First Birth or First Struggle? Unpacking the Rarity of Human Existence

According to the Chiggala Sutta and Buddhist teachings, it is said to be extremely rare and difficult to be reborn in the human realm. The analogy of the blind turtle and the yoke highlights just how unlikely it is for beings to return to human existence in the cycle of samsara. Given this, we must ask ourselves whether many of us are, in fact, experiencing our first human birth. If that is the case, it raises a difficult question: why do so many young children around the world suffer from disease, hunger, and death, especially if they too are likely on their first birth? This presents a challenge for the traditional Buddhist explanation of karma and rebirth.