Suicide, cowardly?

[SomeRandom]

I know that there are a million and one potential answers to literally anything.
But all the same, I was wondering, what is the Hindu thought on suicide?
Is it adharmic? Are there karmic consequences? Is it free will or fate?

Also, there does seem to be an underlying current of thinking (at least in my tradition) that an act of suicide, although to be pitied and given sympathy, is ultimately an act of cowardice.
But how does one reconcile this in real life? And where would such a thought even originate from?

 

[ajay0]

I know that there are a million and one potential answers to literally anything.
But all the same, I was wondering, what is the Hindu thought on suicide?
Is is adharmic? Are there karmic consequences? Is it free will or fate?

Also, there does seem to be an underlying current of thinking (at least in my tradition) that an act of suicide, although to be pitied and given sympathy, is ultimately an act of cowardice.
But how does one reconcile this in real life? And where would such a thought even originate from?

Hinduism condemns suicide as one is performing an unnatural act of self-destruction, which is considered a very bad karma or sin.

The purpose of the soul embodied in human form on this earth is the further expansion of his or her state of consciousness from the previous incarnation. This is done through yoga, meditation, austerities, practice of Awareness, selfless love and compassion manifest in service and is a continuous process till one attains enlightenment/moksha/nirvana . After this one is liberated from the path of rebirth and death.

However if one is voluntarily terminating one's own body without achieving enlightenment, this is considered a great sin, and the soul is then said to become a ghost like entity , full of grief and remorse, and is compelled to wait for some time till it gets a new body again.

I know of a couple of cases where those who committed suicide had ended up as such entities.

So committing suicide is pretty foolish and instead of getting peace and tranquility, one is forced into more suffering and restlessness in the process. It's because of lack of proper knowledge in this regard, that many commit suicide thinking it is the end of tensions and stress of life. All tensions and stress of life should be viewed positively as kavadi's or austerities which only result in gain in strength in the long run and make life easier.

The soul after suicide, when it finally gets a new body, will also be more unconscious and egoistic in the next incarnation as a consequence of its past karmas and will have to work harder to get back on track.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam,

Yet there are occurrences or/and ideas of ritual suicide in stories... What to think then ?

Personally, not think it is an act of cowardice. Those who say that never had a blade on their wrists.

Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[SomeRandom]

Hinduism condemns suicide as one is performing an unnatural act of self-destruction, which is considered a very bad karma or sin.

The purpose of the soul embodied in human form on this earth is the further expansion of his or her state of consciousness from the previous incarnation. This is done through yoga, meditation, austerities, practice of Awareness, selfless love and compassion manifest in service and is a continuous process till one attains enlightenment/moksha/nirvana . After this one is liberated from the path of rebirth and death.

However if one is voluntarily terminating one's own body without achieving enlightenment, this is considered a great sin, and the soul is then said to become a ghost like entity , full of grief and remorse, and is compelled to wait for some time till it gets a new body again.

I know of a couple of cases where those who committed suicide had ended up as such entities.

So committing suicide is pretty foolish and instead of getting peace and tranquility, one is forced into more suffering and restlessness in the process. It's because of lack of proper knowledge in this regard, that many commit suicide thinking it is the end of tensions and stress of life. All tensions and stress of life should be viewed positively as kavadi's or austerities which only result in gain in strength in the long run and make life easier.

The soul after suicide, when it finally gets a new body, will also be more unconscious and egoistic in the next incarnation as a consequence of its past karmas and will have to work harder to get back on track.

Interesting. But what about just puttering out at the end? Fighting your whole life, maybe 60 70 years and just finally giving up in complete exhaustion?
Surely compassion comes into play?

 

[SomeRandom]

Vanakkam,

Yet there are occurrences or/and ideas of ritual suicide in stories... What to think then ?

Personally, not think it is an act of cowardice. Those who say that never had a blade on their wrists.

Aum Namah Shivaya

Is this another sect dividing thing?
Also I'm curious about these stories of ritual suicides. Are they in scriptures?

When it's someone who you've looked to for strength your entire life, it's a little hard to process I guess. Intellectually I know that I should be empathetic and not judge this person. On the other, the emotional part of me, I guess I almost blame this person. I don't want to, but part of me does have this small part that says this was a weakness. And this feeling does disturb me.
All very angsty I know. But I don't know.

 

[Spirit_Warrior]

I think the word "cowardice" places a value judgement. Let us reserve the value judgements for now and see suicide for what it is.

People seem to commit suicide for various reasons, starting with the main ones

(1) When the pain and suffering in life is too much and there is no apparent mechanisms to deal with it
(2) Ritual suicide, as an act of religion
(3) As a sacrifice to gain something either for yourself or for another e.g. Suicide missions for your country
(4) When one has completed the mission they came for in life and voluntarily leave or they feel that the current body is no longer fit for the purpose of the mission

(1) This accounts for most suicides, and in most of these cases the person did not explore enough the mechanisms to deal with their pain and suffering. e.g. People who commit suicide because their partner cheated on them; well, there are plenty of fishes in the sea; people who commit suicide because they lost their job; there are more opportunities. People who commit suicide because they have become bankrupt; well there are plenty of homeless people who manage, so why not them?

However, there are genuine cases where the pain and suffering is too much to bear, for example if you are dying of a painful disease, and there is no cure for it, then why bother going through the pain, just end it and avoid the rest of the pain. If suppose you you fall in a pit of snakes and there is a gun nearby, do you wait to be slowly get bitten by every snake and eaten alive, or pick up the gun and shoot yourself? I would choose the latter.

(2) Ritual suicide is often due to wrong belief. If a religion demand ritual suicide, and one must seriously question such beliefs e.g. In the Halle comet cult, the disciples did not question the reasons why they should commit suicide, rather they just believed purely on faith what the cult leader was saying. This is a stupid reason to commit suicide.

However, there are cases like in Jainism, when towards the end of their life they ritually starve to death to complete one of the rites of facing starvation and death. The rationale here is to face starvation, hunger and death so that you don't have to face it in another life. There are cases in some Tantric cults, where the disciples gives themselves up as a sacrifice to a God because of their strong belief that it will produce good for them after. In voluntary acts of Sati the wife would self-immolate to follow her husband into heaven.

(3) This sort of suicide is sometimes necessary to save a larger number of people e.g. You are stuck in a boat with a group of people and the boat is too heavy, somebody has to get off the boat or it will sink, by committing suicide you save many people. Do you get good karma or bad karma for this? I would like to think good karma due to your selfless act.

(4) This form of suicide is rare and it is normally done by yogis. When a yogi feels they have reached the end of the tether of their life, they voluntarily leave their body either through yogic means or by self-immolation drowning etc. However, it is also true for one who feels that the current body they have is not fit for a purpose. In the Mahabharata, Amba for example committed suicide because she could not get revenge on Bhishma in her current body, so she came back as Shikindi. If suppose your mission is to climb a mountain, and then you break your legs, then your current body no longer serves your interest, hence you need a new body.

Hence, from the Hindu point of view suicide can be a right or wrong thing depending on your circumstances and motives.

 

[DeviChaaya]

However, there are genuine cases where the pain and suffering is too much to bear, for example if you are dying of a painful disease, and there is no cure for it, then why bother going through the pain, just end it and avoid the rest of the pain. If suppose you you fall in a pit of snakes and there is a gun nearby, do you wait to be slowly get bitten by every snake and eaten alive, or pick up the gun and shoot yourself? I would choose the latter.

What of emotional pain? There are many people in the world without access to medication, therapy or a way to escape the circumstances which are causing their depression? In some people there is no circumstance that cause their depression, it is an illness that strikes unexpectedly. But these people can still find themselves without access to appropriate care. Emotional pain can be worse than physical pain and the brain reacts to both in the same way.

What of these people then? Is suicide really a sin if it's to escape such things?

 

[Spirit_Warrior]

What of emotional pain? There are many people in the world without access to medication, therapy or a way to escape the circumstances which are causing their depression? In some people there is no circumstance that cause their depression, it is an illness that strikes unexpectedly. But these people can still find themselves without access to appropriate care. Emotional pain can be worse than physical pain and the brain reacts to both in the same way.

What of these people then? Is suicide really a sin if it's to escape such things?

I agree with this, emotional pain is even worse than physical pain, because you cannot see the emotional pain. At least with the physical pain you can see the object and try to find a way to avoid the object, but emotional pain remains hidden in our subconscious and torments us from within.

Again, the same applies, when the pain exceeds the mechanisms to manage the pain, suicide becomes an option. However, all I would say to such a person is before making a rash decision, to explore all the options. I would also tell them that emotional states are transient, they do not last forever, you can never remain in a depressed state forever. This is easy to prove tell them a joke, get them to laugh at something or show them a movie or take them out to do some some fun activity, and they will find momentarily their depression is replaced with a bit of happiness. Then they should be made to understand that they are not the emotional states that come and go in the mind, but rather the emotional states have this power only because they are identified with it. Cultivating the witnessing attitude(sakshi bhava) is the antidote to emotional pain.

 

[Vinayaka]

I know that there are a million and one potential answers to literally anything.
But all the same, I was wondering, what is the Hindu thought on suicide?
Is it adharmic? Are there karmic consequences? Is it free will or fate?

Views vary, and it is a tough question. As Jaya said, sometimes those who've never been close to it will preach on about adharma and all, but have no real feel for it either.

In my view, everything has a karmic consequence, and in my school, it means a lot, partly from the karmic consequences of the pain you cause loved ones. So it would be like taking a step backwards, as in all adharmic actions. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it would be 'okay', as everything is Siva.

Ideally, thoughts of suicide would never come up, because society wouldn't put people into such desperate situations where they view this as an alternative. But yes that's unrealistic too.

Hindu scripture and common sense allows us, at the end of life, to fast to death, consciously refusing food. That's not the same as sudden suicide.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Is it adharmic? Are there karmic consequences? Is it free will or fate? .. And where would such a thought even originate from?

Adharmic and cowardly and caused by ignorance. The person who commits suicide has relations that he/she should have cared for, and the society and nation. The person abdicates his/her responsibilities. The person might be asked to care for people he/she abandoned in a next birth. Fate or free-will,different people may have different views.

But then there are situations like Spririt_Warrior and Devi Chaya mention where Gods will take a lenient view or even praise the sacrifice (Titanic story). I support medical euthanasia.

 

[Kirran]

Hindu scripture and common sense allows us, at the end of life, to fast to death, consciously refusing food. That's not the same as sudden suicide.

My grandmother did that.

On this topic more broadly, I think it takes a lack of perspective to be able to vilify people who commit suicide. It's not their fault they've been driven to it.

 

[Vinayaka]

My grandmother did that.

On this topic more broadly, I think it takes a lack of perspective to be able to vilify people who commit suicide. It's not their fault they've been driven to it.

As did my Guru.

I agree. A close friend's child had schizophrenia.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

From a Hindu perspective I think it's viewed as an unhelpful interruption of your spiritual journey. So this idea of "sin" or it being "Bad" I feel needs to be removed from it. "Sin" is a foreign concept to Hinduism.

For a Hindu, committing suicide doesn't really end the pain, it simply postpones it to the next life, where you will have to deal with it yet again. It's not wrong or right, it's a question of if it really works for what you intended.

That being said, I think it reveals a profound lack of compassion to label it cowardice. Speaking as someone who has done self harm and attempted suicide, I can assure that the entire experience is a exercise is facing what you're afraid of just so you can end your suffering. If man's second greatest fear after public speaking is death, I think it's hardly fair to call suicide an act of cowardice.

It is an act of desperation for sure, but then it's all the more important that we open our arms to that person with compassion and love.

Most people who try to commit suicide don't want to die - they want to end their suffering. What's more they are under the impression that their loved ones would actually be better off without them, so they don't actually think they would be harming anyone. So again, it's not a "sin", it's ignorance. We need to offer them tools and support to help them end their suffering in a healthy way.

Still, I make an exception for those dying of terminal illnesses. I think the ability to control the end of your life - where you involve loved ones in the decision and everyone gets the chance to work through their emotions and pain -is actually a very positive thing to do. So often we don't get the chance to say goodbye, or to celebrate a person's legacy before they leave us. I think this might actually be a positive way for the soul to leave and transition. But I have to admit that it's in conflict with the Hindu mindset I outlined above. We'll say it's something I'm still working on

 

[Vinayaka]

FH, thank you for that.

I am surprised by the lack of compassion in some cases here. Too cold for me.

- I've seen high schools melt down, even have copycat suicides for a couple of weeks. It's devastating.
- Gay teenagers are something like 7 times more likely.
- The survivor's are often impacted for life, wondering what they could have done differently.
- Kids, haven been beat and belittled most of their lives - little wonder it happens.

To oversimplify it as a sin or adharmic, and then have the veracity to tell someone nonchalantly, that, 'Hey that's just stupid of you' when what they need is some love and an ear to listen to them, well, it's certainly not the humanity I know. Sorry for the rant.

 

[Kirran]

- Gay teenagers are something like 7 times more likely.

And keep in mind that's growing up in the West! Imagine for people growing up in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia.

Transgender people are even more likely to commit suicide, too.

 

[Spirit_Warrior]

"Sin" is a foreign concept to Hinduism.

Not to detract from your insightful and thoughtful post, but it is not true that there is no concept of sin in Hinduism. There is paap and punya, which translates to vice and virtue. Virtue takes you up higher in your spiritual evolution and vice lower.

 

[Vinayaka]

Not to detract from your insightful and thoughtful post, but it is not true that there is no concept of sin in Hinduism. There is paap and punya, which translates to vice and virtue. Virtue takes you up higher in your spiritual evolution and vice lower.

Can't speak for FH, but I think she just means 'Abrahamic sin' . That's what I mean when I say there's no sin in Hinduism. We're just not so black and white, good versus bad, and all that. I view it as another poor word that got used in translations because there wasn't any other suitable word the Abrahamic translators could find.

 

[Spirit_Warrior]

Can't speak for FH, but I think she just means 'Abrahamic sin' . That's what I mean when I say there's no sin in Hinduism. We're just not so black and white, good versus bad, and all that. I view it as another poor word that got used in translations because there wasn't any other suitable word the Abrahamic translators could find.

The same could be said about the word "God" The English language is not as expressive as Sanskrit, so many English cognates do not exactly translate as the Sanskrit word, however there is a general correspondence. 'Paap' is used very commonly by Hindus to denote some sinful activity and similar concepts exist in Hinduism that one who commits 'paap' will go the hellish realms.

We could say theories of sin differ between the religions, as theories of God and salvation do too.

 

[Vinayaka]

The same could be said about the word "God" The English language is not as expressive as Sanskrit, so many English cognates do exactly translate as the Sanskrit word, however there is a general correspondence.

We could say theories of sin differ between the religions, as theories of God and salvation do to.

That's how Rajiv Malhotra got his list of 81 (can't remember the exact number) untranslatable Sanskrit words. I suspect a lot of the western misconceptions about us started out this way. But I'll stop this line, as I don't want to detract from a very serious issue.

More info: Facts about suicide

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Can't speak for FH, but I think she just means 'Abrahamic sin' . That's what I mean when I say there's no sin in Hinduism. We're just not so black and white, good versus bad, and all that. I view it as another poor word that got used in translations because there wasn't any other suitable word the Abrahamic translators could find.

Yeah, this is what I meant.