[Buddha-l] Buddhist Bioethics

[Hugo]

Hello Erik,

On 8/26/05, Erik Hoogcarspel <jehms at xs4all.nl> wrote:
> Well, appearently the messages are contradictory like in any decent
> religion. I had the Channovadasutta in mind (Majjhimanikaya 144). Channa
> is suffering from a disease and the Buddha accepts his euthanasia. There
> are articles about suicide in Buddhism at
> http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/suicide.html

I skimmed through the above link and found this:

" By taking the key term anupavajja in the way suggested by the
commentary, which I think fits the context well, the Buddha's
concluding remark becomes not an exoneration of suicide but a
clarification of the meaning of an ambiguous word in a context which
has nothing to do with ethics."

> Kaccano (or Kaccayana) tells the Buddha that he
> wants to return to his homeland (near Mumbai). And the Buddha warns him
> for attacks at his person. Kaccano answers that he would'nt mind because
> if that would happen he would have met his arhantkiller.

I don't see how that is an approval for suicide.

-- 
Hugo