Question (ritual, Earth, reincarnate, soul, creation)

[Master Vigil]

We just finished talking about Hinduism in my religions class. I have one question still... Are humans the only beings that can achieve moksha? Even though all things in the end are apart of brahma? So if a wolf was pure, could he not achieve moksha? Or would he be reincarnated as a human, and then be able to achieve moksha? I was very confused about all this. And my religions teacher didn't do a good job of answering me. I hope you can help me understand.

[Ardhanariswar]

really good question. i think it just the human who can. i really havent thought about it much. i mostly focus on this life, living it, not worrying about my next.

i hope somone can answer it better than I.

[anders]

There are so many flavours of hinduism, but I think there is a fairly general agreement that only humans can attain moksha. Not animals, not even gods! They first have to have at least one more life as a human being.

[premarnava]

hello master vigil

yes even animals can attain moksa, it all depends on the soul inside the body. If this soul is spiritually developed it can understand his real position as spirit soul and meditate on that whit the possibility to attain moksa at the end of his live. But this are special cases generally animals are in the mood of ignorance and are not able to attain moksa they can only act whitin the boundaries of there animal body. The soul inside the animal body have to wait till he has developed till a human body. In the human body only one has the developed consciousness to understand that we are is not our body but an eternal spirit soul. Thats why the human body is so important it is the only body in which we have oppertunity to understand our higher nature.

premarnava

[akshar]

Yep, animals can attain moksha as well, look for the story of someone called nandi, he was sent as jackal to earth and he attained moksha, im really not bohrd to tell da story

[Milind2469]

Hindu philosophy tells that there are 8.4 million species that the soul has to go through. Depending upon his Karma account, the soul moves to next species (supposed to be the same chain of creation of species on earth). The last life that it has to enter is that of a human in which the soul gets a special tool-- the powerful mind. through the route of this mind the human can communicate with the soul which is the part of Brahma. this way we receive the supreme truth, from within ourselves. Of course, the mind has to be very pure, the body away from materialism so as not to let the mind deviate from it's goal.

That's why it is said only human can achieve miksha.

[Hema]

The human body is a gift from God and is attained through positive karma. Even the Devtas (Sort of like angels) cannot attain a human body even if they want to. The soul passes through different species of animal life forms before it attains a human body. The advantage we have over the animals is that we can perceive and experience God. Of course the animals are equally God's children because God's Spirit is alive in them also. Only in the human form can we attain moksha. When animals die they reincarnate as higher life forms until they attain the human body and get a chance at moksha. Humans can even be reborn as animals because if they live an animalistic life, in the next life they attain a life form befitting of this mentality. For example, when people eat meat, remember they are attaining joy from eating at the expense of an innocent creature's life. People can be reborn as an animal that is naturally equipped to hunt and kill prey. (Humans are not naturally designed for this). So basically, the animals have a chance at Moksha also. All life comes from God and will return to God eventually.