The Buddha shares on the difficulty of regaining a human birth for an undiscerning person who has fallen into a lower realm.
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso mahāsamudde ekacchiggaḷaṁ yugaṁ pakkhipeyya. Tatrāpissa kāṇo kacchapo. So vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena sakiṁ sakiṁ ummujjeyya.
“|Bhikkhus,::::| suppose a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole into the great ocean, and there was a blind turtle in it. Just once every hundred years, that turtle would come to the surface.
Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, api nu kho kāṇo kacchapo vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena sakiṁ sakiṁ ummujjanto amusmiṁ ekacchiggaḷe yuge gīvaṁ paveseyyā”ti?
What do you think, bhikkhus? Would that blind turtle, coming to the surface just once every hundred years, ever manage to put its neck through that yoke with a single hole?”
“Yadi nūna, bhante, kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayenā”ti.
“If it ever did, venerable sir, it would only be after a very long time.”
“Khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhave, kāṇo kacchapo vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena sakiṁ sakiṁ ummujjanto amusmiṁ ekacchiggaḷe yuge gīvaṁ paveseyya, na tvevāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sakiṁ vinipātagatena bālena manussattaṁ vadāmi.
“Sooner, I say, would that blind turtle, coming to the surface just once every hundred years, manage to put its neck through that yoke with a single hole than an |undiscerning person::a person without a sense of shame or moral dread, an immature person [bāla]| who has fallen into a |realm of downfall::realm of misery [vinipāta]| would regain a human birth.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Na hettha, bhikkhave, atthi dhammacariyā, samacariyā, kusalakiriyā, puññakiriyā. Aññamaññakhādikā ettha, bhikkhave, vattati dubbalakhādikā. Taṁ kissa hetu? Adiṭṭhattā, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ. Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ? Dukkhassa ariyasaccassa, dukkhasamudayassa ariyasaccassa, dukkhanirodhassa ariyasaccassa, dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ariyasaccassa.
For what reason? Because there, |bhikkhus,::::| there is no practicing of the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|, no living in harmony, no doing of what is wholesome, no doing of what is meritorious. There, |bhikkhus,::::| beings devour one another, and the weaker are prey to the stronger. For what reason? Because|, bhikkhus,::::| they have not seen the Four Noble Truths. Which four? The noble truth of |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|, the noble truth of the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]|, the noble truth of the |end of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]|, and the noble truth of the |way of practice leading to the end of suffering::i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness [dukkhanirodhagāmī]|.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.
Therefore, |bhikkhus,::::| effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is suffering’;
effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is the arising of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is the end of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is the way of practice leading to the end of suffering.’”
“|Bhikkhus,::::| suppose a man were to toss a yoke with a single hole into the great ocean, and there was a blind turtle in it. Just once every hundred years, that turtle would come to the surface.
What do you think, bhikkhus? Would that blind turtle, coming to the surface just once every hundred years, ever manage to put its neck through that yoke with a single hole?”
“If it ever did, venerable sir, it would only be after a very long time.”
“Sooner, I say, would that blind turtle, coming to the surface just once every hundred years, manage to put its neck through that yoke with a single hole than an |undiscerning person::a person without a sense of shame or moral dread, an immature person [bāla]| who has fallen into a |realm of downfall::realm of misery [vinipāta]| would regain a human birth.
For what reason? Because there, |bhikkhus,::::| there is no practicing of the |Dhamma::teachings of the Buddha that point to the nature of reality, the ultimate truth [dhamma]|, no living in harmony, no doing of what is wholesome, no doing of what is meritorious. There, |bhikkhus,::::| beings devour one another, and the weaker are prey to the stronger. For what reason? Because|, bhikkhus,::::| they have not seen the Four Noble Truths. Which four? The noble truth of |suffering::discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering [dukkha]|, the noble truth of the |arising of suffering::source of stress, appearance of discomfort [dukkhasamudaya]|, the noble truth of the |end of suffering::ending of discontentment, cessation of distress [dukkhanirodha]|, and the noble truth of the |way of practice leading to the end of suffering::i.e. the Noble Eightfold Path consisting of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right collectedness [dukkhanirodhagāmī]|.
Therefore, |bhikkhus,::::| effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is suffering’;
effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is the arising of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is the end of suffering’;
effort should be made to fully realize: ‘This is the way of practice leading to the end of suffering.’”
“Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso mahāsamudde ekacchiggaḷaṁ yugaṁ pakkhipeyya. Tatrāpissa kāṇo kacchapo. So vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena sakiṁ sakiṁ ummujjeyya.
Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, api nu kho kāṇo kacchapo vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena sakiṁ sakiṁ ummujjanto amusmiṁ ekacchiggaḷe yuge gīvaṁ paveseyyā”ti?
“Yadi nūna, bhante, kadāci karahaci dīghassa addhuno accayenā”ti.
“Khippataraṁ kho so, bhikkhave, kāṇo kacchapo vassasatassa vassasatassa accayena sakiṁ sakiṁ ummujjanto amusmiṁ ekacchiggaḷe yuge gīvaṁ paveseyya, na tvevāhaṁ, bhikkhave, sakiṁ vinipātagatena bālena manussattaṁ vadāmi.
Taṁ kissa hetu? Na hettha, bhikkhave, atthi dhammacariyā, samacariyā, kusalakiriyā, puññakiriyā. Aññamaññakhādikā ettha, bhikkhave, vattati dubbalakhādikā. Taṁ kissa hetu? Adiṭṭhattā, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ ariyasaccānaṁ. Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ? Dukkhassa ariyasaccassa, dukkhasamudayassa ariyasaccassa, dukkhanirodhassa ariyasaccassa, dukkhanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya ariyasaccassa.
Tasmātiha, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti yogo karaṇīyo,
‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti yogo karaṇīyo”ti.