<p>'Humans' are people who have a moral conscience &amp; are humane.</p>
<p>'Animals' are people driven by instinct (such as survivalism, tribalism &amp; terroritalism), emotion, without reflective wisdom.</p>
<p>'Human' &amp; 'animal' are states of mind rather than physical qualities.</p>
<p>For example, the 'human state' is described as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Sooner, I say, would that blind turtle, coming to the surface once every hundred years, insert its neck into that yoke with a single hole than the fool who has gone once to the nether world would regain the <strong>human state</strong>. For what reason? Because here, bhikkhus, there is no <strong>conduct guided by the Dhamma</strong>, no <strong>righteous conduct</strong>, no <strong>wholesome activity</strong>, no <strong>meritorious activity</strong>. Here there prevails mutual devouring, the devouring of the weak. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, they have not <strong>seen the Four Noble Truths</strong>. What four? The noble truth of suffering … the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.</em></p>
<p><em>SN 56.47</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>AN 6.39 says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Bhikkhus, a god, a human or any other good state would not be evident from actions born of greed, hate and delusion. Yet, bhikkhus, from actions born of greed, hate and delusion a hellish being, an animal birth a ghostly birth or some other bad state would be evident.</em></p>
<p><em>AN 6.39</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>As for Nirvana, the suttas described it as the here-&amp;-now end of greed, hatred &amp; delusion. There is no 'journey' to 'Nirvana'. To 'journey' is to 'wander &amp; roam'. '<em>Wandering &amp; roaming</em>' is called '<em>samsara</em>'. '<em>Nirvana</em>' is found in the present. '<em>Samsara</em>' is not '<em>Nirvana</em>' and '<em>Nirvana</em>' is not '<em>samara</em>'.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T13:47:09.663Z
2019-07-17T13:52:34.017Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>In Buddhism, there are 31 planes of existence (<a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/allexistence.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">“The Thirty-One Planes of Existence” by Venerable. Bhante Suvanno Mahathera</a>) which make a universe. There are such infinite universes. (Page 27, <a href="http://www.aathaapi.net/EBooks/AbhidhammatthaPradeepikaHQ1.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Abhidharma Pradeepika, volume 1</a> by Mr. Amaradasa Rathanapala)</p>

<p>Also, there are multiple humanoid planets.</p>

<p>If the world gets destroyed then everyone is born somewhere else, either in a different humanoid planet in the same of a different universe, a different plane in the same of a different universe, or inter-dimensional hell which belong to any universe. The cycle will not be broken.</p>

<p>Also, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology_of_the_Theravada_school" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Buddhist cosmology of the Theravada school</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T14:10:02.240Z
What if another war ended all human and animal lives in all planes of existence?
saltpenny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T14:12:16.630Z
There is no war powerful enough to wipe 1000s of planets in a single universe let alone any parallel universes.
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T14:12:50.707Z
Also, this answer might be of interest: https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/13087/295
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T14:19:10.477Z
How would you know if there is no such war capable of such destruction?
saltpenny
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-18T02:36:44.207Z
It's simple math, if you toss 1,000 coins and hoping for the odds that all 1,000 of them show heads, it'd be exceedingly exceedingly low, though not completely zero. Similarly, with countless number of planets in an infinite universe, the odds that every single human planet have a totally completely catastrophic war that wipes out all life would be infinitely infinitely low, though technically not at zero. That's why Samsara was, is, and will be going on forever.
santa100
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T14:00:49.347Z
2019-07-17T14:06:57.753Z
2019-07-17T14:06:57.753Z
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn15/sn15.003.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN 15.3</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"<strong>From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A
  beginning point is not evident</strong>, though beings hindered by ignorance
  and fettered by craving are transmigrating &amp; wandering on. Long have
  you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss,
  swelling the cemeteries — enough to become disenchanted with all
  fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be
  released."</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.009.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 9</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>From the origination of <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/9414/471">fermentation</a> comes the origination of
  <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/8556/471">ignorance</a>. From the cessation of fermentation comes the cessation of
  ignorance. .....</p>
  
  <p>From the origination of ignorance comes the origination of
  fermentation. From the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of
  fermentation.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>From <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.15.0.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DN 15</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>"Thus, Ananda, <strong>from name-and-form as a requisite condition comes
  consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes
  name-and-form.</strong> From name-and-form as a requisite condition comes
  contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From
  feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a
  requisite condition comes clinging. From clinging as a requisite
  condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes
  birth. From birth as a requisite condition, aging, death, sorrow,
  lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the
  origination of this entire mass of stress.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>As you can see above, the Buddha says that a beginning point for samsara is not seen.</p>

<p>There are also cyclic relationships like between <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/8556/471">ignorance</a> and fermentation (or <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/9414/471">effluents</a>), and also between consciousness and name-and-form.</p>

<p>This is like the case of chicken and egg - which came first? A beginning point is not evident.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-17T16:46:36.953Z
2019-07-17T16:46:36.953Z
ruben2020
<p>Or will human beings be magically reborn again in order to continue their journey to Nirvana?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-07T14:18:51.863Z
Your questions includes "magically", which appears to be the basis of beliefs. In most religion, "Believing" is just trusting, without substantial evidence. Most evidences there are often just anecdotes, but we must realize the human mind is susceptible to filter disconfirming data out & even to illusionate. There is no real evidence to believe literal rebirth & afaik, the Buddha suggested not to blindly believe, but to question & see whether it's for your long term welfare.
Val
<lay-buddhism><tibetan-buddhism>
Suppose World War 3 occurs and manages to wipe out all humans and animals. Is the cycle of death and rebirth broken?
# Suppose World War 3 occurs and manages to wipe out all humans and animals. Is the cycle of death and rebirth broken?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-07-17)

Or will human beings be magically reborn again in order to continue their journey to Nirvana?

**Tags:** lay-buddhism, tibetan-buddhism

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Your questions includes "magically", which appears to be the basis of beliefs. In most religion, "Believing" is just trusting, without substantial evidence. Most evidences there are often just anecdotes, but we must realize the human mind is susceptible to filter disconfirming data out & even to illusionate. There is no real evidence to believe literal rebirth & afaik, the Buddha suggested not to blindly believe, but to question & see whether it's for your long term welfare.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-07-17. Score: 1

'Humans' are people who have a moral conscience & are humane.

'Animals' are people driven by instinct (such as survivalism, tribalism & terroritalism), emotion, without reflective wisdom.

'Human' & 'animal' are states of mind rather than physical qualities.

For example, the 'human state' is described as follows:

> *Sooner, I say, would that blind turtle, coming to the surface once every hundred years, insert its neck into that yoke with a single hole than the fool who has gone once to the nether world would regain the **human state**. For what reason? Because here, bhikkhus, there is no **conduct guided by the Dhamma**, no **righteous conduct**, no **wholesome activity**, no **meritorious activity**. Here there prevails mutual devouring, the devouring of the weak. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, they have not **seen the Four Noble Truths**. What four? The noble truth of suffering … the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering.*
>
> *SN 56.47*

AN 6.39 says:

> *Bhikkhus, a god, a human or any other good state would not be evident from actions born of greed, hate and delusion. Yet, bhikkhus, from actions born of greed, hate and delusion a hellish being, an animal birth a ghostly birth or some other bad state would be evident.*
>
> *AN 6.39*

As for Nirvana, the suttas described it as the here-&-now end of greed, hatred & delusion. There is no 'journey' to 'Nirvana'. To 'journey' is to 'wander & roam'. '*Wandering & roaming*' is called '*samsara*'. '*Nirvana*' is found in the present. '*Samsara*' is not '*Nirvana*' and '*Nirvana*' is not '*samara*'.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-07-17. Score: 1

In Buddhism, there are 31 planes of existence ([“The Thirty-One Planes of Existence” by Venerable. Bhante Suvanno Mahathera](http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/allexistence.pdf)) which make a universe. There are such infinite universes. (Page 27, [Abhidharma Pradeepika, volume 1](http://www.aathaapi.net/EBooks/AbhidhammatthaPradeepikaHQ1.pdf) by Mr. Amaradasa Rathanapala)

Also, there are multiple humanoid planets.

If the world gets destroyed then everyone is born somewhere else, either in a different humanoid planet in the same of a different universe, a different plane in the same of a different universe, or inter-dimensional hell which belong to any universe. The cycle will not be broken.

Also, see [Buddhist cosmology of the Theravada school](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology_of_the_Theravada_school).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What if another war ended all human and animal lives in all planes of existence?  
> **username_3**: There is no war powerful enough to wipe 1000s of planets in a single universe let alone any parallel universes.  
> **username_3**: Also, this answer might be of interest: https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/13087/295  
> **username_0**: How would you know if there is no such war capable of such destruction?  
> **username_4**: It's simple math, if you toss 1,000 coins and hoping for the odds that all 1,000 of them show heads, it'd be exceedingly exceedingly low, though not completely zero. Similarly, with countless number of planets in an infinite universe, the odds that every single human planet have a totally completely catastrophic war that wipes out all life would be infinitely infinitely low, though technically not at zero. That's why Samsara was, is, and will be going on forever.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-07-17. Score: 0

From [SN 15.3](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn15/sn15.003.than.html):

> "**From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A
> beginning point is not evident**, though beings hindered by ignorance
> and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have
> you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss,
> swelling the cemeteries — enough to become disenchanted with all
> fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be
> released."

From [MN 9](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.009.than.html):

> From the origination of [fermentation](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/9414/471) comes the origination of
> [ignorance](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/8556/471). From the cessation of fermentation comes the cessation of
> ignorance. .....
>
> From the origination of ignorance comes the origination of
> fermentation. From the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of
> fermentation.

From [DN 15](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.15.0.than.html):

> "Thus, Ananda, **from name-and-form as a requisite condition comes
> consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes
> name-and-form.** From name-and-form as a requisite condition comes
> contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From
> feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a
> requisite condition comes clinging. From clinging as a requisite
> condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes
> birth. From birth as a requisite condition, aging, death, sorrow,
> lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the
> origination of this entire mass of stress.

As you can see above, the Buddha says that a beginning point for samsara is not seen.

There are also cyclic relationships like between [ignorance](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/8556/471) and fermentation (or [effluents](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/9414/471)), and also between consciousness and name-and-form.

This is like the case of chicken and egg - which came first? A beginning point is not evident.


---

