Do Animals Have Karma?

[Dark Muse]

I came acorss this discussion when I was looking up some information about Hindusim and I thought it was interesting for it is not something I have before given active thought to, but I am inclined to beleive that animals do have karma.

For one thing, in both Buddisim and Hindiusim animals take part in the act of reincarnation just as humans do, and in theses systems, Karma is seen as having an influence in the reincarnation process, and so if animals are reiencaranted, and karma is a part of reincarnation then they should have karma of thier own.

Also, karma is something that is attachted to a soul or spirit of person, which is why it can follow them, or affect them from one life to the next, so in my beleif that all living things have souls, then animals just as well should have karma if they also have a soul.

Karma in the eastren traditions is about duty and one following thier duty. It one lives by thier duty they aquire good karma, if they do not follow thier duty they aqcuire bad karma, and though animals live by a different set of rules then people do, they still have thier place, and thier roles, and thier own duty to follow.

[ForzaSugar]

So what should a lion do to gain karma?

[Dark Muse]

Well if you follow the Hindi philoshpies of Karma, as they relate to duty, in order of a lion to gain good karma, the lion would have to prefom its duty of protecting and providing for its pride

[ForzaSugar]

Do lions knows that they have a pride?

[Dark Muse]

In case you have misunderstood, pride is the word, used to call a family or group of lions, like a pack of wolves, for lions, they call it a pride. And like all animals that live in some sort of pack, a pride is a well orginaized community with each lion having its place and duty within the pride, to preform.

[ForzaSugar]

My English is not good. Anyway... So do they know that they have to protect their pride to gain karma?

[Dark Muse]

Well it is thier duty as lions to look after thier pride though wheather or not animals are aware of thier karma is another question. Though I do think animals have more awarness then many humans give them cridit for, it is also part of thier instinct to look after the pride, but even it it is instinct, it is still thier duty and so they are still acting in a way that is required of them to gain karma.

[Wakaba]

animals (in buddhist views) certainly have karma. People can be reincarnated as animals and Tibetans believe every sentient being was once their mother in a previous life.

[jon1jt]

Silly question. We haven't a clue why a cockroach turns right or left.

[kiz_paws]

Your original question is "Do Animals Have Karma", and:

Karma in the eastren traditions is about duty and one following thier duty. It one lives by thier duty they aquire good karma, if they do not follow thier duty they aqcuire bad karma, and though animals live by a different set of rules then people do, they still have thier place, and thier roles, and thier own duty to follow.

So without reason to produce an argument, you have just given the proof that animals have karma (at least, in a human understanding)... no? Afterall, no matter how much you coddle a snake, it could bite you at any given time...

[Dark Muse]

I have given my interpitation based on my beliefs, and what I have stuided, but that does not mean everyone has to agree with me. As there is no true ultimate proff that anyone has karma.

[blazeofglory]

I karma is something that is attachted to a soul or spirit of person, which is why it can follow them, or affect them from one life to the next, so in my beleif that all living things have souls, then animals just as well should have karma if they also have a soul.

This is really interesting to discuss things like this. I am really unsure whether animals have dominance over their minds. Animals do not rationalize things the way we do in point of fact and it is their instincts that is always at work and there is no what we call the domain of free choice among animals.

They are of course more disciplined and their courses are more natural or they are naturals the way we are more false, feigned and the like.

Karma is something we philosophize basing our selves on something supernaturalism. Animals have little to do with the way we think.

[Trillian]

I hope you don't mind me dropping in, but this is a great mind-bender. It made me wonder further if domesticated animals are more susceptible to karma than are wild animals. A well trained dog knows that to potty in the floor is bad, and will show signs of shame if it does. Could it be said that to domesticate an animal and train it could give it more opportunity to accumulate bad karma? And that said, could that have an effect on one's own karma, since we are training animals to act outside of their natural instinct?

[one_raven]

Also, karma is something that is attachted to a soul or spirit of person, which is why it can follow them, or affect them from one life to the next, so in my beleif that all living things have souls, then animals just as well should have karma if they also have a soul.

Karma and reincarnation are two distinct subjects.
Placing the religious dogma and other cultural baggage aside for the moment, the Pali word Kamma (or the more well-known “Karma” in Sanskrit) means simply “action” and implies the results of action. If Bill kicks a stone with his bare feet, and injures his toe – that is Kamma in its simplest, most straight forward form.
In that light, of course animals have karma.

[Dark Muse]

This is really interesting to discuss things like this. I am really unsure whether animals have dominance over their minds. Animals do not rationalize things the way we do in point of fact and it is their instincts that is always at work and there is no what we call the domain of free choice among animals.

I would have to disagree with this in someways, though animals do think differently then people do, and do respond more to thier instincts, I think animals are more aware of themselves then people tend to give them cridit for.

I hope you don't mind me dropping in, but this is a great mind-bender. It made me wonder further if domesticated animals are more susceptible to karma than are wild animals. A well trained dog knows that to potty in the floor is bad, and will show signs of shame if it does. Could it be said that to domesticate an animal and train it could give it more opportunity to accumulate bad karma? And that said, could that have an effect on one's own karma, since we are training animals to act outside of their natural instinct?

That is an interesting thought upon the subject. In a way having domesiticated aniamls also exposes animals more to the Karma of thier caretakers as well, and it does offer a conflict of sorts.

For what then is the duty of a domesitacated animal, to obey its master, or to act in the way that nature calls for it to act. Domesicated animals are often put in a sort of conflict of being conditioned to act against thier instincts.