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**Pharmaciest2007** · 07-13-2010, 01:06 AM

Seems to me like a person who commits suicide does so more out of a wish to be free of physical pain or mental suffering, rather than out of an actual wish to die, no...?

I agree in that particular case. Further cases include those who wish to die: 1. to end emotional or existential pain; 2. because they cannot stand the world as it is; 3. because the world no longer holds any joy for them (if it ever did). Among those who discuss the legitimacy of a wish to die, this may be most likely to be upheld in the third case, where there is apparently no extreme circumstance driving the person toward death, but also nothing holding them to life. This is perhaps more likely to be the lot of older people, who, assuming they once enjoyed life, have lost what they enjoyed: a love, perhaps or their youth. In such a case, one may try to teach them that life may still hold something for them, or we can respect their position. Perhaps this will always be a matter of debate and something that will always be taken out of our hands by some.

As far as the Dhamma is concerned, my own view is that the fully trained mind will make suicide unnecessary, since mental suffering will cease and physical suffering is irrelevant, ignored.

07-13-2010, 01:06 AM	#10
Pharmaciest2007 Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 407 Senior Member	Seems to me like a person who commits suicide does so more out of a wish to be free of physical pain or mental suffering, rather than out of an actual wish to die, no...? I agree in that particular case. Further cases include those who wish to die: 1. to end emotional or existential pain; 2. because they cannot stand the world as it is; 3. because the world no longer holds any joy for them (if it ever did). Among those who discuss the legitimacy of a wish to die, this may be most likely to be upheld in the third case, where there is apparently no extreme circumstance driving the person toward death, but also nothing holding them to life. This is perhaps more likely to be the lot of older people, who, assuming they once enjoyed life, have lost what they enjoyed: a love, perhaps or their youth. In such a case, one may try to teach them that life may still hold something for them, or we can respect their position. Perhaps this will always be a matter of debate and something that will always be taken out of our hands by some. As far as the Dhamma is concerned, my own view is that the fully trained mind will make suicide unnecessary, since mental suffering will cease and physical suffering is irrelevant, ignored.
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