Buddhism views on Suicide ?

dwbh163

Came across many suicide stories in the news lately. Apparently, they took their own lives to avoid their earthly problems. However, I believe that everyone has a role to play in life and such a deliberate act will not be rewarded. I also believe the after-life world has its own sets of diciplines and rules...which prompt me to ask the following:

1. do suiciders feel the physical pain of their act?
2. do they get punished for the suicide?
3. let's say a person is destined to live up to 100 years old but he committed suicide at the age of 30. what are the repercussions?
4. are suiciders entitled to reincarnation?

Sephiroth

by dwbh163

Came across many suicide stories in the news lately. Apparently, they took their own lives to avoid their earthly problems. However, I believe that everyone has a role to play in life and such a deliberate act will not be rewarded.

I may not have the qualification to say anything in this matter but I will speak of my own opinions.

To me, anyone who commit suicide to escape from earthly problems are someone who doesn't know about Buddhism very well. I say this because :

1. Buddhism clearly state that ALL problems comes from ourselves ... due to our desires, craving and such. So, if someone having problem with worldly things, he or she must look at the cause and try to eliminate or at least reduce it. Problem starts with him/her and solution is also with him/her.

2. If you believe in reincarnation and after-life, then what is the point of running away? You run from this world, you most likely to face the same problem or worse in the next.

It's like saying a person who is born deaf, commit suicide because of his handicap but someone who born blind, deaf and mute but still tries his best to live. Whose problem is worse?

People who commit suicide usually ones who look at themselves and view that their problems are the biggest and heaviest. They don't care about other people's problems and wants everyone to care for them.

I also believe the after-life world has its own sets of diciplines and rule...which prompt me to ask the following:

1. do suiciders feel the physical pain of their act?
Shouldn't you be asking a suicidal person that? I have been alone for nearly 25 years and it is a tough life but I don't believe killing myself is the answer.

2. do they get punished for the suicide?
I say most likely they will be reincarnated with the same problem or worse in the next lifetime because, they commit suicide to escape from this one.

3. let's say a person is destined to live up to 100 years old but he committed suicide at the age of 30. what are the repercussions?

Hindus believe that the soul will exist in this world as ghost for the durations of the life. For example, a person commit suicide at age of 30 when he is destine to live for 100 years, so he will remain on this world for 70 years till appointed time when Death (Malaikat Maut) comes to take his soul for judgement.

Tibetan and Nepal Buddhist believe that the soul of the deceased (not sure about suicidal ones) will remain for 30 to 40 days before going into a realm called the Baldo (or something like that) which said to be an Eternal Darkness.

Not sure about Chinese Buddhist (I guess Ariya will fill that part with some sutra) while Zen Buddhism (due to influence of Shinto) believe of heaven, hell and earth so suicidal people most likely end up there.

In Zen however, it seems that in some cases, spirits who commit suicide will remain on this world till they find resolution for their suffering OR till the person who cause they to commit suicide dies. Then they will vanish and the cycle of rebirth will commence as always.

4. are suiciders entitled to reincarnation?

All Life is entitled for reincarnation. Only question is how they will reborn as.


[Edited to correct mistake.]

[ Last edited by Sephiroth on 9-3-2005 at 05:46 PM ]

The Buddha once said committing suicide is very unfilial.

We are all indebted to our parent for all the pain they brought us to this world and bring us up. The kindness of our parent is so great that we might not be able to repay them in this life. When we have yet to repay our parent's kindness, we end our life just like that... that is a grave sin.

Sephiroth

by Adm_Cheng_Ho

The Buddha once said committing suicide is very unfilial.

We are all indebted to our parent for all the pain they brought us to this world and bring us up. The kindness of our parent is so great that we might not be able to repay them in this life. When we have yet to repay our parent's kindness, we end our life just like that... that is a grave sin.

True ... further more, what about others who helped you throughout your life?

Your brothers? Sisters? Friends? Teachers? Etc

So many people will show kindness to you should you show kindness to them. Key here is not to use them as if they are some kind of tools.

I have heard some people saying that they are been ill-treated by others and for that, the thought of suicide crosses their mind.

Kindness will generate more kindness. Even a strict form of kindness will be a helpful one if you choose to listen and think rather than complain on how the life is so hard on you.

Here's a truth ... there is no one in this world who isn't having a hard life in one way of another.

alpha

1. do suiciders feel the physical pain of their act?

I supposed so, may be all in a sudden light lightenning or a flahs of lights

2. do they get punished for the suicide?

commit suicide to escape wordly problem indeed is a bad karma, Buddha mentioned to be reborn into human realm is like a floating wood with a hole floating in the vast ocean, and a turtle swiming across the ocean by chance to emerge and its head just by luck goes through  this hole and get some fresh air, this is the chance to be reborn into human realm and the chance is rare and should be appreciated. By losing human realm with commited suicide to escape worldly problem, one might reborn into the woeful realm like hungry ghost, petas, animals realm etc depends on their karma on past lives.

3. let's say a person is destined to live up to 100 years old but he committed suicide at the age of 30. what are the repercussions?

There is no such above assumption in Buddhism, i suppose, all are karma. By the way, the tibetan,pureland, mahayana sects believe there is a intermediate state after death and before next reborn called Bardo﹐ chinese called zhongyin shen 中陰身.  Even though sucn intermediate state might occur, but still depends on invidual karma. The good one will have no bardo after death to straight away to be reborn into not woeful state, eg, human realm, brahma real celestial being etc. The bad person with worst bad karma with be reborn into woeful stragith away without bardo. And the common person [not good and not bad person] will have the bardo state depends on their karm ranging as long as 49 days before reborn.

At the theravada sect teaching, reborn is occured simultaneuosly after death, so there is no BARDO state in Theravada sect teaching. Just one to make this point clear.

4. are suiciders entitled to reincarnation?

All unenlightened  beings entitled to reincarnation in the samsara

By the way, a bit off topic, actually during the Buddha's time, there were arahants who have obtained sainthood [enlightened] due to their sickness and chose to commit suicide to end their lives, that's another aspect which  Buddha didn't condemn, since this kind of commit suicide is not with the intention to escape worldly problem, and indescribable in the mind of a ordinary person like us, so we condemn the commit suicide act for ordinary person perspective only.

bear with my lousy english , If I am wrong , please correct me.

[ Last edited by alpha on 31-3-2005 at 12:12 AM ]

ariyamusafir

Originally posted by alpha at 31-3-2005 00:01:

I supposed so, may be all in a sudden light lightenning or a flahs of lights


commit suicide to escape wordly problem indeed is a bad karma, Buddha mentioned to be reborn into human realm is  ...

Please take note, it is rebirth, not reincarnation. Rebirth and reincarnation though seems similar yet different. Please check out this page:

http://forum.cari.com.my/viewthread.php?tid=116059&fpage=2

[ Last edited by ariyamusafir on 31-3-2005 at 12:38 AM ]

anti_aktivis

Originally posted by Sephiroth at 9-3-2005 12:08 PM:
by dwbh163

Came across many suicide stories in the news lately. Apparently, they took their own lives to avoid their earthly problems. However, I believe that everyone has a role to play in  ...

above quote totally contradicted to what sep already explain regarding self killing

"""Wrong ... the act of killing himself in this lifetime is a "payment" for the action he had done to the girl in this lifetime. He was trying to punish himself for his action.

In the next lifetime, he will remain in the same position or lower (non-clergymen) and have choice whether or not he want to commit the same mistake or not."""


http://forum.cari.com.my/viewthr ... ghlight=&page=1

Originally posted by Sephiroth at 9-3-2005 12:08 PM
1. Buddhism clearly state that ALL problems comes from ourselves ... due to our desires, craving and such. So, if someone having problem with worldly things, he or she must look at the cause and try to eliminate or at least reduce it. Problem starts with him/her and solution is also with him/her.

2. If you believe in reincarnation and after-life, then what is the point of running away? You run from this world, you most likely to face the same problem or worse in the next.

But the person may not face the same problem or worse in the next, right? There is possibility that it can be better for him, right?So by running away (by commit suicide), is it possible for him to have a better life in next life? Since you said all problems come from ourselves.. due  to our desires, craving and such, if in next life the person have more "good desires: and such, then surely his next life will be better also, right? So if he messed up his current life, then commits suicide, in order to start it all over again...

so same as dwbh163 questions, how does Buddhist teach relating to this in Buddhism?  if the person commit suicide and is reincarnated, is it possible for the above to happen?

Sephiroth

by chelsea   

But the person may not face the same problem or worse in the next, right? There is possibility that it can be better for him, right?So by running away (by commit suicide), is it possible for him to have a better life in next life? Since you said all problems come from ourselves.. due  to our desires, craving and such, if in next life the person have more "good desires: and such, then surely his next life will be better also, right? So if he messed up his current life, then commits suicide, in order to start it all over again...

Hmph ... you didn't read properly, did you? ;)

I said ALL PROBLEMS comes from ourselves. Therefore, you are NOT running away from Problems, you are running away from yourself. And desire to run away from yourself IS NOT A GOOD DESIRE. :no:

This is clearly a case of a dog chasing its tail, thinking it is something else altogether (no offense attended). You looking at your problems as something deattached to you and trying to solve it without looking deeper in you to see what is the problem. Even if you catch your own tail once, it still be there, it will hurt when you bite it and you still have to chase it again and again.

so same as dwbh163 questions, how does Buddhist teach relating to this in Buddhism?  if the person commit suicide and is reincarnated, is it possible for the above to happen?

Refer to my case of Dog chasing his tail senario. Don't chase your own tail. :no:

[ Last edited by  Sephiroth at 31-5-2006 07:58 AM ]

bubpallo

dalam agama buddha, takdir seseorang akan terjadi adalah berlandaskan karma iaitu perbuatan dosa n pahala yang telah kita buat dihayat yang lepas. ini bermakna, keadaan kita sekarang adalah berlandaskan faktor tersebut. bagi sesiapa yang membunuh diri pula adalah terjadi kerana faktor tersebut juga kecualilah seseorang tersebut dapat mempunyai panja iaitu faktor kewarasan setelah mempraktikkan sila dan samadhi. kepada sesiapa yang memilih utk membunuh diri pula, seseorang itu akan harnya menangguhkan seketika sahaja karmanya dan dikelahiran depan, seseoragn itu akan tetap memounyai masalah tersebut, ia boleh diibaratkan seperti saudara meminjam duit daripada mana2 pihak, hutang saudara tidak akan terhapus kecuali saudara sendiri yang menyelesaikan hutang tersebut.