Life Beyond Death
An ongoing inquiry into purpose of death,
the nature of life after death,
how we can prepare for death,
and how we can assist the dying.
Suicide
A man should wait, and not take his own life until God summons him, as he is now summoning me.
Anyone who's been close to a suicide knows the terrible suffering of the family and loved ones who remain behind. But suicide may create difficulties for the departed as well, resulting in deep regret.
There are many possible reasons why a person might commit suicide. Sometimes, people will sacrifice their lives for selfless or noble reasons. Sometimes the act arises out of exhaustion or mental illness. But if the motive is revenge, or an effort to escape difficult circumstances, suicide may actually cause more problems for the departed. In such cases, the subtle body is often caught in limbo for the duration of what would have been the person's natural lifespan. And during this period, the pain and frustration, which led to the suicide in the first place, is compounded by remorse over the act of suicide itself.
There are documented cases of people who survived an attempted suicide and recalled their experiences in the after death state. In most cases, they immediately realized the enormity of their mistake and wished they could go back and choose again. As further testimony, consider that every great sage and spiritual master in history has issued a prohibition against suicide. If we know someone contemplating suicide, we should make every effort to persuade him or her to explore other options and/or to seek professional care.
The purpose of life is to gather experiences; not just pleasant experiences, but whatever experiences our particular karma may dictate. We may think that our lives belong to us, but this is an illusion. All life belongs to Infinite Consciousness. From this perspective, it's not about what we may like or dislike. Any attempt to cut life short won't work. Cosmic evolution will not be derailed. In the end, experiences will unfold as dictated by karma and the more we understand the process and the purpose behind it, the easier it will be to accept what comes.
Aside from the possible negative consequences of suicide, there are benefits to living out our natural lifespan, particularly in a situation of physical or emotional pain. This is not to say we should seek out painful experiences. But if they come uninvited, we can take comfort in knowing that such experiences help to release negative psychic impressions and speed the progression of events after death.
In the case of a progressive or terminal illness, suicide is still a poor choice for the same reasons cited above. However, Hindu scriptures do offer an alternative in this situation. If there's no hope except for a prolonged and painful death, the person may stop taking solid food and fast on water until death. In this case, death occurs naturally after 20 to 30 days and is usually not uncomfortable. Hindus believe that this alternative does not interfere with the karma or retard the progress of events after death.
