Hindu Beliefs about Life and Death » Euthanasia and Relieving Suffering: Hindu Views
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 2.3 (Hinduism)
- Why Hindus believe relieving suffering is important
- The Hindu view that euthanasia interferes with karma and breaks ahimsa
- The Hindu view that ending great suffering can be compassionate
- The idea of a good death, and Hindu responses to arguments about choice
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Unlock This CourseRelieving suffering in Hinduism
The lesson Euthanasia, Assisted Dying and the Law explained that euthanasia means ending a life to relieve suffering, and set out the types of euthanasia, the law and the non-religious arguments. This lesson looks at what Hindus teach. The lesson Karma and Suffering in Hinduism already showed that Hindus respond to suffering with daya (compassion) and seva (selfless service). Here those ideas are applied to the end of life.
Many Hindus believe that relieving suffering is a duty, for three reasons:
💙 Compassion
Hindus are taught to feel for the pain of others and to act to help. Caring for the sick and the dying is seen as part of living well.
🤝 Service of others
Many Hindus see helping others as a way of serving God, because God is present in every living being. Caring for a person who is ill or dying is a way to serve.
🙏 Ahimsa
Ahimsa (non-harm) is recalled here. Some Hindus see it as not only avoiding harm, but also reducing the pain that others feel.
In practice, many Hindu families care for older relatives at home. This is relieving suffering in action.
Key terms:
- Good death: in Hinduism, a death that is calm and aware, with the mind turned towards God, rather than one full of fear.
- Prayopavesha: a traditional practice in which some holy people freely chose to fast near the end of life.
The view that euthanasia is wrong
Most traditional Hindu teaching opposes euthanasia. Two main reasons are given.
- It interferes with karma. Hindus believe that suffering may be the result of earlier actions, and that the atman must work through its karma. Many Hindus believe that if a life is ended early, the karma has not been worked through. It is not removed, and may carry over into the next life. So ending a life does not truly end the suffering.
- It breaks ahimsa. Euthanasia ends a life, and ahimsa teaches that harm should not be done to any living being. The lesson Sanctity of Life and Abortion: Hindu Views showed that many Hindus believe every living thing has an atman, so taking a life is a serious act.
The time of death also matters. The lesson Samsara, Karma and Reincarnation in Hinduism explained that many Hindus believe a person's thoughts at death shape what comes next. A death that is hurried could interrupt a person's preparation for it. For these reasons, many Hindus say that death should come in its own time, and that the right response to suffering is care, not ending the life.
The view that it can be compassionate
Hindus do not all give the same answer. Some argue that compassion and non-harm can point the other way:
- Some Hindus argue that ahimsa includes reducing pain, so helping a person in great and hopeless suffering to die may be a kind and good act.
- Compassion is a central Hindu value. For these Hindus, refusing to help someone who is in terrible pain and asks to die may itself cause harm.
Some Hindus also note that passive euthanasia, such as stopping treatment that only prolongs dying, is different from actively ending a life. Many who oppose euthanasia accept this, as it lets death come naturally.
A good death
Hindu teaching puts great weight on how a person dies. A good death is one where the person is calm and remembers God, often with family around them, who may chant or recite prayers beside them. Many Hindus hope to die with God's name on their lips.
Traditionally, some holy people and ascetics freely chose to fast near the end of life (prayopavesha). Many Hindus see this as a spiritual practice, not as euthanasia.
Hindu responses to non-religious arguments
The lesson Euthanasia, Assisted Dying and the Law explained that many non-religious people, such as humanists, argue for choice and for a good quality of life. How do Hindus respond?
- Choice: Hindus who oppose euthanasia say that no one owns their life alone. A person's life is part of the atman's long journey, and it affects their family and their karma. Hindus who support euthanasia agree that a person in great suffering should have a say.
- Quality of life: Hindus accept that suffering is real, but many say it is better answered with palliative care, love and company than with death. Some Hindus add that suffering must never be an excuse for ignoring someone's pain.
Common mistakes
- Saying that all Hindus oppose euthanasia. Most traditional teaching does, but some Hindus support it for reasons of compassion.
- Saying that karma is a reason to leave suffering alone. Hindus are taught to relieve suffering through compassion and service.
- Mixing up prayopavesha and euthanasia. One is a spiritual practice followed by some holy people. The other is ending a life to relieve suffering.
- Writing 'it interferes with karma' with no explanation. Say that the karma is not worked through, and may carry over to the next life.
Exam-style question
(a) Identify three Hindu beliefs or teachings about relieving suffering. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two reasons why euthanasia is opposed in this religion. [4 marks]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why there are different attitudes to euthanasia in this religion. [6 marks]
(d) 'Nobody should be forced to live in pain.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Model answer
(a) 1. Compassion (daya) (1). 2. Service of others (seva) (1). 3. Ahimsa, or non-harm (1).
(b) Hinduism: euthanasia interferes with karma (1), because the atman has not worked through its karma, so it may carry over to the next life (1). It also breaks ahimsa (1), because it ends the life of a living being, which Hindus are taught not to harm (1).
(c) Hindus have different attitudes because there is no single rulebook that every Hindu follows. The traditional teaching is that euthanasia is wrong, because it interferes with karma and breaks ahimsa, so the right answer to suffering is care. However, other Hindus stress compassion, and argue that helping someone in great and hopeless suffering to die can be a loving act, as ahimsa includes reducing pain. Some also accept stopping treatment that only prolongs dying, because this lets death come naturally. So the same values of karma, ahimsa and compassion lead different Hindus to different conclusions.
(d) Plan. For: compassion and ahimsa include reducing pain, so some Hindus say that helping someone in hopeless suffering is kind; humanists argue that people should have choice and a good quality of life; forcing someone to live in agony may seem cruel. Against: many Hindus believe ending a life interferes with karma, which would not be worked through, and breaks ahimsa; palliative care can ease pain, so no one need be left in agony; some worry that legal euthanasia could put pressure on vulnerable people. A possible conclusion: the statement is right that suffering should be relieved, and this is a Hindu duty, but most traditional Hindus would say the answer is care and pain relief, not ending life, so whether anyone is 'forced' depends on whether good care is available.
Exam tip
In part (b), give each reason and then develop it with 'because'. Two separate reasons, such as karma and ahimsa, each with one developing sentence, earn all four marks.