user19249: i can't remember, perhaps it was a dream, a vague recalling at best...where does buddha ask ‘do you want to be a dumb animal?’  I’m not accusing buddha of calling animals dumb, I’m assuming he thought some animals are dumb…like some person (animal), but that other animals are smart, like some person.  Anyway, does he say this?

user21432: There is a sutta where two ascetics, one who act like an ox and one who acts like a dog ask the Buddha what their rebirths will be. The Buddha tells him he'll either go to hell, or be reborn an animal.

A second time…And a third time Puṇṇa, the ox-duty ascetic, said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, this Seniya is a naked dog-duty ascetic who does what is hard to do: he eats his food when it is thrown to the ground. He has long taken up and practised that dog-duty. What will be his destination? What will be his future course?”


“Well, Puṇṇa, since I certainly cannot persuade you when I say: ‘Enough, Puṇṇa, let that be. Do not ask me that,’ I shall therefore answer you.


“Here, Puṇṇa, someone develops the dog-duty fully and uninterruptedly; he develops the dog-habit fully and uninterruptedly; he develops the dog-mind fully and uninterruptedly; he develops dog-behaviour fully and uninterruptedly. Having done so, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in the company of dogs. But if he has such a view as this: ‘By this virtue or observance or asceticism or holy life I shall become a great god or some lesser god,’ that is wrong view in his case. Now there are two destinations for one with wrong view, I say: hell or the animal realm. So, Puṇṇa, if his dog-duty succeeds, it will lead him to the company of dogs; if it fails, it will lead him to hell.”

MN 57

19249: <p>i can't remember, perhaps it was a dream, a vague recalling at best...where does buddha ask ‘do you want to be a dumb animal?’  I’m not accusing buddha of calling animals dumb, I’m assuming he thought some animals are dumb…like some person (animal), but that other animals are smart, like some person.  Anyway, does he say this?</p>
 21432: <p>There is a sutta where two ascetics, one who act like an ox and one who acts like a dog ask the Buddha what their rebirths will be. The Buddha tells him he'll either go to hell, or be reborn an animal.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A second time…And a third time Puṇṇa, the ox-duty ascetic, said to the Blessed One: “Venerable sir, this Seniya is a naked dog-duty ascetic who does what is hard to do: he eats his food when it is thrown to the ground. He has long taken up and practised that dog-duty. What will be his destination? What will be his future course?”</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>“Well, Puṇṇa, since I certainly cannot persuade you when I say: ‘Enough, Puṇṇa, let that be. Do not ask me that,’ I shall therefore answer you.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>“Here, Puṇṇa, someone develops the dog-duty fully and uninterruptedly; he develops the dog-habit fully and uninterruptedly; he develops the dog-mind fully and uninterruptedly; he develops dog-behaviour fully and uninterruptedly. Having done so, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in the company of dogs. But if he has such a view as this: ‘By this virtue or observance or asceticism or holy life I shall become a great god or some lesser god,’ that is wrong view in his case. Now there are two destinations for one with wrong view, I say: hell or the animal realm. So, Puṇṇa, if his dog-duty succeeds, it will lead him to the company of dogs; if it fails, it will lead him to hell.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn57/en/bodhi?reference=none&amp;highlight=false" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 57</a></p>
