To Change Human Nature Is to Transform Habitual Tendencies

Some say that to understand human nature, one should observe the animal kingdom; once the animal world is comprehended, a portion of human nature is understood. Is this statement valid? Why?

The six realms are ranked from lowest to highest as follows: hell realm, ghost realm, animal realm, human realm, heavenly realm, and asura realm. Among these, beings of the asura realm exist within the other five realms and can be considered part of them. Beings undergo rebirth within these realms. The animal realm is adjacent to the human realm, and their natures are similar. After transitioning from the animal realm to the human realm, human nature remains closely akin to animal nature. As long as one has not eliminated the view of self, they will return to the animal realm, fully endowed with animalistic traits. This sounds unpleasant. Last time, when the issue of afflictions touched upon the animal realm, no one was willing to engage, and I knew everyone avoided this topic. But avoidance does not solve the problem; facing the issue brings clarity and thus resolution.

Habitual tendencies manifest in the mental faculty. When a being transitions from the animal realm to the human realm, the conscious mind changes, but the mental faculty remains unaltered. At the core, they remain akin to animal or ghostly beings. Consequently, in future rebirths, they will still revolve within the three lower realms, fully endowed with the nature of beings from the three evil destinies.

Do not cling too tightly to the minor blessings of human life—fame, profit, power, status, or race. Once fallen into the three evil destinies, one becomes nothing, inferior even to ordinary humans. Therefore, upon encountering the Buddha Dharma, the crucial practice is to cultivate the mental faculty and transform it. Once the mental faculty is transformed, the fundamental nature changes, distinguishing one from beings of the three evil destinies, and the resultant karmic retribution becomes different.

To change oneself, one must understand oneself. To understand oneself, one must not only observe oneself and observe one's own kind but also observe animals and ghostly beings. Because they are similar, generally alike, understanding them fully leads to a thorough understanding of oneself. And only by understanding oneself can one find the means to change.