Commentary on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (179)

What is an ordinary being (pṛthagjana)?

A living being alive in the present moment—when this lifespan comes to an end, in the next period of time it will, in another place, be born again into the realm that corresponds to its habitual tendencies and karmic forces. Because the time, place, and physical body all change, this is called "being different" (pra-kṛ). After death, sentient beings often have their body, time, identity, location, and living space all changed. Hungry ghosts have the space of hungry ghosts, asuras have the space of asuras, hell beings have the space of hells, and devas have the space of devas; animals are together with humans, also on the surface of this earth, but their living environment is still different. When the living environment changes and one switches to a different life form, transforming into another kind of living being, this is called being an ordinary being/worldling (pṛthagjana).