[Buddha-l] Heart of the matter?

[Christopher Fynn]

Weng-Fai Wong wrote:

> I further understand that in Tibetan Buddhism, organ "harvesting" of the
> deceased is strictly prohibited - since the dead cannot be touched till a
> certain number of days later. What is their current position on this?

I think relatives of a Tibetan deceased would be reluctant allow organs to be 
removed unless that person had previously expressed such a wish since they do 
not consider it a good idea to even touch the body for some time after death as 
it may interfere with the persons death process.

(Tibetans generally believe the conciousness usually remains associated with the 
body for some time after death - unless the death was violent).

OTOH I think Tibetans would consider it a very meritorious and beneficial act 
for someone to donate their own organs - even if it interfered with with the 
death process.

So donating the organs of a dead or dying relative who had not expressed the 
wish for this to happen would be problematic - but if someone had expressed such 
a wish (e.g. by signing an organ donor card) I don't think there would be a problem.

- Chris