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many souls enter into plants (vanassaikāiyattäe vakk. Viy. 300 a). An animal may have experienced the existence of hell, as have the elephant Udãi and his colleague Bhūyānanda (Viy. 720 a), who both, however, will find salvation in their next existence. A god, circumstances permitting, may materialize as a serpent, a precious stone or as a tree (Viy. 581 b). To enter into a lower stage of existence (aviukkantıyam cayamāne) causes shame, discomfort and vexation within him (V1y. 86 a). Vıy. in 652 b minutely depicts the next form of existence pertaining to a Sal-tree or -twig, etc By example of an extensive list of plants, first of all trees, V1y. 21-23 (V1y. 800 a ff.) show that plant souls come from the animal- or man-stage, though it has to be noted that here the emphasis is on the simultaneity of the incarnation partly basing on the fact that certain plants are the bearers of several or many souls (§ 106)- -so acc. to V1y. 508 b the uppala and others are bearers of as many souls as they have leaves (patta), and that, acc. to Vıy. 800 a, root, branch, bark, etc. each contain one soul. But as is maintained by V1y. 796 b, Than. 104 b, also all other beings are given the possibility to reincarnate simultaneously and, what is more, to do so by changing their stages (for them see above) In contrast to those that do so individually (avvattaga-samcıya) those that in a number of x enter into a new stage simultaneously are called katı-samcıya, and those that do so in a number of ¿ akati-s. The occurence of groups of six (chakka-samajjiya), 12 and 84 is treated with all the delight taken in such calculations, the same that equally shows up in Viy 31 (948 a f.) from the point of view of the sum (§ 21) of beings
$95. Other problems related to the question of simultaneity (Pannav. 204 b, 208 a) may be left aside here. Instead we come to discuss the process of reincarnation itself. Released by the maran'antıya samugghāya from the particles of the hitherto āuya-kamma the soul moves towards the new place in order to take its house there But this is but the one possibility open to It The other one mentioned together with it consists in the soul returning (paḍınıyattaı), performing the auya-ejection once again and then definitely taking its home at the new place
COSMOLOGY
