CaptainVeg
New member
I recently did a meditation course where I learned a lot more about Buddhism then I've ever known. My understanding is that your path to enlightenment is influenced by the karma and sankharas of your past life, and if you die miserable in this life then your miserable consciousness will manifest in the next life. My understanding is also that the fortune that you receive in this life is due to the karmas of your past lives.
My question is about the death of very young babies, such as 5 month olds. If the fortune of their life was based on past life karmas, and they die just after they are born, can they ever manifest in a life where they get the chance to pursue the road to enlightenment? From my understanding I feel as though dying so young must mean that you suffered a lot of misery in your past lives, and if the misery is so great then does this consciousness get born only to perish?
Or is it that because a baby that young is not fully aware, it has no concept of misery when it dies therefore cancelling out some of the miseries of its past lives?
I'm not suggesting the baby is miserable, simply trying to understand how karma works in the case of such premature death.
My question is about the death of very young babies, such as 5 month olds. If the fortune of their life was based on past life karmas, and they die just after they are born, can they ever manifest in a life where they get the chance to pursue the road to enlightenment? From my understanding I feel as though dying so young must mean that you suffered a lot of misery in your past lives, and if the misery is so great then does this consciousness get born only to perish?
Or is it that because a baby that young is not fully aware, it has no concept of misery when it dies therefore cancelling out some of the miseries of its past lives?
I'm not suggesting the baby is miserable, simply trying to understand how karma works in the case of such premature death.