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Dharma Inquiry takes place two or three times in a weeklong retreat, lasting from a few minutes to 30 minutes or more. The meditator decides to come and sit beside me at the front of the Dharma Hall. Inquiry can take the form of questions or sharing of an experience, concerns and explorations of life on Earth. The participant or myself can say ‘Thank You’ to bring the Inquiry to a close at any time. The following is a transcribed/edited version of an Inquiry, occasionally with additional sentences to expand on the theme to support the reader’s experience. Inquiry took place in Germany in 2024. Permission given to transcribe.
The Buddha on Suicide
Q. I am interested in learning about the Buddhist tradition. I wish to learn about the Dharma view in relation to my work. I work with individuals experiencing severe depression and suicidal ideation.
Suicide net at Golden Gate bridge. San Francisco
CT. Chronically suicidal?
Q. Yes, at times. What is the view in the Buddhist tradition on suicide, on the deliberate act to take one’s own life? In Austria, the legal status of assisted suicide has undergone a transformation. The law ( since 2022)now provides support for those who wish to end their own lives. This represents a significant shift from the previous position. This is not the case in the country where I live. My question pertains to the Buddhist view on ending one’s life. I am aware of the Buddha’s teaching, which stated ‘life is suffering.’
CT. The Buddha did not state that life is suffering. He said suffering arises in life due to causes and conditions.
Q. In my initial interactions with depressed or suicidal citizens, I have found the initial step is to be fully present for them. I must concede that I am experiencing some difficulty in this regard. I am uncertain as to the best course of action. I am not attempting to persuade them to stop their desire for death. I focus on fostering a connection. I strive to convey love through my presence and intentions. My intention includes facilitating my own growth and understanding. Is there a more straightforward process? What can I implement?
CT. I am not in a position to speak on behalf of the Buddhist tradition. There are numerous traditions and within the traditions, a multitude of lineages, large and small. You can probably find a diversity of views on suicide. Compassion always takes priority for those who suffer to the point of self-harm. Some Buddhist traditions do not see suicide as a solution due to rebecoming of unresolved problems. I can say a few words on the Buddha’s priority. He emphasised care for life – personal, social, for all humanity, creatures and the natural world. Awareness, ethics, kindness form part of the body of his teachings. Two discourses refer specifically to the suicide of two monks. The monks shared their suicidal ideation and intentions. The Buddha did not offer a judgemental view, nor tried to persuade either to hold onto their life, nor regard suicide as a failure. In the teachings, death of the ego takes priority.
Q. What were the circumstances for a person wishing to commit suicide?
CT. It seems both individuals were enduring intense and unremitting pain. One monk said he wanted to “take to the knife” – probably meaning to cut his wrists, stab himself or take poison. It is important to note that such incidents occurred over 2,600 years ago. Significant advancements have been made in painkillers and pain relief.
The monk, Channa, spoke to Sariputta, a respected Dharma teacher in the Sangha, who asked Channa questions. The Buddha’s response showed Channa, who took to the knife, did not produce negative karma with negative consequences. He found no fault with his decision due Channa’s depth of wisdom and insights. This indicates the monk dwelt in calm and clarity of mind.
Another monk, Vakkali, who killed himself, suffered from a serious illness. The Buddha told the Sangha of practitioners that Vakkali abided free from any suffering in his mind. The Buddha neither endorsed suicide nor cricitised it. He respected the mental clarity of the two monks.
Give maximum support to a person on the edge of life and death. Some reach the point where self-harm is more than a thought. Is there a strong intention? Perhaps a person has engaged in self harm in a previous occasion. Develop a caring communication with a person who is suicidal, be aware of their circumstances. Stay receptive to the whole person. See the person in a non-dual way.
Q. What does non-dual mean?
CT. In most cases, your heart wishes to preserve the person’s life. If your desire comes across strongly, you will want the person to live. Some may respond to your wish but others can become more resistant to living. The person hears it as a pressure adding to the inner pressure present of desire for self-harm and self-extinction. Love and empathy matter. It isn’t easy in your work or in a personal situation to stay as calm and steady as possible, not caught up in the duality of life and death -not holding onto life and fighting death regardless of what you see or hear. Dwell without prejudice for life and against death or prejudice toward death and against life.
I remember two decades ago or more reading in a San Francisco newspaper about a suicidal doctor. She left a note on her table in her home in the city. As I recall, the note said, “I’m going to throw myself off the Golden Gate bridge. If anybody looks at me, and smiles, I won’t continue walking to the bridge and will go back home. A smile means a signal to go on living.”
Nobody smiled. Never underestimate the importance of warmth, empathy and kindness. Have no prejudice in the mind towards anybody, nor life, nor death. Stay true to empathy and kindness.
PS. Around 2000 people, and possible many more, have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge in California. A suicide prevention net was finally erected around the bridge in January 2024. This bridge has an international reputation as the world’s number one suicide location.
Inquiry. The Buddha on Suicide. The Golden Gate Bridge Read More »
If the world engaged in the training of the five basic ethics in the Buddha’s teaching, most suffering would disappear from human existence.
If the world engaged in the training of any one of the five ethics, much suffering would disappear from the world. The disregard or contempt for one ethic can invite abuse of the other four.
The Buddha. In a Thai forest.
The teachings/training/practices of sīla remains an indispensable feature of the Buddha’s teachings to bring an end to harmful acts of our behaviour, often impacting on others, creatures and the natural world.
Sila means ethics expressed as virtuous behaviour in every area of daily life. Ethics provide the foundation and support for all Dharma teachings since often the greatest levels of suffering arises through neglect of values of care.
Teachings of Dharma/mindfulness/meditation/action require explicit reference to ethics from the start rather than going unspoken and unwritten. Sila needs to be explicit in teaching, not thinking it is implicit.
The author takes the view that Dharma/Buddhist/Mindfulness/Meditation teachers need to find the language to speak about ethics to the individual/family/businesses/arms industry/poison manufacturers/military/political establishment and more.
The Buddha on the Five Ethics
The Buddha referred to specific ethics on a regular basis with variation in meaning according to the situation. These five essential ethics apply to personal, social and political actions.
He referred to the ethics as a path of training – not as commandments or laws to be obeyed.
Teachings never support the violation of ethics through harmful views or support for a harmful political/religious/business/scientific or social ideology.
The Buddha advised people to state inwardly and to others
1. ‘I undertake the path of training of refraining from killing living (breathing) beings.’
Not attacking, thus not leading to the destruction of life/slaughter/murder/killing.
2. ‘I undertake the path of training of refraining from taking that which is not (or has not been) given.’
That which is not given, not granted, not offered, not appropriated to, not seized on, not taking from, not occupied.
3. ‘I undertake the path of training of refraining from harmful behaviour with regard to pursuit of sensual/sexual pleasure.’
Desire, pursuit, craving refers to harm/abuse caused through thirst for pleasure, via the senses and desires for sexual manipulation/gratification.
4. ‘I undertake the path of training of refraining from speaking falsely or misleading speech,
Discourses (suttas) includes refraining from harsh, slanderous and frivolous speech and remembering to speak what is true and useful.
5. ‘I undertake the path of training of refraining from being careless or heedless due to liquor, spirits or any intoxicants (such as recreational drugs).’
Refrain from taking of any kind of intoxicants impacting on the mind to cause lack of clarity, carelessness, negligence, indolence and harmful behaviour.
Areas of Ethics
The Buddha also provided teachings on ethics without reference to the above five core ethics. These include:
Middle Length Discourses, as well as other texts, make regular references to the importance of ethics and its exploration in different areas.
MAY ALL BEINGS ENGAGE IN THE TRAINING OF ETHICS
MAY ALL BEINGS ENGAGE IN VIRTUOUS ACTIVITIES
MAY ALL BEINGS EXPLORE WAYS TO END SUFFERING.
