What is the view of the scriptures on terminating one's life in cases of terminal diseases? Can a doctor abbreviate the suffering of a patient, so to speak, or assist him in doing so?
Very pertinent article Prabhu. There seems to be so much promotion of "Assisted dying" in the media.
A lot of it seems to be supported by people who cared for their own aging parents and are terrified of going through the same experience themselves. With no understanding of the soul, and now no virtue seen in suffering & the growth it brings, assisted dying is becoming very popular.
And of course Euthenasia & Abortion are the 2 sides of the same coin in terms of getting rid of "burdens" but it gets framed in compassion language.
Prabhu what about killing a living being that is suffering like an badly injured or sick animal? Or if someone is badly injured and asking you tonkill them.Do we get bad karma for this ?
This is a very dificult question. In general, we can't take away the life of any living being, but we should do everything we can to alleviate their suffering.
Yes, like I said, it is a very difficult question, but philosophically speaking, that's what the scriptures say. Every living being has his or her particular path, just as we have ours, and we have no right to end it prematurely, as hard as it may be both for us and for then.
Very pertinent article Prabhu. There seems to be so much promotion of "Assisted dying" in the media.
A lot of it seems to be supported by people who cared for their own aging parents and are terrified of going through the same experience themselves. With no understanding of the soul, and now no virtue seen in suffering & the growth it brings, assisted dying is becoming very popular.
And of course Euthenasia & Abortion are the 2 sides of the same coin in terms of getting rid of "burdens" but it gets framed in compassion language.
Yes, both are part of the natural law. We are supposed to learn something from these situations.
Prabhu what about killing a living being that is suffering like an badly injured or sick animal? Or if someone is badly injured and asking you tonkill them.Do we get bad karma for this ?
This is a very dificult question. In general, we can't take away the life of any living being, but we should do everything we can to alleviate their suffering.
A lot of devotees say the same thing but I wonder if they have actually been in this situation and had to make this decision thenselves.
Yes, like I said, it is a very difficult question, but philosophically speaking, that's what the scriptures say. Every living being has his or her particular path, just as we have ours, and we have no right to end it prematurely, as hard as it may be both for us and for then.