From: Loring Palmer
Subject: You Don't Know Jack, Euthanasia, Suicide in Pali scripture [with a longer version of the Pali with sources at the bottom]
Sent 6-28-2011
posted 7-17-11

"Somebody has to do something for suffering humanity," he said, "I put myself in my patience' place. This is something I would want." These are the words of Jack Kevorkian. The HBO movie, *You Don't Know Jack, came out last year, starring Al Pacino. It's well done and portrays Jack's pioneering work to make available a more sane approach to suffering and death than the prevailing narrative of that time. If you haven't yet, it's a Must See!

Dr. Jack is disturbed by this cultural narrative regarding death that expresses the attitude that we must keep the patient alive at all costs, no matter what. The opinion of the patient about their death was considered irrelevant. The doctor is God. Jack sees this narrative as unacceptable because of his experience with patients' suffering with incurable disease and disabilities, who are begging for mercy to end their misery, and who wish to die with dignity. He feels driven to change this opinion and to provide a medical way out for these people: euthanasia. And he's successful in both helping others and making a tremendous impact on the culture.

Physician-assisted suicide is now permitted in Washington, Oregon, and Montana. In our culture, "Right to Death" is the other end of the spectrum of "Right to Life." It remains controversial, and like abortion, it's practiced in the shadows of medical clinics.

As a pioneer, Jack works to transform the cultural narrative of the modern age of the '90's of the "greats" and the "boomers,", from obedience to the social dictum of no choice in the matter of one's death, into the post-modern age of the possibility of individual choice. He deconstructs the "life-at-all-cost" mentality by demonstrating its insanity with admirable integrity. He has no doubt that what he's doing is right and just. In fact he's obsessed. Jack's triumph is his appearance on the 60 Minutes Show, with Mike Wallace featuring the video of him assisting a pathetic, suffering patient, who's pleading for death. And the world watched with anguish as the patient expires. This was the media-bomb that Jack wanted for his crusade. The "conformity-enforcers" rally and respond. Jack earns the moniker, "Dr. Death." Eventually Jack goes to prison.

Jack, as a product of our age dominated by Scientism, is an atheist and a humanist. When asked by an angry protester, "have you no god!?!" Jack replies, "Yes I have a god. His name is Johann Sebastian Bach!" This expresses the fact that god/ consciousness/ spirit is not in his program. He felt death was not a big deal: "We're all terminal," he said.

As a product of the Western Medical Industry, the doctor used chemicals and built a machine, called the Thanatron, for use in his lethal injection program. Later he built a mini gas-chamber, called the Mercitron, after he lost his access to chemicals. This is the Western approach to "the final solution."

 I find this disconcerting to me as a Buddhist and Evolutionary. Because death, as well as life, is a vital contemplation of what it means to be a human being. We're part of a process that's going somewhere. We're transiting through the Bardos, from the Bardo of Life, to the painful Bardo of Death, to the Bardo of Rebirth. For "Dr. Death," life ends at the death of the body and that's it, finished.

David, I think that your comments regarding Dr. Jack, in cuke.com., regarding his chemical approach, is right on. There are better ways to end one's life than drugs or gas.

As part of our cultural, exterior evolution of consciousness, Jack raised our awareness: that it's necessary to consider the suffering of the individual regarding the choice of assisted death. It's a choice that is a right to make.

The next step in this evolution of our Western, post-modern culture, is to include the spiritual, interior dimension of heart and mind. This is an integral approach. My suggestion would be to become familiar with the Tibetan Book of the Dead. *Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche has written fabulous book, elucidating the *TBD *in western-friendly terms: *Mind Beyond Death*. This unpacks the details necessary for moving from the Bardo of Life, through the Painful Bardo of Death, into the Bardo of Rebirth. Although rich and profound, it's an easy-to-read page turner.

Also, consider the venerable and ancient Jain ceremony of Santhara that treats death as a release and social celebration. The one undergoing the fast-'til-death is treated as a saint. There's so much wisdom that we in the West can learn from this approach.

At this point it's interesting to ask, what is the Buddhist approach to suicide? There are several Jataka stories where the Buddha offered up his life to care for another. Examples are *The Hungary Tigress* and *The Selfless Hare *.

Peter Masefield presents the following from the early Pali scriptures regarding suicide by monks that were approved by the Buddha:

The exhortation *[to review the Dhamma heard]* for sick monks who were about to commit suicide. Of the three recorded cases of monks committing suicide, two involved a final teaching before the knife was taken.

 The Buddha continues by giving Vakkali a discourse on the impermanence of the khandas and then departs, and sometime later Vakkali, having sent word to the Buddha that he has no doubt as regards the khandas nor any attachment for them, takes the knife and commits suicide. The Buddha subsequently announces that Vakkali is parinibbuto [attained liberation] and thus unable to be found by Mara who is at that moment searching for him.

 ...in the case of Channa who claimed that it was because he could see cessation that he did not regard the senses as self and so on and who, having been exhorted with an exhortation, took the knife and committed suicide Whilst there is here no record of the Buddha announcing him as an arahant, he is nonetheless declared by the Buddha to be blameless (anupavajjam) in the sense in that in laying down his body he did not take hold of another. One further case of a monk who was a savaka who had not yet reached perfection of mind committing suicide and subsequently being declared parinibbuto is that of Godhika, but here no record is given of the intervening teachings.

To put these acceptable suicides in context, consider that after the second teaching, you were on your way. No need to sit in the forest and practice long hours of meditation. *Rather it would seem that these two distinct stages in the process of liberation--initial sight of the goal and the attainment of that goal--were equally unthinkable without the intervention of the Buddha with an oral teaching of one sort or another. When this second teaching had been received the goal was won--there was nothing more to be done. [my bold letters-LP]

 * Peter Masefield, Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism, The Anchor Press Ltd, UK, 1987, pp.103-105.

The reason I include look at suicide by Buddha's monks is that they've been given the transmission of liberation, and thus the mission of salvation has been accomplished. Their bodies are suffering and it is their wish to die. The goal has been won and there is nothing more to do. Dr.Jack, as a product of scientific materialism, takes no care for the soul quality, the inner dimension of his patients. Wisdom and compassion was fully present in the buddha, as he gave his monks the final transmission [on emptiness of the skandas] before they took their lives.

Now as we look at the evolution of our concept of death and dying, we see the appearance of the Hospice movement, and people that are trained and skilled in helping the dying make a more appropriate transition from death to rebirth. Jack moved the bar and it's up to us to continue the revolutionary evolution regarding death.

With infinite love and gratitude, Lor

Here's a slightly longer version of what Loring quoted from Masefield's book with the Pali sources marked.

What is the Buddhist approach to suicide as seen in the early Pali scriptures?

There are several Jataka stories where the Buddha offered up his life to care for another.  Examples are *The Hungary Tigress* and *The Selfless Hare *.

Peter Masefield presents the following regarding approved suicide in his book, *Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism

The exhortation *[to review the Dhamma heard]* for sick monks who were about to commit suicide:  Of the three recorded cases of monks committing suicide, two involved a final teaching before the knife was taken.* *   The Buddha continues by giving Vakkali a discourse on the impermanence of the khandas and then departs, and sometime later Vakkali, having sent word to the Buddha that he has no doubt as regards the khandas nor any attachment for them, takes the knife and commits suicide (S iii 123).  The Buddha subsequently announces that Vakkali is parinibbuto [attained liberation] and thus unable to be found by Mara who is at that moment searching for him (S iii 124). 

Thus we may say that this episode conforms most precisely to those  we have been discussing of one who is a sekha [goal winner] being taught the final Dhamma in the form of a discourse on the impermanence of the khandas as a result of which he becomes an arahant, thereby bringing the Bramacarya to conclusion.* *    This seems equally true in the case of Channa who claimed that it was because he could see cessation that he did not regard the senses as self and so on and who, having been exhorted with an exhortation, took the knife and committed suicide (M iii 263ff

 S iv 55ff).  Whilst there is here no record of the Buddha announcing him as an arahant, he is nonetheless declared by the Buddha to be blameless (anupavajjam) in the sense in that in laying down his body he did not take hold of another (S iv 60).  One further case of a monk who was a savaka who had not yet reached perfection of mind committing suicide and subsequently being declared parinibbuto is that of Godhika, but here no record is given of the intervening teachings (S i 121)

For more on Vakkali, see ( S iii 120, cp DhpA iv aa8f, SA ii 252).

To put these acceptable suicides in context, consider that after the second teaching by the Buddha, you were on your way, complete.  No need to sit in the forest and practice long hours of meditation.

Rather it would seem that these two distinct stages in the process of liberation--initial sight of the goal and the attainment of that goal--were equally unthinkable without the intervention of the Buddha with an oral teaching of one sort or another.  When this second teaching had been received the goal was won--there was nothing more to be done.       

Peter Masefield, Divine Revelation in Pali Buddhism, The Anchor Press Ltd, UK, 1987,  pp.103-105.

DhpA   Dhammapada-atthakatha

M         Majjhima Nikaya (plus volume and page)

S         Samyuta Nikaya

SA       Sarathapakasini Samyuttanipata-atthakatha