That is only your interpretation, and it is incorrect. It is clear that here "beings" here is used in the conventional sense of living creatures. It is a clear description of the biological birth, aging and death of living creatures.DooDoot wrote: ↑Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:29 am The meaning of birth ( jati ), old age and death are clearly shown in SN12.2, and these are clearly physical/biological rather than metaphorical.
"Now what is aging and death? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging. Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up, disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called death.
"And what is birth? Whatever birth, taking birth, descent, coming-to-be, coming-forth, appearance of aggregates, & acquisition of [sense] media of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called birth."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
The above appears to literally mean identifying with the physical because "a being" is only a "view" according to SN 5.10 and SN 23.2.
This is confirmed by the references to "this or that group of beings", the modern equivalent would be "this or that species".
Birth, old age and death are the result of craving and identification, and not the source of it.
Note that SN5.10 is a teaching on anatta, as is clear from the verse below. Again you are trying to bang square pegs into round holes, making spurious connections.
"Just as, with an assemblage of parts,
The word 'chariot' is used,
So, when the aggregates are present,
There's the convention 'a being.'"