Hinduism : life and death article adapted from student bmJ

Law of karma In Hinduism your perpetual soul’s future and the quality of your rebirth and progress towards liberation depend on your actions in life. The law of karma states that every event has a cause and effect, and every cause has a destiny. It signifies the interplay between fate and free will. Hindus are not fatalists who believe that humans have no freedom, are subject to preordained forces, and are puppets of fate. Karma is accumulated through prior existences and defines your character, tendencies, capacities, and caste. Hindus seek a high This article considers Hindu bioethics as they relate to biotechnology, suicide, euthanasia, and organ transplantation and donation. To understand bioethical dilemmas from a Hindu standpoint, you must be familiar with the law of karma and beliefs about reincarnation.1-3 The theme of Hindu bioethics is that death is not opposite to life; rather, it is opposite to birth. Hindus consider life to be a journey between birth and death. In Western society, health is understood as freedom from disability.4 In Hinduism it is understood as soundness of body and mind. Deviation from this balance results in illness; one commonly held belief among Hindus is that illness is instigated by bad karma. However, many Hindus consider illness simply as part of ordinary life experience and also as a test from God. tu d EN t b m J a r Ic lE