I used to think the obvious answer would be “intestinal parasite”. But now I’m thinking “cave cricket”.
These bugs live in caves their entire lives, living on mold, feces, and the occaisonal snail track. When food gets short, however, they’ll often eat one of their own hind legs for dinner. Seems to me you’d really have to screw up somewhere on the karma track to be reborn as a cave cricket.
But these things are so simple they’re probably happy. I’d think something complicated enough to feel pain and outrage would be worse: a battery farmed pig sort of thing, if there is.
Actually, something like a fly that has a short life span is better. If you were a righteous fly you might reincarnate as a kind frog and then you’re just a plate of frog legs away from becoming a prince.
Most of the other choices are very short-lived. If I knew I was to be reincarnated, and found myself in one of the other forms, death would come along presently.
But if I’m stuck in a tortoise body, crawling along slowly and eating the same weeds day after interminable day, that would be true torture. 100 years or so.
What would be worse? Sitting in a cage for those 100 years.
Well, if they’re truly reincarnated humans, how do we know that they don’t hate every minute of it, and that they just can’t communicate their feelings anymore?