What is unique in human compare to animal?

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
SarathW
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What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by SarathW »

Scientists now believe that, we evolved and our closest relative Chimpanzee also possess 99% of human genes. This 1% has made a quantum change to human. So what is the real difference between animals and human?
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by DNS »

The capacity to learn and practice the Dhamma.

That's it. The rest is the same; eating, sleeping, sex/seeking pleasure. Moral of the point: practice Dhamma (or some form of spiritual development) or you are no better than an animal.
SarathW
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by SarathW »

:clap:
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Jason
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by Jason »

SarathW wrote:Scientists now believe that, we evolved and our closest relative Chimpanzee also possess 99% of human genes. This 1% has made a quantum change to human. So what is the real difference between animals and human?
Well, from a biological point of view, we are animals. But the animal kingdom is extremely variegated, and humans differ from other animals in a variety of ways, one of them being our ability to produce things, especially our means of subsistence (this is actually what Marx thought set us apart from other animals, so it's not really a Buddhist teaching). And, of course, there's our levels of culture and communication, which is another difference.

From the Buddhist point of view, however, humans are in their own realm or category primarily due to their more developed mental faculties. In fact, that's precisely the definition of the Pali term denoting humans, manussa, which means 'those who have an uplifted or developed mind' (mano ussannam etesam).

Psychologically speaking, human beings don't seem to be as constrained by instinct as animals appear to be, which is one of the reasons I think the animal realm is often associated with lower levels of intelligence and self-awareness, as well as rudimentary faculties of volition that don't seem to be as open to being actively developed as ours appear to be. In Theravada, for example, it's held by those who take the teachings on rebirth literally that animals aren't capable of the same level of intention (cetana); as such, they're unable to practice the Dhamma and therefore they must wait until they take rebirth as a more mentally evolved being (e.g., human, deva, etc.).

That said, I personally think that animals can experience the type of 'periodic nibbanas' described by Ajahn Buddhadasa in Nibbana For Everyone, but I'm not sure they have the capacity to achieve the same level of liberation and freedom from suffering that lies at the end of the eightfold path. And even if they do, I doubt we'd ever know it.
"Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya" (AN 7.58).

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SarathW
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by SarathW »

Hi Jason
In regard to making tools and cultural development, I see some animals are better than human! For example I have seen termite houses, higher than six meters. This is amazing in comparison to the size of the termite. I haven’t seen any animal massacre their own kind like human.
In regard to mental development, I may agree with you. I agree that we all are in a separate stage of development. I haven’t attained Arahantship yet. Am I a human or an animal? Buddha is called a super human. I think human is the only animal have the potential to attain Nirvana.
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by Jason »

SarathW wrote:In regard to making tools and cultural development, I see some animals are better than human! For example I have seen termite houses, higher than six meters. This is amazing in comparison to the size of the termite. I haven’t seen any animal massacre their own kind like human.
Sure, termite mounds can be pretty impressive; but skyscrapers and international spaces stations aren't anything to shake a stick at, either. Not too many termite astronauts orbiting the Earth. ;)

As for the rest, we do have a knack for killing our own kind, not to mention every other kind, but animals do their fair share of killing just as we do our fair share of showing love and compassion. I'm not saying that we're necessarily better than other species, just illustrating some of the things that make our species distinct from all the others.
"Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya" (AN 7.58).

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SarathW
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by SarathW »

What about ducks flying over Himalayas even before we invent the aeroplane. ;)

By the way I like your location “earth”. it is very enlightening.
My dream is to see that we all live in this earth as one happy family. (including animals)
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by Jason »

SarathW wrote:My dream is to see that we all live in this earth as one happy family. (including animals)
I'd like to see that, too.
"Sabbe dhamma nalam abhinivesaya" (AN 7.58).

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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by pegembara »

Humans are not as strong as an elephant, not as fast as a deer, cannot fly like a bird, can't swim like dolphins, can't hear like dogs, can't see in the dark like bats, cannot defend themselves like tigers, can't even survive in the wild without clothing/shelter.

It is the ability to use our intelligence and tools/inventions that set humans apart from other animals. The human mind creates - cars, planes, computers, TV, microphones, submarines, ultrasound, radio, cellphones, satellites. Not to mention art, music, philosophy, nations etc.

I would say it is the human mind and body (eg. ability for fine digital manipulation) that makes human unique.
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by pegembara »

Humans are not as strong as an elephant, not as fast as a deer, cannot fly like a bird, can't swim like dolphins, can't hear like dogs, can't see in the dark like bats, cannot defend themselves like tigers, can't even survive in the wild without clothing/shelter.

It is the ability to use our intelligence and tools/inventions that set humans apart from other animals. The human mind creates - cars, planes, computers, TV, microphones, submarines, ultrasound, radio, cellphones, satellites. Not to mention art, music, philosophy, nations etc.

I would say it is the human mind and body (eg. ability for fine digital manipulation) that makes human unique.
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by SarathW »

Hi Pegembra :smile:
Another 10 years time all those magic inventions will be obsolete!
PS: I am not predicting the end of the world
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by Dan74 »

Narratives, acute self-awareness, writing and literature, sophisticated culture, science and technology...
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DAWN
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by DAWN »

And what is the condition to developement of intelegence?
Thumb. :twothumbsup:

Some have fins, some have wings, peoples have thumb. It's the only super-skill that have homosapiens - thumb.
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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by plwk »

What is unique in human compare to animal?
At the moment, a chimp hasn't the literal ability to register on Dhamma Wheel and create a 160 paged thread but of course, the gorillas will contest that metaphorically speaking, humans are not humans all the time literally because at times they are metaphorically chimps too but according to the gibbons, they have direct vision and knowledge that chimps are better humans at times literally but the humans are insisting that the gorillas and gibbons are wrong on that and only they are right... and meanwhile the chimps watches on...

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Re: What is unique in human compare to animal?

Post by lyndon taylor »

I think Humans have a unique and overwhelming tendency to think they are much smarter than they really are, when in fact they are destroying the planet, killing each other, and treating one another like shxt. And now they have the nerve to try and say this is what makes them better than animals, when they really should be studying animals to see how much wisdom they can learn from them. For instance the idea that animals cannot practice Dhamma, complete rubbish. Its humans that can't practice or understand Dhamma, it seems to come quite naturally to many animals.
18 years ago I made one of the most important decisions of my life and entered a local Cambodian Buddhist Temple as a temple boy and, for only 3 weeks, an actual Therevada Buddhist monk. I am not a scholar, great meditator, or authority on Buddhism, but Buddhism is something I love from the Bottom of my heart. It has taught me sobriety, morality, peace, and very importantly that my suffering is optional, and doesn't have to run my life. I hope to give back what little I can to the Buddhist community, sincerely former monk John

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