<p>Buddhism's version of birth is not coming out from an egg or the birth we recognize.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is Birth As to Lord Buddha....</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>The necessary conditions for a birth to happen in realms below Deva
realms</li>
</ul>
<p>Joining of parents</p>
<p>A suitable mother</p>
<p>The coming of gandhabba*</p>
<p>(*The materials for a new  viññāṇa (consciousness) to be born {not the misunderstood inter-birth being})</p>
<hr />
<ul>
<li>Consciousness and awareness before birth (coming out to the world).</li>
</ul>
<p>1:- Some are born into the womb without any awareness of anything, stays in the womb without any awareness and are born to the world without any awareness.</p>
<p>2:- Some are born into the womb with awareness, stays in the womb without any awareness and are born to the world without any awareness.</p>
<p>3:- Some are born into the womb with awareness, stays in the womb with awareness and are born to the world without any awareness.</p>
<p>4:- Some are born into the womb with awareness, stays in the womb with awareness and are born to the world with.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Source :- (Amazing understanding) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Knanananda thero.</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<ul>
<li>What is Lord Buddha's definition of birth?</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.002.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Vibhanga Sutta</strong></a></p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<ul>
<li>When does the suffering begin?</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.002.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>Uppada sutta</strong></a></p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-24T13:40:35.700Z
2016-01-24T13:40:35.700Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
Theravada
<blockquote>
  <p>could it be a result of previous lifetime good or bad karma?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Every thing happening in this universe is not due to Karma. Karma is only one out of five reasons (Five Niyama). more can be found from below link.</p>

<p><a href="http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/The-Five-Niyamas.htm" rel="nofollow">The Five Niyamas</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-07T16:37:01.777Z
2016-02-07T16:37:01.777Z
DinushaNT
<p>It is worth noting, in conjunction with the other answers provided, that the fetus in question is going through karma from it's past lives in a scenario like this.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>the fetus cannot make any conscious decision or thought processes or have any understandings yet.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This is true, but karma is not always from this life, karma can manifest in lifetimes after the life it is planted in. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-25T15:22:04.857Z
2016-01-25T15:22:04.857Z
hellyale
<p>A rebirth is a rebirth and the life-span does not have a restriction, A life can end as soon as it starts or last a hundred years. The last life will end as soon as the being has mastered all states of physical,mental and emotional endurance and acknowledges that it is a everlasting spirit and not nothing eles.</p>

<p>Here is a well described link to the start of consciousness of a being at the beginning stages of life.But the answer to your question is what I stated above.   </p>

<p><strong>There are Five levels of self-awareness</strong></p>

<h2><a href="http://psychology.emory.edu/cognition/rochat/Five%20levels%20.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://psychology.emory.edu/cognition/rochat/Five%20levels%20.pdf</a></h2>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-04T19:24:34.477Z
2016-02-04T19:24:34.477Z
user5434678
<blockquote>
<p>is it possible to understand why this kind of existence happened?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>not for a worldling</p>
<p>workings of kamma are inexplicable, and are not to be pondered upon lest they cause disquietude and agitation and because such pondering isn't conducive to attainment of nibbana, that's from the Buddha</p>
<p>workings of destiny are yet less explicable, if i may add, because destiny is a combination of personal kamma and fortuity</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;There are these four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, <strong>that would bring madness &amp; vexation to anyone who conjectured about them</strong>. Which four?</p>
<p>&quot;The Buddha-range of the Buddhas is an unconjecturable that is not to
be conjectured about, that would bring madness &amp; vexation to anyone
who conjectured about it.</p>
<p>&quot;The jhana-range of a person in jhana...</p>
<p>&quot;<strong>The [precise working out of the] results of kamma</strong>...</p>
<p>&quot;Conjecture about [the origin, etc., of] the world is an
unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring
madness &amp; vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.</p>
<p>&quot;These are the four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured
about, that would bring madness &amp; vexation to anyone who conjectured
about them.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.077.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Acinteyya sutta (AN 4.77)</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-24T20:43:16.517Z
2016-02-04T18:40:59.740Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
Баян Купи-ка
<p>When the rebirth-linking consciousness arises in the fetus (I read elsewhere at around 26 weeks), but the fetus dies (somehow) prior to or during birth, is it possible to understand why this kind of existence happened? And could it be a result of previous lifetime good or bad karma?  </p>

<p>In this situation, while there are senses, the fetus cannot make any conscious decision or thought processes or have any understandings yet. Of course depending on the situation physical suffering may have occurred. </p>

<p>So I am trying to understand what kind of link this lifetime is, between the previous and next lifetime, and the effect on continuing rebirths.</p>

<karma><rebirth>
Does Buddhism explain the past karma, and rebirth, of a short-lived fetus?
# Does Buddhism explain the past karma, and rebirth, of a short-lived fetus?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-24)

When the rebirth-linking consciousness arises in the fetus (I read elsewhere at around 26 weeks), but the fetus dies (somehow) prior to or during birth, is it possible to understand why this kind of existence happened? And could it be a result of previous lifetime good or bad karma?

In this situation, while there are senses, the fetus cannot make any conscious decision or thought processes or have any understandings yet. Of course depending on the situation physical suffering may have occurred.

So I am trying to understand what kind of link this lifetime is, between the previous and next lifetime, and the effect on continuing rebirths.

**Tags:** karma, rebirth


---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2016-01-24. Score: 4

> is it possible to understand why this kind of existence happened?

not for a worldling

workings of kamma are inexplicable, and are not to be pondered upon lest they cause disquietude and agitation and because such pondering isn't conducive to attainment of nibbana, that's from the Buddha

workings of destiny are yet less explicable, if i may add, because destiny is a combination of personal kamma and fortuity

> "There are these four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured about, **that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about them**. Which four?
>
> "The Buddha-range of the Buddhas is an unconjecturable that is not to
> be conjectured about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone
> who conjectured about it.
>
> "The jhana-range of a person in jhana...
>
> "**The [precise working out of the] results of kamma**...
>
> "Conjecture about [the origin, etc., of] the world is an
> unconjecturable that is not to be conjectured about, that would bring
> madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured about it.
>
> "These are the four unconjecturables that are not to be conjectured
> about, that would bring madness & vexation to anyone who conjectured
> about them."

[Acinteyya sutta (AN 4.77)](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.077.than.html)


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-01-24. Score: 2

Buddhism's version of birth is not coming out from an egg or the birth we recognize.

> This is Birth As to Lord Buddha....

* The necessary conditions for a birth to happen in realms below Deva
  realms

Joining of parents

A suitable mother

The coming of gandhabba\*

(\*The materials for a new viññāṇa (consciousness) to be born {not the misunderstood inter-birth being})

---

* Consciousness and awareness before birth (coming out to the world).

1:- Some are born into the womb without any awareness of anything, stays in the womb without any awareness and are born to the world without any awareness.

2:- Some are born into the womb with awareness, stays in the womb without any awareness and are born to the world without any awareness.

3:- Some are born into the womb with awareness, stays in the womb with awareness and are born to the world without any awareness.

4:- Some are born into the womb with awareness, stays in the womb with awareness and are born to the world with.

> Source :- (Amazing understanding) by Ven. Kiribathgoda Knanananda thero.

---

* What is Lord Buddha's definition of birth?

> [**Vibhanga Sutta**](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.002.than.html)

---

* When does the suffering begin?

> [**Uppada sutta**](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.002.than.html)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-02-07. Score: 1

> could it be a result of previous lifetime good or bad karma?

Every thing happening in this universe is not due to Karma. Karma is only one out of five reasons (Five Niyama). more can be found from below link.

[The Five Niyamas](http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/The-Five-Niyamas.htm)


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2016-01-25. Score: 1

It is worth noting, in conjunction with the other answers provided, that the fetus in question is going through karma from it's past lives in a scenario like this.

> the fetus cannot make any conscious decision or thought processes or have any understandings yet.

This is true, but karma is not always from this life, karma can manifest in lifetimes after the life it is planted in.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-02-04. Score: -2

A rebirth is a rebirth and the life-span does not have a restriction, A life can end as soon as it starts or last a hundred years. The last life will end as soon as the being has mastered all states of physical,mental and emotional endurance and acknowledges that it is a everlasting spirit and not nothing eles.

Here is a well described link to the start of consciousness of a being at the beginning stages of life.But the answer to your question is what I stated above.

**There are Five levels of self-awareness**

## <http://psychology.emory.edu/cognition/rochat/Five%20levels%20.pdf>


---

