A Buddhist perspective on suicide

Abstract

The basic morality of Buddhism is based on the Five Precepts. Buddhism does not consider killing merely in its form but in its origin, and judges whether or not it is immoral case by case. Suicide is a type of killing, and the moral rules apply to all types of killing. Here, we discuss when suicide may be considered as morally wrong or morally acceptable. Suicide is not necessarily an evil in the Buddhist perspective: some are morally acceptable. All sects of Buddhism agree that death is a transformation of life, and that we live to die and die to live again. Therefore, suicide is viewed differently from other religions, which do not believe in life after death or reincarnation. We conclude with data concerning suicide in different Buddhist countries. In accordance with the statistics, the Buddhist religion may impact the suicide rate differently, depending on the national context.