Human beings in Buddhism

Human beings in Buddhism are the subjects of an extensive commentarial literature that examines the nature and qualities of a human life from the point of view of human beings' ability to achieve enlightenment

Bodhi

Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as enlightenment, but frequently translated as "awakening"...

. In Buddhism, human beings are just one type of sentient being, that is a being with a mindstream

Mindstream

Mindstream, mind stream, or mental stream is the English translation of a Buddhist philosophical term for the moment-to-moment continuity of consciousness....

.

In Buddhism, human beings have a very special status: only a human being can attain enlightenment as a fully enlightened Buddha. Enlightenment as an arhat

Arhat

Arhat or arahant , in the sramanic traditions of ancient India , signified a spiritual practitioner who had to use an expression common in the tipitaka "laid down the burden", realising the goal of nirvana, the culmination of the spiritual life...

 can be attained from the realms of the Śuddhāvāsa deities. A bodhisattva

Bodhisattva

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva means either "enlightened existence " or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." Another translation is...

 can appear in many different types of lives, for instance as an animal

Animals in Buddhism

The position and treatment of animals in Buddhism is important for the light it sheds on Buddhists' perception of their own relation to the natural world, on Buddhist humanitarian concerns in general, and on the relationship between Buddhist theory and Buddhist practice.-Animals in Buddhist...

 or as a deva

Deva (Buddhism)

A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....

. Buddhas, however, are always human.

Qualities of human life

The status of life as a human being, at first glance, has nothing very special about it. In the hierarchy of Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.-Introduction:...

 it is low but not entirely at the bottom. It is not intrinsically marked by extremes of happiness or suffering

Dukkha

Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness, sorrow, affliction, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress,...

, but all the states of consciousness in the universe, from hellish suffering to divine joy to serene tranquility can be experienced within the human world.

Human beings can be seen as highly favored, in that they have an immediate reason to seek out the Dharma

Dharma (Buddhism)

Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism has two primary meanings:* the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment * the constituent factors of the experienced world...

 and yet also have the means to listen to it and follow it. Among the lower realms, Pretas, and dwellers in the Narakas

Naraka (Buddhism)

Naraka नरक or Niraya निरय is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering in some Buddhist cosmology.Naraka is usually translated into English as "hell" or "purgatory"...

 are gripped by pain and fear, and can only endure their lot but cannot better themselves. Animals are intellectually unable to understand the Dharma in full. The way of life of the Asuras

Asura (Buddhism)

Asura in Buddhism is the name of the lowest ranks of the deities or demigods of the Kāmadhātu.-Origins and etymology:...

 is dominated by violence and antithetical to the teachings of the Dharma, while most of the Devas simply enjoy reaping the fruits of their past actions

Karma in Buddhism

Karma means "action" or "doing"; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma.In Buddhism, the term karma is used specifically for those actions which spring from :...

 and do not concern themselves with the future. When their past karmas have all had their result, these devas will fall into lower worlds and suffer again. The lowest sorts of devas deal with strife, love, and loss just as humans do, but even so they lack the spur of imminent mortality that can lead human beings to seek, not merely a better future life, but an escape from
{{Buddhism}}
Human beings in Buddhism are the subjects of an extensive commentarial literature that examines the nature and qualities of a human life from the point of view of human beings' ability to achieve enlightenment

Bodhi

Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as enlightenment, but frequently translated as "awakening"...

. In Buddhism, human beings are just one type of sentient being, that is a being with a mindstream

Mindstream

Mindstream, mind stream, or mental stream is the English translation of a Buddhist philosophical term for the moment-to-moment continuity of consciousness....

.

In Buddhism, human beings have a very special status: only a human being can attain enlightenment as a fully enlightened Buddha. Enlightenment as an arhat

Arhat

Arhat or arahant , in the sramanic traditions of ancient India , signified a spiritual practitioner who had to use an expression common in the tipitaka "laid down the burden", realising the goal of nirvana, the culmination of the spiritual life...

 can be attained from the realms of the Śuddhāvāsa deities. A bodhisattva

Bodhisattva

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva means either "enlightened existence " or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." Another translation is...

 can appear in many different types of lives, for instance as an animal

Animals in Buddhism

The position and treatment of animals in Buddhism is important for the light it sheds on Buddhists' perception of their own relation to the natural world, on Buddhist humanitarian concerns in general, and on the relationship between Buddhist theory and Buddhist practice.-Animals in Buddhist...

 or as a deva

Deva (Buddhism)

A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....

. Buddhas, however, are always human.

Qualities of human life

The status of life as a human being, at first glance, has nothing very special about it. In the hierarchy of Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.-Introduction:...

 it is low but not entirely at the bottom. It is not intrinsically marked by extremes of happiness or suffering

Dukkha

Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness, sorrow, affliction, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress,...

, but all the states of consciousness in the universe, from hellish suffering to divine joy to serene tranquility can be experienced within the human world.

Human beings can be seen as highly favored, in that they have an immediate reason to seek out the Dharma

Dharma (Buddhism)

Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism has two primary meanings:* the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment * the constituent factors of the experienced world...

 and yet also have the means to listen to it and follow it. Among the lower realms, Pretas, and dwellers in the Narakas

Naraka (Buddhism)

Naraka नरक or Niraya निरय is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering in some Buddhist cosmology.Naraka is usually translated into English as "hell" or "purgatory"...

 are gripped by pain and fear, and can only endure their lot but cannot better themselves. Animals are intellectually unable to understand the Dharma in full. The way of life of the Asuras

Asura (Buddhism)

Asura in Buddhism is the name of the lowest ranks of the deities or demigods of the Kāmadhātu.-Origins and etymology:...

 is dominated by violence and antithetical to the teachings of the Dharma, while most of the Devas simply enjoy reaping the fruits of their past actions

Karma in Buddhism

Karma means "action" or "doing"; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma.In Buddhism, the term karma is used specifically for those actions which spring from :...

 and do not concern themselves with the future. When their past karmas have all had their result, these devas will fall into lower worlds and suffer again. The lowest sorts of devas deal with strife, love, and loss just as humans do, but even so they lack the spur of imminent mortality that can lead human beings to seek, not merely a better future life, but an escape from
{{Buddhism}}
Human beings in Buddhism are the subjects of an extensive commentarial literature that examines the nature and qualities of a human life from the point of view of human beings' ability to achieve enlightenment

Bodhi

Bodhi is both a Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as enlightenment, but frequently translated as "awakening"...

. In Buddhism, human beings are just one type of sentient being, that is a being with a mindstream

Mindstream

Mindstream, mind stream, or mental stream is the English translation of a Buddhist philosophical term for the moment-to-moment continuity of consciousness....

.

In Buddhism, human beings have a very special status: only a human being can attain enlightenment as a fully enlightened Buddha. Enlightenment as an arhat

Arhat

Arhat or arahant , in the sramanic traditions of ancient India , signified a spiritual practitioner who had to use an expression common in the tipitaka "laid down the burden", realising the goal of nirvana, the culmination of the spiritual life...

 can be attained from the realms of the Śuddhāvāsa deities. A bodhisattva

Bodhisattva

In Buddhism, a bodhisattva means either "enlightened existence " or "enlightenment-being" or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." Another translation is...

 can appear in many different types of lives, for instance as an animal

Animals in Buddhism

The position and treatment of animals in Buddhism is important for the light it sheds on Buddhists' perception of their own relation to the natural world, on Buddhist humanitarian concerns in general, and on the relationship between Buddhist theory and Buddhist practice.-Animals in Buddhist...

 or as a deva

Deva (Buddhism)

A deva in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, living more contentedly than the average human being....

. Buddhas, however, are always human.

Qualities of human life

The status of life as a human being, at first glance, has nothing very special about it. In the hierarchy of Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.-Introduction:...

 it is low but not entirely at the bottom. It is not intrinsically marked by extremes of happiness or suffering

Dukkha

Dukkha is a Pali term roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness, sorrow, affliction, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress,...

, but all the states of consciousness in the universe, from hellish suffering to divine joy to serene tranquility can be experienced within the human world.

Human beings can be seen as highly favored, in that they have an immediate reason to seek out the Dharma

Dharma (Buddhism)

Dhamma or Dharma in Buddhism has two primary meanings:* the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment * the constituent factors of the experienced world...

 and yet also have the means to listen to it and follow it. Among the lower realms, Pretas, and dwellers in the Narakas

Naraka (Buddhism)

Naraka नरक or Niraya निरय is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering in some Buddhist cosmology.Naraka is usually translated into English as "hell" or "purgatory"...

 are gripped by pain and fear, and can only endure their lot but cannot better themselves. Animals are intellectually unable to understand the Dharma in full. The way of life of the Asuras

Asura (Buddhism)

Asura in Buddhism is the name of the lowest ranks of the deities or demigods of the Kāmadhātu.-Origins and etymology:...

 is dominated by violence and antithetical to the teachings of the Dharma, while most of the Devas simply enjoy reaping the fruits of their past actions

Karma in Buddhism

Karma means "action" or "doing"; whatever one does, says, or thinks is a karma.In Buddhism, the term karma is used specifically for those actions which spring from :...

 and do not concern themselves with the future. When their past karmas have all had their result, these devas will fall into lower worlds and suffer again. The lowest sorts of devas deal with strife, love, and loss just as humans do, but even so they lack the spur of imminent mortality that can lead human beings to seek, not merely a better future life, but an escape from {{IAST

Samsara (Buddhism)

or Sangsara , a Sanskrit and Pāli term which translates as "continuous movement" or "continuous flowing", refers in Buddhism to the concept of a cycle of birth and consequent decay and death , in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment...

 altogether.

For this reason, life in the world of human beings is known as "the precious human rebirth". Born close to the pivot point of happiness and suffering, human beings have a unique capacity for moral choices with long-term significance.

The human rebirth is said to be extremely rare. The Bodhicaryāvatāra compares it to a wooden cattle-yoke floating on the waves of the ocean, tossed this way and that by the winds and currents. The likelihood of a half-blind turtle, rising from the depths of the ocean to the surface once in a hundred years, putting its head through the hole in the yoke is considered greater than that of a being in {{IAST|saṃsāra}} achieving rebirth as a human.

Among humans there are also better and worse conditions for attaining enlightenment. Besides being born as a human, the favorable conditions for obtaining enlightenment are:

• Being born a human at a time when a Buddha has arisen, has taught the Dharma, and has left a {{IAST|Saṅgha}} that carries on the teachings; at such times there is a chance to learn the Dharma.

• Being born a human in countries where the Dharma is known. Buddhist commentaries contrast the "central lands" where Buddhism is known and can be practiced (originally just northern India, but now including a much larger portion of the globe) with "border countries" where Buddhism is unknown or cannot be practiced due to legal or practical impediments, for instance, a lack of qualified teachers. Technically a "central land" is one which possesses any one of the Buddhist {{IAST
  Sangha
  Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups...
  
   of {{IAST
  Bhikkhu
  A Bhikku , Bhikṣu is a fully ordained male Buddhist monastic. Female monastic is called Bhikkhuni . Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis keep many precepts: they live by the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline, the basic rules of which are called the patimokkha...
  
  , {{IAST
  Bhikkhuni
  A Bhikkhuni is a fully ordained female Buddhist monastic. Male monastics are called Bhikkhus. Both Bhikkunis and Bhikkhus live by the vinaya...
  
  , upāsakas or upāsikās
  Upasaka
  Upāsaka or Upāsikā are from the Sanskrit and Pāli words for "attendant". This is the title of followers of Buddhism who are not monks, nuns or novices in a Buddhist order and who undertake certain vows...
  
  .

• Being born a human who has the physical and intellectual capacity to grasp the basic message of the Dharma.

• Accepting the relationship between good or evil actions and their consequences, believing that good actions will lead to a happier life, a better rebirth or to enlightenment.

• Confidence in the moral teachings conveyed in the Vinaya
  Vinaya
  The Vinaya is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha, based in the canonical texts called Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Buddha, or Buddhadharma can be divided into two broad categories: 'Dharma' or doctrine, and 'Vinaya', or discipline...
  
  .

• Avoiding crimes against people and against the Dharma.

• Having sincere compassion for other people.

Just as it is difficult to obtain birth as a human, it is also difficult to be born at the time when a Buddha's teaching is still available. Out of the infinite kalpas (incredibly long periods) in time, most have no Buddhas appearing in them at all. The present kalpa is called "Fortunate" because it is said that 1,000 Buddhas will appear in it, something that is very unusual.

For this reason, Buddhist teachers say that one's present condition as a human being should be valued very highly, and not allowed to slide by, as the combination of existence as a human and the presence of a Buddha's teaching may not come again for a very long time. Any human, in this view, who finds himself or herself in a position to learn the Dharma, would be remiss if he or she did not take advantage of it. This view also stands in contrast to those who would claim that, if one is to be reborn multiple times, there is no need to worry about one's actions in this life as they can always be amended in the future; rather, there is no assurance that in a long series of lives one will ever obtain the right circumstances for enlightenment, so it is important to seize the day.

With regard to a fortunate human life, Pabongka Rinpoche

Pabongka Rinpoche

Pabongka Rinpoche , Jampa Tenzin Trinlay Gyatso, was one of the great Gelug lamas of the modern era of Tibetan Buddhism. He attained his Geshe degree at Sera Monastic University, Lhasa, and became a highly influential teacher in Tibet, unusual for teaching a great number of lay people...

 said: "Instead of feeling so much regret when we lose our money, we should develop regret when we waste our human life."

Myth of human origins

According to the Aggañña Sutta

Aggañña Sutta

Aggañña Sutta is the 27th Sutta of Digha Nikaya collections. The sutta describes a discourse imparted from the Buddha to two brahmins, Bharadvaja and Vasettha, who left their family and caste to become monks. The two brahmins are insulted and maligned by their own caste for their intention to...

 (DN.27), human beings originated at the beginning of the current kalpa as deva-like beings reborn from the Ābhāsvara deva-realm. They were then beings shining in their own light, capable of moving through the air without mechanical aid, living for a very long time, and not requiring sustenance.

Over time, they acquired a taste for physical nutriment, and as they consumed it, their bodies became heavier and more like human bodies; they lost their ability to shine, and began to acquire differences in their appearance. Their length of life decreased, they differentiated into two sexes and became sexually active. Following this, greed, theft and violence arose among them, and they consequently established social distinctions and government and elected a king to rule them, called Mahāsammata, "the great appointed one". Some of the kings of India in the Buddha

Gautama Buddha

Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher in the north eastern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is regarded by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha of our age. The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c...

's day claimed descent from him.

Nature of the human realm

In the visionary picture of the human realm presented in Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology

Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries.-Introduction:...

, human beings live on four continents which are, relatively speaking, small islands in a vast ocean that surrounds the axial world-mountain of Sumeru

Sumeru

Sumeru or Sineru is the name of the central world-mountain in Buddhist cosmology. Etymologically, the proper name of the mountain is Meru , to which is added the approbatory prefix su-, resulting in the meaning "excellent Meru" or "wonderful Meru".The concept of Sumeru is closely related to the...

, and fills most of the earth's surface. The ocean is in turn surrounded by a circular mountain wall called {{IAST|Cakravāḍa}} (Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....

) or {{IAST|Cakkavāḷa}} (Pāli

Páli

- External links :* *...

) which marks the horizontal limit of the earth. Because of the immenseness of the ocean, the continents cannot be reached from each other by ordinary sailing vessels, although in the past, when the cakravartin kings ruled, communication between the continents was possible by means of the treasure called the cakraratna (Pāli cakkaratana), which a cakravartin and his retinue could use to fly through the air between the continents.

The four continents are:

• Jambudvīpa
  Jambudvipa
  Jambudvīpa is the name of the dvipa of the terrestrial world as envisioned in the cosmologies of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism where ordinary human beings live.-Puranic description as per Hindu cosmology:...
  
  (Sanskrit) or Jambudīpa (Pāli) or 南阎浮提洲 (阎浮提 is also translated as 赡部 in Chinese) is located in the south and is the dwelling of ordinary human beings. It is said to be shaped "like a cart", or rather a blunt-nosed triangle with the point facing south. (This description probably echoes the shape of the coastline of southern India.) It is 10,000 yojanas in extent (Vibhajyavāda tradition) or has a perimeter of 6,000 yojanas (Sarvāstivāda tradition) to which can be added the southern coast of only 3 {{fraction|1|2}} yojanas' length. The continent takes its name from a giant Jambu tree (Syzygium cumini
  Jambul
  Jambul is an evergreen tropical tree in the flowering plant family Myrtaceae, native to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Indonesia...
  
  ), 100 yojanas tall, which grows in the middle of the continent. Every continent has one of these giant trees. All Buddhas appear in Jambudvīpa. The humans here are five to six feet tall and their length of life varies between 80,000 and 10 years.

• Pūrvavideha or Pubbavideha or 东毗提诃洲 (毗提诃 is also translated as 胜身) is located in the east, and is shaped like a semicircle with the flat side pointing westward (i.e., towards Sumeru). It is 7,000 yojanas in extent (Vibhajyavāda tradition) or has a perimeter of 6,350 yojanas of which the flat side is 2,000 yojanas long (Sarvāstivāda tradition). Its tree is the acacia
  Acacia
  Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1773. The plants tend to be thorny and pod-bearing, with sap and leaves typically bearing large amounts of tannins...
  
  . The humans here are about 12 feet tall and they live for 250 years.

• Aparagodānīya or Aparagoyāna or 西瞿陀尼洲 (瞿陀尼 is also translated as 牛货) is located in the west, and is shaped like a circle with a circumference of about 7,500 yojanas (Sarvāstivāda tradition). The tree of this continent is a giant Kadambu tree. The human inhabitants of this continent do not live in houses but sleep on the ground. They are about 24 feet tall and they live for 500 years.

• Uttarakuru or 北俱卢洲 is located in the north, and is shaped like a square. It has a perimter of 8,000 yojanas, being 2,000 yojanas on each side. This continent's tree is called a {{IAST|kalpavṛkṣa}} (Pāli: kapparukkha) or kalpa-tree, because it lasts for the entire kalpa. The humans of Uttarakuru are said to be extraordinarily wealthy. They do not need to labor for a living, as their food grows by itself, and they have no private property. They have cities built in the air. They are about 48 feet tall and live for 1,000 years, and they are under the protection of {{IAST
  Vaisravana
  ' or ' also known as Jambhala, is the name of the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhist mythology.-Name:The name is derived from the Sankrit ' "Great Fame"....
  
  .

Sources

• sGam.po.pa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, Chapter 2, translated by H.V. Guenther. JOL
• Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub, The Beautiful Ornament of the Three Visions, translated by Lobsang Dagpa and Jay Goldberg, Section A2. BOTV
• G.P. Malalasekara, Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names
• Thus Have I Heard: The Long Discourse of the Buddha, translated by Maurice Walshe. DN

{{Buddhism topics}}