Was Buddha ever born as an elephant?
Upvote:0
My impression is Jataka are about the Bodhisatta. Regardless, the Buddha did not speak the Jataka, which are universally acknowledged to be belated texts. They were possibly commissioned under King Ashoka, who wanted to spread Buddhism. Ultimately, being stories for children, the Jataka probably contributed strongly to the materialism of reincarnation that now dominates much of Buddhism and resulted in the demise of Buddhism in India (since Buddhism became largely indistinguishable from Hinduism). Obviously, it is every difficult to argue the Bodhisatta in the Jataka was not an Atman (Same-Soul) reincarnated over many lifetimes. For the true meaning of "past lives", which is "past abodes ("pubbe nivasa"), I recommend to study SN 22.79 very carefully. A wise person would ask questions about SN 22.79. Because you are Indian, you should understand the words "nivasa" ("homes") & "jati" ("caste"; "identity") do not mean "past lives".
Upvote:1
No. Animals can not become Buddha. Even if an elephant or any other animal regulates his life right ,he will not attain insight into the Truth.
To quote from Questions of King Milinda:
'Venerable NΓ’gasena, those who regulate their lives aright--do they all attain to insight into the Truth, or are there some of them who do not?' 'Some do, O king, and some do not.' 'Then which do, Sir, and which do not?' 'He who is born as an animal, O king, even though he regulate his life aright, will not attain to insight into the Truth, nor he who is born in the Preta world, nor he who holds wrong views, nor the deceitful man, nor he who has slain his mother, or his father, or an Arahat, nor he who has raised up a schism in the Order, nor he who has shed a Buddha's blood, nor he who has furtively attached himself to the Order , nor he who has become a pervert , nor he who has violated a sister of the Order, nor he who, having been guilty of one or other of the thirteen grievous offences , has not been rehabilitated, nor a eunuch, nor an hermaphrodite--and whosoever is a human child under seven years of age, even though he regulate his life aright, will not attain to insight into the Truth. To these sixteen individuals there is no attainment of insight, O king, even though they regulate their life aright.'
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