For example, if a person has an old parent who needs a lot of help or is in great pain, who may be in a vegetative state, the person who must take care of the sick person is also suffering the consequence of previous karma. These things do not affect only the individual but also the people concerned, so we cannot say, "Oh, just because this person is in serious pain or causing other people to suffer, we will just eliminate him." That would not be right.

In the teachings of Bodhidharma there is an article called The Four Practices to Enter the Path. First is the practice of paying back one's debt The second is practice in accordance with conditions. Third is the practice of not seeking anything. Fourth is practice in accordance with dharmas. This fourth one means to deal with each dharma as it is. So, if people are suffering, we should try to help them. We should use modern medicine if it is available. But if we cannot help them, then their suffering is also dharma, so we should deal with the suffering as it is. One cannot arbitrarily kill oneself or others, regardless of the conditions, or state of awareness. Once we take a life, we violate the basic principle of Buddhadharma. As to the Vietnamese monk, that is also not acceptable. Sakyamuni never taught his disciples to burn themselves in order to save their own country. What a waste.

During Sakyamuni's time, there was a group of people who attained arhatship. Some of them had the peculiar idea that since they attained arhatship, there was nothing left for them to do. They thought life was useless, and they may as well die. At the same time there were some who felt they were free from vexation, but were afraid the vexations might one day return. So to avoid the trouble they decided to kill themselves. Within a short time many arhats and practitioners who thought they were arhats had killed themselves. When Sakyamuni heard about this, he forbade the practice.