. If you take "survival of the fittest" (species, not individuals, should I recall?) as the criteria, then we measurably can’t bluster anymore. Many other species survived for far longer than we did, and maybe will outlast us after we finished to disturb so much the environment condition on which our lives depend.
Karrot_Kream 2y ago
Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains generally see intelligence as a continuum. Humans are at the top and are capable of escaping samsara but there is an idea of being able to fall down or up the continuum due to karma. It's not a coincidence that these are the religions that have created the largest food cultures around eating vegetarian and vegan.
kshri24 2y ago
I can't speak for Buddhism but you got Hinduism wrong. Hinduism explicitly allows all Jivas to attain Moksha. There is an entire song on this called "Gajendra Moksha" where Gajendra (the Elephant) is caught by Makara (crocodile) and is rescued by Lord Vishnu, who grants Gajendra Moksha from Samsara. Another example would be that of Jatayu where Lord Rama gives him the status of his father (King Dasharatha) and performs his final rites, and then granting him Moksha. There are innumerable tales of animals getting Moksha in Hindu scriptures. Just provided 2 such instances.
NayamAmarshe 2y ago
Yes, but don't forget the law of karma and how most of the humans come from animal bodies in the past life. Everybody has a chance to burn their karma as an animal with no free-will and end up with a human-birth where you do have a free-will, and intelligence to use that free-will.

Sure but in Hinduism and Buddhism, humans are higher than animals. In general, only humans are capable of escaping samsara.

by slibhb 2y ago

Sure but in Hinduism and Buddhism, humans are higher than animals. In general, only humans are capable of escaping samsara.

lolinder 2y ago

Right, but that concept is itself very compatible with darwinian evolution. Humans are the current pinnacle of evolution when it comes to intelligence, but that doesn't mean everything else is entirely unintelligent.

psychoslave 2y ago
When we are judge and party, it’s easier to come with the scoring scale that put ourself on the top of the board. If intelligence definition is not imposed on us by nature itself, then we can only conclude that we are indeed great at producing evaluation scales that will flatter our egos. I guess many other animals are also very good at that game though. If you take "survival of the fittest" (species, not individuals, should I recall?) as the criteria, then we measurably can’t bluster anymore. Many other species survived for far longer than we did, and maybe will outlast us after we finished to disturb so much the environment condition on which our lives depend.

Karrot_Kream 2y ago

Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains generally see intelligence as a continuum. Humans are at the top and are capable of escaping samsara but there is an idea of being able to fall down or up the continuum due to karma. It's not a coincidence that these are the religions that have created the largest food cultures around eating vegetarian and vegan.

kshri24 2y ago

I can't speak for Buddhism but you got Hinduism wrong. Hinduism explicitly allows all Jivas to attain Moksha. There is an entire song on this called "Gajendra Moksha" where Gajendra (the Elephant) is caught by Makara (crocodile) and is rescued by Lord Vishnu, who grants Gajendra Moksha from Samsara. Another example would be that of Jatayu where Lord Rama gives him the status of his father (King Dasharatha) and performs his final rites, and then granting him Moksha. There are innumerable tales of animals getting Moksha in Hindu scriptures. Just provided 2 such instances.

NayamAmarshe 2y ago

Yes, but don't forget the law of karma and how most of the humans come from animal bodies in the past life. Everybody has a chance to burn their karma as an animal with no free-will and end up with a human-birth where you do have a free-will, and intelligence to use that free-will.