|
Akhandadhi Das |
 |
Good morning. I was deeply moved hearing Sir Terry Pratchett's Dimbleby lecture on Monday night. Sir Terry has been candid and courageous in confronting his future with Alzheimer's and he certainly presented a reasoned and articulate case to be allowed to die on his own terms. As he said: "My life, my death, my choice."
When he mentioned his father's request "not to die full of pipes - no good to anybody", it took me back to when my own spiritual teacher also told us: no matter how ill I become, do not put me in a hospital attached to tubes and machines.
It was difficult not to. In his final year, my teacher's internal organs were failing and he'd eaten so little his skin rubbed on his bones - a condition that normally causes excruciating pain, though he rarely complained. After years of constant travelling, he decided to return to the sacred site of Vrndavan to impart what he considered his final lesson. He explained that the material body cannot last forever, and that his was now useless. He humbly asked our permission to leave and, so, surrounded by the prayers and singing of those who loved and cared for him, he departed.
Advocates of assisted-dying often assume that they are at odds with religion. That isn't necessarily the case, as the issues are complex. For instance, Hindu texts stress that it is our duty to do all we can to protect and look after our bodies as temples for the eternal spirit soul. And, many texts strongly discourage suicide - even under extreme hardship. However, it's a different situation where death has arrived and waiting to take us. The question is no longer if I might die, but when and how. For that scenario, the Hindu tradition draws on the examples of sages and saints who prepared themselves for impending death by planning the manner and moment of their passing to be conducive for enhanced spiritual consciousness.
Within the Hindu community, I hear regular discussions with individuals and families struggling to do the right thing for themselves and their loved-ones. I have been deeply impressed by those who, strengthened by their faith and devotion to God, have foregone further treatment and have allowed death to come on to them, perhaps hastened by abstinence from food and water. It may seem there's not much between that and the sort of medically applied action Sir Terry is advocating. But the difference, I believe, is important. If I have the option, I'd prefer that my final moment isn't dependent on any external agent or person - it's just me, my body and my God. Then I think it is truly: my life, my death, my choice as well as my opportunity for transcendence.
Sir Terry said that if he knew he could end his life at a time of his choosing, without the fear of incriminating a friend or family member, he would enjoy the rest of his life far more.