Meaning of Life, Death and Suicide
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I am looking into the meaning of life, death and suicide and hope that any one who is willing to share the modern Buddhist teaching on life, death and suicide.
I have some knowledge on the traditional Buddhist teaching on life, death and suicide ie the reincarnation and suicide is a sin.
I am looking on the practical issues how a person will decide to live on or choose to die and commit suicide.
I have written my personal thoughts on the meaning of life, death and suicide and the choice between death and live in my blog ahm97sic.blogspot.com
Please share your thoughts.
Thanks.
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While 1st world people are commiting suicide becos' of some minor problems, people in the 3rd world countries are struggling to survive regardless of the great obstacles they face.Of course it is a sin.
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If one is suffering from a terminal illness which will make one first unable to walk, next paralysed and later unable to think, how would one decide when he or she knows that all these will happen ? Will he or she do all the things that he or she wants to do first and then consider suicide ?
Will it be better to have a good death through suicide instead of living to the very last days when one is only alive with the advanced medicine when one is not even conscious of one's living and causing great distress to family members ?
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When one is healthy, one can take hardship and work for a better live in future.
But when one is terminally sick and there is no cure, it is a different situation.
How would consider his or her options ? Will planned suicide be one viable option ?
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Originally posted by Ahm97sic:
If one is suffering from a terminal illness which will make one first unable to walk, next paralysed and later unable to think, how would one decide when he or she knows that all these will happen ? Will he or she do all the things that he or she wants to do first and then consider suicide ?
Will it be better to have a good death through suicide instead of living to the very last days when one is only alive with the advanced medicine when one is not even conscious of one's living and causing great distress to family members ?
It is better to die naturally than to commit suicide because to die naturally means one has live life to the fullest.
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In the hospital, one can see how much the seriously ill has to through. Some of the patients are not even concious anymore but they are kept alive by the machines and medication.
Does this mean live life to the fullest ? Or is better to do all the things that one wants to do first while one still have the mental capacity to do so and then one will have a good death through planned suicide ?
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Originally posted by Ahm97sic:
I am looking into the meaning of life, death and suicide and hope that any one who is willing to share the modern Buddhist teaching on life, death and suicide.
I have some knowledge on the traditional Buddhist teaching on life, death and suicide ie the reincarnation and suicide is a sin.
I am looking on the practical issues how a person will decide to live on or choose to die and commit suicide.
I have written my personal thoughts on the meaning of life, death and suicide and the choice between death and live in my blog ahm97sic.blogspot.com
Please share your thoughts.
Thanks.
Hi,I think this is actually a very difficult topic, at least for me.
I mean the meaning of life is never a easy one. That was the reason why some of us go to Buddhism because Buddhism tells us what is life, what is sufferings, and how to get out of such sufferings, which leads to a improvement in our life for now as well as our later number of lives, untill ultimate liberation.
So before we can truly understand life, I think it is not easy to give a profoundly correct or simply a outright answers. But as a Buddhist, my humble opinion is maybe at least what we can do is to first break down the picture into parts, then see where it leads to.
So first, why one choose to commit suicide; ie.to ends one's life before it has run its natural course? I can think of only the followings reasons so far:
1. finds no more meanings in life ( ends of relationship, loneliness etc)
2. desperate to run away from harm( bully, abuse,)
3. hatred of life( unfair treaments)
4. fear ( ionically,of impending death ; punishments,)
5. shame ( crime commited or mischiefs done being exposed, reputation tarnished)
6. revenge ( ends of relationships, protest against unfair accusations or punishments)
7. hardships( too poor to substain normal livihood, long illness etc)
8. mentally stressed( depressed, insanity)
So, based on the above possible reasons, maybe we can now see more clearly if it is justified to ends one's life over them, or continue to live on.
Certain problems or situations, are actually rather short term, as they could be improved, some was overrated as they may not be that important as what we thought. Some can be pure misunderstandings, others can be due to our own defilements.
For number7. maybe we cannot say one is weak in character for not withstanding hardships, as different ppl do have different stamina against such, it takes time, outside support, and life experiences( that may be another reason why we should give ourselves more time to face hardship and ride out the problems for our future sake?). But I believe through religions, or right views and right thoughts as in Buddhardarma, it can be possible for one to go through even his final stage of life in peace ( commiting suicide is not end in peace, giving the reasons shown above for such decision), no matter how terrible a predicament he is in. I've seen and heard a few true life cases.
And for no.8., this is most unfortunate. The patient may not be able to help himself out anymore by making the right decision or take the right course of actions. They need medical help as well as friends and families support.
So , by and large, Suicide is never a first option. As for patients whose life are artificially sustain by medical equipments or medicine, there are now Advance Medical Advice where patients could chose to let their lives ends its' natural course. I think this is not commiting suiside, but to refuse to prolong a physical life that has deteroiates beyone repair or consiousness has drop to its final stage. This I think maybe the Moderators could explain more on the 7th and 8th conciousness of our mind.
Ok gtg. I think there was a thread on suicide and its cause and effects here some time ago... This, on karma and suicide, will need more thorough explainations from the Moderators.
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Yes, please share the thoughts on cases 7 and 8 more.
Thanks.
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If one knows that he or she will have unsound mind sometimes in the near future, what will one do ?
Will one try to do all the things that they want to do first before one becomes mentally unsound eg senile dementia and then one choose a good death by planned suicide since one will only bring great burden and distress to family members ? Or should one live on until the last breath with all the machines and medication ?
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In Buddhism, we believe that the root cause of suffering is not from our external circumstances but most importantly our own mind. If we are able to practice the dharma well, we can treat the problem at its root and aleviate one's own suffering. That is what Buddhism is about, suffering and the way to the end of suffering.
The body has its own lifespan, it's inherently problematic and subject to disease and decay. Our wisdom, blessings (fu bao), karma and causes and conditions transcends bodily death. It would be a waste to miss our precious human life and not want to seek the way to liberation. So in view of this, we should not think of suicide but make full use of this human life to cultivate the dharma, gain wisdom, blessings and reduce our own karmic obstructions. If we simply seek an easy escape from our problems (whatever they may be) by suicide, we will not gain in wisdom, and the bad karma simply moves on to the next life. It is also possible for those who died in a suicide to be reborn in the ghost realm.
But with regards to euthanasia due to medical conditions, I think it should be looked upon a case to case basis, and should be the last option.
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Been a long time since I was last here...finally a topic that can spark my interest.
The issue of euthanasia is indeed a tough topic to debate on. When I was in college, we often had discussion on such topics during our GP lessons. This issue is also being increasingly looked at from the Buddhist perspective...however, seemingly few Buddhistic answers proved to be satisfactory for me.
The conventional view holds that if one is to chose sucide as a cowardy way of ending one's problem such as financial hardship, depression over failed relationship, etc, that's foolishness. Not only has one given up hope on any possible solution, one has not solve the problem at all, but merely pushing them to one's loved ones.
But in my own opinion, if a person is already suffering from uncurable degenerative medical condition and is doomed towards a certain torturous death, then chosing premature death should certainly not be considered as a cowardy act, but a courageous act of acceptance. How so?
An uncurable medical condition, as the term suggest, is irreversible. Without a 'solution', such condition cannot even be defined as a 'problem', since every 'problem' has to have a 'solution'. To put it in a rather perssimistic words, one is already doomed towards certain path.
As such, chosing to undergo euthanasia requires a courageous acceptance of one's fate. Why allow yourself to hold any attachment to a life that can only spiral down towards agony and bring more pain and burden to those around you? Is there any point in living a life of constant pain that is doomed towards death anyway?
Yes. In the Buddhist point of view, sucide is a wastage of one's precious human life and such action is akin to throwing away one's precious chance of liberation. I could not agree more. However, a human life with the above described condition has, by logic, no more chance of liberation in this lifetime...much like the beings undergoing much suffering in the hell realm, experiencing so much pain that learning the Dharma is almost impossible.
Having said that, I strongly believe that undergoing euthanasia should be a decision made by oneself in a healthy state of mind, not by any other people, not in any other state of mind (i.e. depressed, dejected ).
As for artificially extending one's life, I think that it is too, a wastage of resources and a sign of attachment, a refusal to let go of a life without quality.
My arguments are not without much loopholes, though. You can always counter that life in itself is already a terminal disease...each and every one of us, weather healthy or not, is going to die anyway.
I admit...for that, I have no answer.
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The meaning of life is this......You have to live, die, suffer old age, sickness, hunger, cold, heat, unhappiness etc in every lifetime until you end your existence ie Nibbana or the end of suffering. There is no meaning actually. What adds meaning is the journey to Nibbana ie you strive towards the journey to self discovery and the door to deathlessness in each and every lifetime.
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It is true that buddhists have live, die and suffer to reach Nibbana.
But the question is how do one tells a Buddhist or anyone that is suffering from unbearable pain, bedridden, unable to move any body part and unable to talk or express anything except tears in the eyes that he or she will continue have to suffer for days, weeks, months and years that this is his or her karma, he or she just have to suffer it to reach Nibbana.
If the person is of unsound mind, it might still be possible as he or she is no longer conscious.
However, if the person is of a sound mind, he or she will probably think that he or she should have done all the things first before his or her conditions deteriorate to this unberable state and have a good death through a planned suicide before this.
I wish to share that the book "Final Exits" which discusses the issue of planned or rational suicide for terminally ill patient. The book is available in National Library.
Please share your thoughts when you have finished reading the book.
Thanks.
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Good topic.Wanna to share the download link
Buddha's way of Immortal medicine
http://www.mediafire.com/?fsydzi1tbmg
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Hello, i believe that there are ways to ease the process of the dying. It depends on the condition of the patients and skills of the doctor, nurse and loved ones If we are close to the person, we can ofter gentle care, encouraging the person to relax and let go of all fears, worries.
Everything is impermanence. If spend time contemplating the fact of impermance, when it comes time to face your own death is easier for someone to help remind you. They might say, " All things must pass - nothing lasts." And you will think, "Yes, that's true." Because you have already made yourself familiar with this fact, it becomes easier to admit it, to take it to hear, and to relax a little bit. Without reflecting on impermanence, and taking it to heart, people can be overly attached to things and people as being permanent inf their lives. Then, when something is wrong, they have a difficult time accepting it. They may panic and keep asking, "Why? Why is this happening to me?" Why not?
Even in cases where the disease is quite advanced, there are some cases in which people have survived. Don't give up hope. Talking like this can give the patient power to deal with their illness. Scientific studies in the west hae demonstrated that patients can have some control over their illness trough the power of their mind. If you say instead "sorry, there is no hope." Then the patient thinks, " Why should i even bother to take the medicine? " At that point the patient only experience fear, and gives up hope. This decrease their abilities to fight the disease.
It is good to find a middle way in between these extremes. Honesty is desirable. However, attempting to be too honest is not really being honest sometime. For example, if you say " i think your disease is incurable.", that may reflect what you have truly think at that time. But what happens if that person later recovers? Does that mean you have lied? If the disease us really bad, we could say that "Your disease is not an easy disease to cure, but we need to try. We both need to have hope. We try our best and you can try your best." The idea is to try avoid cutting all hope.
Once the situation is unavoidably hopeless, and the person is facing death, we can change our approach. We address the problem of the best way to relieve their suffering. These days, doctors have very strong drugs that relieve the pain associated with dying. These drugs are effective but it can cloud the patient's mind. The mental state to have when one is dying is important. ( u might want to read up on it ). It may becomes confusing to how to adminster the drugs. There is no fixed answer. The doctor need to use your own wisdom to determine what is most appropriate. How much pain can that person deal with, without affecting their state of mind.
Sometime the religious beliefs of the patient are actually increasing fear at the end of life, instead of giving comfort. In the Buddhist tradition, when some approaches death, there is one quality that is extremely important, and that is to have absolved one's self- literally. It does not matter to whom you have said sorry, or who you imagine that you have expressed your apology to. The most important thing is that you have feel afterward that you have actually let go of whatever you may feel that you have done wrong, apologize sincerely, and then imagine that it is all purified, gone, forgiven. You need to completely let go of those thoughts so that they no longer burden you. It makes you feel very carefree- unburdened, clear and calm. Even if they are not able to let go 100 percent of their fears and worries, they may be able to let go 20 or 30 percent. If they are intelligent and open-minded, they may be able to let go 90 percent. But even 10 to 20 percent will help. We hope to help them feel at ease, let go of their fear of punishment, ease all the attachment that are causing them pain. We help them to die at peace- skillfully.
With references: Medicine and Compassion by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche with David R. Shlim, M.D.
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Doctors and nurses, and religious leaders always try to give one hope when one is faced with a terminal illness.
It is true that miracle does happen when one who is terminally ill has recovered miraclely especially in the case of cancer patients but are there miracle cases where people who are in advanced stage of senile dementia recovered miraclely or are there miracles for all terminal illnesses ?
It is true that today's doctors have very powerful medication for controlling pain but these medications will make the patients' sleep and sleep which is similar to losing consciousness. The doctors can only help to make the dying process less torturing.
But should one consider rational suicide when one is diagnosed with a terminal illness which will be debilitating ? Rational suicide does not mean that one should commit immediately when one is diagnosed with the terminal illness.
Instead one should sit down and think carefully what one has done in the past and what one needs or wishes to do in the remaining days when one still has the mental capability and physical ability.
Once, one's wishes have been fulfilled and one will prepare a good death through planned/rational suicide before one's condition has deteriorated to the stage where one loses one's mental capacity and physical ability and one still has to live on for days, weeks, months and years.
In the hospital, one can see patients who are bedridden, urinate and pass motion uncontrollably, unable to move any body parts, unable to talk or express, only tears in their eyes, with unbearable pain, mentally unsound yelling for their loved ones. Those fortunate ones still have their loved ones around them BUT there are those unfortunate ones who have their children or family members abondoned them in the hospital to let them die in loneliness.
Does one has a choice to decide one's ending if one knows what is going to happen when one is termainally ill ? Will rational suicide be a more rational choice or should one try to live to the very last breath no matter how mentally and physically tormenting with the advanced machines and medication ?
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In my opinion on this suicide topic I feel that your state of mind at the moment of death is all that matters.When you are terminally ill to a point that your vital organs starts to break down there is no science or miracle that can save you and you wish you were already dead.If mercy killing is acceptable in some countries then I dont see how suicide can be wrong under certain circumstances.
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Originally posted by Ahm97sic:
In the hospital, one can see patients who are bedridden, urinate and pass motion uncontrollably, unable to move any body parts, unable to talk or express, only tears in their eyes, with unbearable pain, mentally unsound yelling for their loved ones. Those fortunate ones still have their loved ones around them BUT there are those unfortunate ones who have their children or family members abondoned them in the hospital to let them die in loneliness.
Does one has a choice to decide one's ending if one knows what is going to happen when one is termainally ill ? Will rational suicide be a more rational choice or should one try to live to the very last breath no matter how mentally and physically tormenting with the advanced machines and medication ?
This choice to end your own life is not a personal choice but also subjected to legisation in the country. You can get the doctor or the person who ended your life in trouble. In buddhism, it is karmic that results in the suffering. I'm not saying that the patient deserves it but it is a law of causes and effects. We have to have loving-kindness and compassion to help ease their suffering.
For those who lose consciousness/in a coma, we don't know for sure if they know what is going or are they suffering tremendously within. They could hear, they could feel but couldn't speak. It has to be evaluated cases by cases basis. Other than alleviation of pain with medical help, anyone can take care of a person's well being by giving them tender loving care, holding theirs hands with kindness or talk to them. Even if they are in a coma but that does not mean that they can't hear or feel with their body. We can still take care of them. They could feel it.
I think you know in life, death is natural and inevitable, we don't know when and how. We can only ease the process of the dying. If you are asking whether ending life of someone suffering tremendously is right. I'm afraid i don't know unless i have came across such a situation myself. It is a difficult choice to make. There are many different situation and reasons that surrounded the patient. We have to discern according to the situation, in which we have understand thoroughly, for instances the reasons behind the wishes of the patient.
It is unfortunate that some people choose to die because that they have given up hope. We can never know what will happen in the end. We have to try because it is possible.
The ability to die in a dignified manner has everything to do with how we spend our life. We can't all of a sudden notice that our time to die is coming near and try to make ourselves feel a certain way- at that point it's too late. We need to prepare ourselves while we have the time, which while we are still alive, before we actually being to die.
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Meaning of life means what sort of living does one want. Is it for the comfort, material desires and pleasures, achievement, status, power, kinship or love ?
Meaning of death means the end of everything for an ordinary person but for a buddhist there is life and hope after death. So, if whether one dies naturally or one has rational suicide is the same for an ordianry person. So, if a terminally ill person with no cure chooses planned suicide, one is making a rational decision to end his or her life.
However, to a Buddhist, it is one's karma that one is beset by a terminal illness and one has to live with it and die naturally ie live to the last breath no matter how mentally and physically tormenting it will be and one will try to leave this life with no belonging of attachment to this world when one dies.
While planned suicide will be treated as one is not willing to accept the karma of the terminal illness and one is considered to be have created another karma and one might be reborned in the ghost arena. Please correct me as I do not have much Buddhist knowledge.
If this is the case, how does Buddhist teaching tell one how to live and endure with the terminal illness with debilitating conditions until one lives to the last breath.
For instance, a person with multiple sclerosis, he or she will lose the physical and mental abilities one by one. It will be very distressing and a great burden to the family members. Given the knowledge that the illness has no cure and the conditions will only deteriorate days by days, months by months and years by years, will planned suicide be a rational choice ?
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Can anyone please provide any good online sources of buddhist teaching on life, death, suicide and the counselling of terminally ill patient till the patient dies ie buddhist monks who work as counsellors to terminally ill patients ?
Thanks.
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Sorry, the book that I mentioned earlier is FINAL EXIT (without the s)
Final exit : the practicalities of self-deliverance and assisted suicide for the dying / Derek Humphry.
The book is available at National Library.
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Originally posted by Ahm97sic:
Meaning of death means the end of everything for an ordinary person but for a buddhist there is life and hope after death.
I think you are refering to the wheel of rebirth and death, Samsara in Buddhism. Samsara, is the concept of cycle of birth and consequent decay and death, in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Samsara is associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of Nirvana.
There are six realms in Samsara, cyclic of existence.
What determines which of these six realms one is reborn in, is one's previous actions and thoughts, one's karma.
The Wheel of Samsara
The Six Realms are an allegorical description of conditioned existence, or samsara, into which beings are reborn. The nature of one's existence is determined by karma. Some realms seem more pleasant than others -- heaven sounds preferable to hell -- but all are dukkha, meaning they are temporary and imperfect.
The Six Realms often are illustrated by the Bhava Chakra, or Wheel of Life.
Please note that in some schools the realms of Devas and Asuras are combined, leaving five realms instead of six.
1. Deva-gati, the Realm of Devas (Gods) and Heavenly Beings
In Buddhist tradition, the Deva realm is populated by godlike beings who enjoy great power, wealth and long life. They live in splendor and happiness. Yet even the Deva grow old and die. Further, their privilege and exalted status blind them to the suffering of others, so in spite of their long lives they have neither wisdom nor compassion. The privileged Deva will be reborn in another of the Six Realms.2. Asura-gati, the Realm of Asura (Titans)
The Asura are strong and powerful beings who are sometimes depicted as enemies of the Deva. Asura are marked by their fierce envy. The karma of hate and jealousy causes rebirth in the Asura Realm. Chih-i (538-597), a patriarch of the T'ien-t'ai school, described the Asura this way: "Always desiring to be superior to others, having no patience for inferiors and belittling strangers; like a hawk, flying high above and looking down on others, and yet outwardly displaying justice, worship, wisdom, and faith -- this is raising up the lowest order of good and walking the way of the Asuras." You may have known an Asura or two.3. Preta-gati, the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
Hungry ghosts (preta) are pictured as beings with huge, empty stomachs, but they have pinhole mouths, and their necks are so thin they cannot swallow. A hungry ghost is one who is always looking outside himself for the new thing that will satisfy the craving within. Hungry ghosts are characterized by insatiable hunger and craving. They are also associated with addiction, obsession and compulsion.4. Naraka-gati, the Hell Realm
As the name suggests, the Hell Realm is the most terrible of the Six Realms. Hell beings have a short fuse; everything makes them angry. And the only way hell beings deal with things that make them angry is through aggression -- attack, attack, attack! They drive away anyone who shows them love and kindness and seek out the company of other hell beings. Unchecked anger and aggression can cause rebirth in the Hell Realm.5. Tiryagyoni-gati, the Animal Realm
Animal beings are marked by stupidity, prejudice and complacency. They live sheltered lives, avoiding discomfort or anything unfamiliar. Rebirth in the Animal Realm is conditioned by ignorance. People who are ignorant and content to remain so are likely headed for the Animal Realm, assuming they aren't there already.6. Manusya-gati, the Human Realm
The Human Realm is the only realm of the six from which beings may escape samsara. Enlightenment is at hand in the Human Realm, yet only a few open their eyes and see it. Rebirth into the Human Realm is conditioned by passion, doubt and desire.http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/Six-Realms-of-Existence.htm
Karma, Samsara, and Nirvana
Three important concepts in understanding Buddhism are karma, Samsara, and Nirvana.
Karma refers to the law of cause and effect in a person's life, reaping what one has sown. Buddhists believe that every person must go through a process of birth and rebirth until he reaches the state of nirvana in which he breaks this cycle. According to the law of karma, "You are what you are and do what you do, as a result of what you were and did in a previous incarnation, which in turn was the inevitable outcome of what you were and did in still earlier incarnations."(4) For a Buddhist, what one will be in the next life depends on one's actions in this present life. Buddha believed, unlike Hinduism, that a person can break the rebirth cycle no matter what class he is born into.
The second key concept to understand is the law of Samsara or Transmigration. This is one of the most perplexing and difficult concepts in Buddhism to understand. The law of Samsara holds that everything is in a birth and rebirth cycle. Buddha taught that people do not have individual souls. The existence of an individual self or ego is an illusion. There is no eternal substance of a person which goes through the rebirth cycle. What is it then that goes through the cycle if not the individual soul? What goes through the rebirth cycle is only a set of feelings, impressions, present moments, and the karma that is passed on. "In other words, as one process leads to another, ... so one's human personality in one existence is the direct cause of the type of individuality which appears in the next."(5) The new individual in the next life will not be exactly the same person, but there will be several similarities. Just how close in identity they will be, Buddha did not define.
Another article on samsara: http://www.esolibris.com/articles/buddhism/samsara.php
The third key concept is Nirvana. The term means "the blowing out" of existence. Nirvana is very different from the Christian concept of heaven. Nirvana is not a place like heaven but rather a state of being. What exactly it is, Buddha never really articulated.
Nirvana is an eternal state of being. It is the state in which the law of karma, and the rebirth cycle come to an end. It is the end of suffering, a state where there are no desires and the individual consciousness comes to an end. Although to our Western minds this may sound like annihilation, Buddhists would object to such a notion. Gautama never gave an exact description of Nirvana, but his closest reply was this. "There is disciples, a condition, where there is neither earth nor water, neither air nor light, neither limitless space, nor limitless time, neither any kind of being, neither ideation nor non-ideation, neither this world nor that world. There is neither arising nor passing-away, nor dying, neither cause nor effect, neither change nor standstill."(6) Although no Buddhist really understands the condition of Nirvana, it is their eternal hope.
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http://www.lamayeshe.com/lamazopa/advicebook/nonharming/euthanasia.shtml
Buddhist View of Euthanasia
A wealthy Chinese Buddhist in Sydney had some unconventional ideas about Buddhism and how to apply it. One of these was to start a Buddhist hospice that practiced euthanasia “with compassion.” Euthanasia was, and still is, against the law in that state.
He appeared in a suburban Sydney newspaper holding a book of Rinpoche's, The Door to Satisfaction, quoting a passage on page 44 that describes an arhat, who was in great pain, being suffocated by a student. Rinpoche said since the action was done with a good heart, it was not one of the five uninterrupted negative karmas. That is, Rinpoche's name was used to support euthanasia.This businessman neglected to quote the paragraph immediately following in the book which describes the importance of considering where the killed person will be reborn.
When Rinpoche saw the article, he asked for an ad to be placed in Sydney's main newspaper outlining the Buddhist view of euthanasia. At the time, euthanasia was being vigorously debated in Australia. The practice was legal in some parts of Australia, and a doctor in the Northern Territory, where it was then permitted, was helping patients die.
This response from Rinpoche appeared as a paid advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald in August of 1996:In The Door to Satisfaction, I give the example of a monk of high spiritual attainment who, because he was in great pain, asked his disciple kill him. The disciple then suffocated his master. Because the disciple’s motivation was good, Buddha said that he had created no negative karma, only virtue. However, performing euthanasia with a good motivation is not sufficient, because we need to help others with wisdom as well as compassion.
If the person will have more peace and happiness in their next life, our action is good. On the other hand, even though our action may stop the person’s present suffering, it could result in their being reborn in a realm where their suffering will be a million times worse.
My concern is more for the outcome in the person’s next life. If they are going to reincarnate in a hell realm, for example, it is better to keep them alive one day or even one hour longer. Since we don’t have the clairvoyance to see where the person will be reborn, we have to rely upon the wisdom of fully awakened beings who have omniscience, compassion for all living beings and also the perfect power to guide us.
However, in the case of someone who is going to stay in a coma for many years, rather than spending thousands of dollars keeping them alive, it would be good to use the money to purify their negative karma which will cause them to suffer in their future lives. It would be better to spend the money benefiting many people and then dedicate the positive energy created not only to the temporary happiness of that person, but to their liberation from all suffering and achievement of enlightenment. Giving the money to a good cause is the best thing to do. It can be done on behalf of a family member, a friend or even an enemy and can help to relieve feelings of guilt.
Whether the person is still alive or has already died, it is best to purify their negative karma. This help can come from family members and friends. Helping others with wisdom and compassion in this way makes it meaningful for us to have met, known and lived with them.[Click Here to view a pdf of the actual advertisement run by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.]
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What are the Buddhists' views on AMD ie Advanced Medical Directive ? The AMD is signed by the patient and given to the hospital so that the doctor should not revive the patient.
Does this mean suicide too based on Buddhists' views and how is the patient's karma be affected ?
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since u r born to live ,never give up it easily.