Will this ever happen?

[brian]

How can a being from lower realms actually takes a good rebirth? for example, how does an animal were to collect merit to enable him to take a better rebirth?

[Gabby Potter]

In my opinion, there are chances that beings from lower realms take rebirths as humans, when their karma is purified. But it depends on their karma as well, some will take a longer period, some shorter period and some do not even have the chance to take better rebirths, I think that it all depends on their karma. My answer may not be accurate but I would definitely love to learn about this because I am pretty curious when it comes to topics like this.

[dondrup]

To take rebirth in the higher realms, lower realm beings must have created the causes to be born there. With the convergence of suitable conditions and the said causes, the lower realm being will be able to take rebirth in the higher realms.
 
However, once one took rebirth in the lower realms, it is extremely difficult and very rare to be able to get out from the three lower realms! One has to remain there for an extremely long period of time until the negative karma to be there are completely exhausted!
 
Conditions that will trigger the ripening of their good karma to be reborn in the higher realms are almost impossible to come by!  It one is born as an animal, unless one has the the good fortunes to be raised by a Dharma practitioner, chances of the animal to be reborn in the higher realms is slim and will take a longer time as described above.  Animals are ignorant and constantly creating more and more negative karmas to go down further into the lower realms; they would kill to survive for example.  Animals simply cannot practise Dharma, or collect merits or transform their minds.

Hence wherenever possible, we should help bless the animals, perform animal liberation, pray and dedicate merits to them, help them to take refuge with the Three Jewels ..... these would help the animals to create causes to be reborn in the higher realms in the future.

[Dondrup Shugden]

Personally I would like to believe that even being born into the lower realms is not permanent.  It can be reversed.

Being born into the lower realms is the result of negative karma, which can be exhausted or purified by suffering on self and by others.  When such suffering is endured and nothing can be done in retaliation by animals then I wonder if that will exhaust the negative karma.  Of course even as an animal we can enhance our negative karma by doing harm to others. 

So in conclusion, I feel that leaving the lower realms is possible but not easy.

Therefore being a turtle in this life to have been encircled by the yolk, let us practise to prevent being too long in the lower realm when we die and reborn into.

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Thank you Dondrup for your clear explanation on the possibility of an animal to be born into a higher realm. It does remind us to be very mindful of our actions, thoughts and speech now, so to avoid creating more causes for us to be born in a lower realm. Yes, it also makes myself feel so fortunate to be born as a complete human being with all the necessary conditions to practice dharma so that I could generate some merits to dedicate to all beings who are currently not able to do so.