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INTRODUCTION TO JAINISM
cultural expression, or with questions about his (divine) origin, in fact, it does not show much interest beyond its primary physical impulses. But I was told that even a dog can go to a temple and listen attentively, and though he can not express himself verbally, he can still hear the teachings and be touched by them. Would such a thing be possible without a human brain? I would imagine that a dog lack the typical human brain mind thinking! One dog used to lie down near the feet of a guru, and while other dogs outside would make their dogs' noises, this one preferred the feet of the master. It is very important how we behave towards and communicate with our pets or cattle. They are not only interested in the food we put before them, but they are also influenced by our manners of expression and real moral qualities. Above I wrote that the beings who are now in a celestial or hellish state of consciousness have been humans in their most recent incarnation. But in the stories which were told me it appeared that higher animals such as dogs, tigers, elephants and even frogs and snakes, provided they behave in the right way, can after their passing be born as celestial beings. After all, they have all that is needed: five senses and a mind. There are even many animals that choose for their process of dying the same path as the Digambara monks: when their natural end approaches they abandon all eating and even drinking with the intention of dying completely purified. An animal which acts in such a way cannot possibly take birth in a karmically lower realm of existence than where it is now, so after death it will take form in one of the many heavenly abodes. This may not be an official Jain teaching, but many believe it that way. Somebody told me about an actual case when a dog had done so. Many birds also take that path: they stop eating and then die. In the West we would say that this is an unconscious instinctive action, but Jains can believe that this is their conscious noble choice with the purpose of reaching a higher form of birth. Who knows how the inner urge from the soul influences the individual consciousness of an animal, a human, or other organism? I suggest you look deep into the
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