A Buddhist Perspective on Euthanasia
September 14, 2007 In this week's class at Sacred Waters, a question was raised about the Buddhist view on reducing suffering for the terminally ill and on euthanasia.
First, we need to understand that illness and dying are two of the eight sufferings. The Buddha often spoke about them: birth, aging, illness, death, separation from loved ones, association with those we dislike, unfulfilled desires, and the suffering due to the five aggregates. These eight permeate cyclic existence.
Watching those we love suffer also entails the awareness that we may soon lose them and all that we had wished to do will remain undone. So watching another being whom we love undergo a terminal condition can entail four of the eight sufferings. This is a time of great emotional upheaval as we struggle to take care of the other person and honor their wishes. At the same time, we have to deal with our own sense of loss and, very often, our guilt.
We have learned that each of us has created our own destiny by our past karmas, or actions. And on an intellectual level, we may accept that. But watching someone suffer, we react emotionally, not intellectually. It hurts too much to watch their suffering and stand by doing nothing. But as in all of that person’s life, illness and death have been destined just as their lives were destined. By them.
Even if we could act with the purest of intentions—solely from the wish to lessen their suffering without any consideration of our own— it is not our right to end the life of any being. Not even if we do so out of love.
The reality is that although we may think we are ending their suffering, we are merely delaying it. The seeds for suffering will remain in the person’s, or animal’s, consciousness. The seeds will reappear in another lifetime. And next time, the seeds may be worse. Or there might not be anyone present who cares about the person as much as we care now.
Out of love, out of respect, out of wisdom, we need to set aside our own suffering and concentrate on easing the suffering of the one we love, to help them lay to rest those seeds of suffering now.
With love, with respect, with wisdom, we can help them do what they need to do and then die when their time has come.
Reader Comments (14)
On the other hand, giving medication that will result in the individual’s death is interjecting ourselves into that karmic process.
When my mother had a stroke, we honored her wishes and refused feeding tubes. We did not hasten her death; rather we allowed the process of dying to occur naturally. If someone feels this was uncaring, they might read the earliest entries on this blog.
We try to allow the natural progression, as determined by the individual’s past karmas, to unfold unhindered. Obviously this can be terribly painful for us to do, but we do so to help the other person, or animal.
But whether the person is reborn as a ghost or a being in the hells or in another form, the person has increased, not decreased, their suffering.
The conversation is not morbid, but it can be very sad. Please remember that as with all our rebirths with cyclic existence, no lifetime is eternal.
Until we awaken, we will not know others’ or our own past karmas. Being unawakened, I do not know those karmas.
The subjects of euthanasia and suicide are very emotional ones. They are times of terrible suffering for all involved and knowing how to act wisely is extremely difficult. Until we find ourselves in a situation, we cannot be sure how we will act. If we are Buddhists, we strive to follow the Buddha’s guidelines. If we have taken the precepts, we strive to keep the first precept of not killing. If we consciously decide to do otherwise, then that is our choice.
We do not know what karmic consequences are about to come into play. We do not know what our destiny is. To change our destiny is extremely difficult, but we have the ability to do it. How soon we can do so is unknown by us. We just strive to do the best we can in every situation.
I believe hospitals are becoming more willing to listen to the families wishes. In our local hospital, the staff was very supportive in complying with our wishes and in getting my mother quickly released through hospice. Her family doctor was also very helpful because he knew our wishes.
As to your question, to my understanding it is not necessary to prolong life just because we have the technology to do so. But the intentional hastening of death, for example by “pulling the plug” that was keeping the person alive, would be morally unacceptable.
So it is important to get that living will. I believe there is an online living will registry that keeps the directive on record so hospitals can quickly verify the patient’s wishes.
In Changing Destiny there is a section on the ways to change. Changing form the heart is more effective than trying to change by catching each thought as it arises.