CHAPTER 26
MODES OF BIRTH AND DEATH
"Again, again the
slow, wits seek rebirth,
Again, again comes birth and dying comes,
Again, again men bear its to the grave."
-- SAMYUTTA NIKĀYA
The
Paticca-Samuppāda describes the process of rebirth in subtle technical
terms and assigns death to one of the following four causes:
1. Exhaustion of the
Reproductive Kammic energy (kammakkhaya).
The Buddhist belief is
that, as a rule, the thought, volition, or desire, which is extremely
strong during lifetime, becomes predominant at the time of death and
conditions the subsequent birth. In this last thought-process is present a
special potentiality. When the potential energy of this Reproductive (janaka)
Kamma is exhausted, the organic activities of the material form in
which is embodied the life-force, cease even before the end of the
life-span in that particular place.
This often happens in
the case of beings who are born in states of misery (apāya)
but it can happen in other planes too.
2. The expiration of
the life-term (āyukkhaya), which varies in different planes.
Natural deaths, due to
old age, may be classed under this category.
There are different
planes of existence with varying age-limits. Irrespective of the Kammic
force that has yet to run, one must, however, succumb to death when the
maximum age-limit is reached.
If the Reproductive
Kammic force is extremely powerful, the Kammic energy. rematerialises
itself in the same plane or, as in the case of Devas, in some higher
realm.
3. The simultaneous
exhaustion of the Reproductive Kammic energy and the expiration of the
life-term (ubhayakkhaya).
4. The opposing
action of a stronger Kamma unexpectedly obstructing the flow of the
Reproductive Kamma before the life-term expires (upacchedaka-kamma).
Sudden untimely deaths
of persons and the deaths of children are due to this cause.
A more powerful opposing
force can check the path of a flying arrow and bring it down to the
ground. So a very powerful Kammic force of the past is capable of
nullifying the potential energy of the last thought-process, and may thus
destroy the psychic life of the being.
The death of Venerable
Devadatta, for instance, was due to a Destructive Kamma which he committed
during his lifetime.
The first three are
collectively called "timely deaths" (kāla-marana), and the fourth
is known as "untimely death" (akāla-marana).
An oil lamp, for
instance, may get extinguished owing to any of the following four causes
-- namely, the exhaustion of the wick, the exhaustion of oil, simultaneous
exhaustion of both wick and oil, or some extraneous cause like a gust of
wind.
So may death be due to
any of the foregoing four causes.
Explaining thus the
causes of death, Buddhism states that there are four modes of birth --
namely, 1. egg-born beings (andaja), 2. womb-born beings (jalābuja),
3. moisture-born beings (samsedaja), and 4. beings having
spontaneous births (opapātika).
This broad
classification embraces all living beings.
Birds and oviparous
snakes belong to the first division.
The womb-born creatures
comprise all human beings, some devas inhabiting the earth, and some
animals that take conception in a mother's womb.
Embryos, using moisture
as nidus for their growth, like certain lowly forms of animal life, belong
to the third class.
Beings having a
spontaneous birth are generally invisible to the physical eye. Conditioned
by their past Kamma, they appear spontaneously, without passing through an
embryonic stage. Petas and Devas normally, and Brahmas belong to this
class.
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Source : BuddhaSasana website, http://www.budsas.org
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Update : 01-10-2002
