Buddhism and organ donation
A guide to organ donation and Buddhist beliefs
Organ donation
Organ donation is the gift of an organ to help someone else who needs a transplant. Hundreds of people's lives are saved or improved each year by organ transplants.
Donation is an individual choice and views differ even within the same religious groups.
Why is it important to think about donating organs?
With medical advances it is now possible to use transplanted organs and tissues to enhance the life chances of those suffering from a range of terminal conditions such as renal, liver and heart failure. More people than before now suffer from these conditions and some ethnic groups seem to be more affected than others.
Consent
The consent or permission of those closest to the potential donor is always sought before organs can be donated. This is why it is so important to discuss your wishes with your loved ones should you decide to become a donor. Many families who agree to organ donation have said that it helps to know some good has come from their loss.
When can organ donation take place?
Doctors and their colleagues are committed to doing everything possible to save life. Organs are only removed for transplantation once all attempts to save life have failed and after death has been certified by doctors who are entirely independent of the transplant team.
Care and respect
The removal of organs and tissues is carried out with the greatest care and respect. The family can see the body afterwards and staff can contact a chaplain or local religious leader if the family wishes.
Buddhism and organ donation
There are no injunctions in Buddhism for or
against organ donation. The death process of an
individual is viewed as a very important time
that should be treated with the greatest care
and respect. In some traditions, the moment of
death is defined according to criteria which
differ from those of modern Western medicine,
and there are differing views as to the
acceptability of organ transplantation. The
needs and wishes of the dying person must not be
compromised by the wish to save a life. Each
decision will depend on individual
circumstances.
Central to Buddhism is a wish
to relieve suffering and there may be
circumstances where organ donation may be seen
as an act of generosity. Where it is truly the
wish of the dying person, it would be seen in
that light.
If there is doubt as to the teachings within the particular tradition to which a person belongs, expert guidance should be sought from a senior teacher within the tradition concerned.
When he discovered a monk sick and uncared for, the Buddha said to the other monks:
"Whoever would care for me, let him care for
those who are sick".
(Mahavagga VIII.26.1-8
Kucchivikara-vatthu: The Monk with Dysentery.
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
There are many different Buddhist traditions and organ donation is an individual choice, but:
"Giving is the greatest of Buddhist virtues. The Buddha in a previous life gave his body to a starving tigress who could not feed her cubs. There are many such Jataka tales some in which he even gave his eyes to someone who wanted them.
"What loss do I suffer to give an unwanted
organ after my death to give another person
life?"
(Dr Desmond Biddulph, Chairman of
The Buddhist Society)
"I would be happy if I was able to help
someone else live after my own death."
(Dhammarati, Western Buddhist Order)
"Non-attachment to the body can be seen in the context of non-attachment to self and Buddhist teachings on impermanence. Compassion is a pre-eminent quality. Giving one’s body for the good of others is seen as a virtue." (The Amida Trust)
"Organ donation is acceptable in Theravada Buddhism. It is a Buddhist virtue to generously extend help to other sentient beings and this covers the case of organ donation." (Phramaha Laow Panyasiri, Abbot, The Buddhavihara Temple)
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