In Buddhism, the sanctity and moral weight of life are deeply rooted in the principle of ahiṃsā — non-harming. While Buddhism is a religion of compassion, this does not extend to the active termination of life, including in the context of euthanasia. Whether motivated by mercy or suffering, euthanasia — both active and passive forms — is seen as a morally unskillful action underpinned by delusion and aversion.
1. Violation of the First Precept
Central to Buddhist ethics is the first precept: to abstain from killing. This precept is not limited to harming others — it also includes not causing others to be killed or approving of killing. Thus, even requesting euthanasia would be seen as causing a living being to be killed, and therefore as a breach of the precept .
2. Intention Matters
Buddhism places great emphasis on intention. If death is intended — whether through direct action (active euthanasia) or deliberate omission (passive euthanasia) — the karmic consequences are similar. Both involve the volition to end life, which is considered ethically unwholesome .
3. Unreliability of Desire and Identity
Buddhism teaches that there is no permanent, unchanging self (anattā). As such, a person’s wish for euthanasia — even if expressed in a living will — is not necessarily reliable. They may have changed their mind but can no longer communicate that shift. To act on their earlier request is to assume a fixed self and intention, which goes against Buddhist understanding of human nature .
4. The Danger of Delusion
The act of euthanasia is often rooted in the mistaken view that death will annihilate suffering. But Buddhism holds that the mind — and karmic energy — continues beyond physical death. If one dies in a state of aversion, confusion, or fear, these unwholesome mental states could condition a lower rebirth. Thus, death does not end suffering; it could extend or amplify it in future lives .
5. Compassion Tainted by Aversion
Even when euthanasia appears to be motivated by compassion, it can be subtly tainted by aversion — toward the patient’s pain, toward helplessness, or toward suffering itself. In such cases, the apparent compassion is mixed with discomfort or fear, weakening its moral clarity. True Buddhist compassion involves bearing witness to suffering without rejecting it .
6. Missed Spiritual Opportunity
Buddhist practice regards the process of dying as a unique moment of insight and transformation. Death confronts us with impermanence, suffering, and the absence of a fixed self — three marks of existence that are central to awakening. Ending life prematurely cuts off this profound opportunity for liberation .
7. Karmic Uncertainty
Ending suffering through death assumes that suffering will cease with the body. Yet Buddhism teaches that karmically rooted suffering may persist into future lives unless resolved. Thus, euthanasia may only defer suffering rather than end it .
Conclusion
From a Buddhist standpoint, euthanasia is not a compassionate release but an act of spiritual short-circuiting. It denies the karmic law, distorts the principle of compassion, and risks harming both the person who dies and the one who assists. True compassion, in this tradition, lies in accompanying the suffering person with presence, care, and wisdom — not in terminating their journey prematurely.