7. Suicide and euthanasia

Abstract

In 1963, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself alive to protest government abuses. ‘Suicide and euthanasia’ starts by looking at the impact of this public suicide, which directed Western attention towards Buddhism in the 1960s. Many Buddhists believe that one’s lifespan is determined by karma and so it is wrong to hasten one’s end through suicide in this way. Others believe that suicide may be justified in exceptional circumstances. While the classical position is clearly opposed to euthanasia, Buddhists are not unanimous in their position. While viewed with disapproval in most Asian societies given the respect in which elders are held, Western Buddhists who prioritize personal autonomy may take a more permissive attitude. Buddhism is generally more open about death and encourages its followers to prepare for it in practical ways. The Buddha’s calm, resigned death is the example most would seek to emulate.