[Seilehogshell]

3 perspectives on Euthanasia in Buddhism:


Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche on Euthanasia:

Question: Rinpoche, what do you think about someone asking
to be killed when he is very sick?

Rinpoche: A bad result would come from that because that
person is experiencing great suffering through his illness but he
still hopes that he might get better and find happiness in the
future. Killing him will be an act done out of ignorance; it would
be killing without being aware that there is still the hope that he
may become free from that suffering. Somebody may be very
depressed and say, "Please kill me." It may seem that killing this
person is beneficial at that moment. But there is always the
opportunity to become cured and to find happiness in the future.
Even though the person had the wish, he might change his mind
as you kill him, "Oh, I think I made a mistake" and then it is too
late.

Question: But there are a lot of cases where people are really
old; it is very certain that they have only two or three months left
and there is no chance that they can recover from cancer or
something else. If they ask for something to kill themselves with,
what should one do?

Rinpoche: They want to die but inside everyone has attachment
to life and still has hope to continue living. For example, there is
a story of an old man who was very ill and felt that it would be
better if he died. He led a long and good life and thought, "It
would be best if I died now." He asked for a divination to see
whether he might die now. They did the divination and the
answer was, "It looks like you are going to die." When he heard
that he was very upset. It would be a bad effect, like from
committing suicide. This person had the knowledge of what
would happen within the next few weeks and a way of avoiding
that experience. With that knowledge, it would not have the bad
effect like suicide.


I have also heard from Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche that when one is suffering at the end of one's life that it is karmic purification. Rinpoche stated that even though it may appear as kindness to end that person's suffering, since the suffering is karmic we cannot actually do so and that by killing the being (animals included) we are prematurely sending the being to the bardo where the karma will continue to ripen. This may cause the karma to ripen in the form of an unfortunate rebirth. We cannot see this and think we are helping the being, but in actuality we are robbing the being of the opportunity to purify negative karma in this life and may be influencing conditions in such a way that the negative karma becomes a cause for an entire life.


I have also heard one of my Drikung Kagyu teachers (can't remember for sure which one) say that the motivation is the most important part of the decision. Of course this makes since from the karma we accrue, but may not account for the effect we're having on this being directly.