“Suicide is the worst of crimes and dire in its results.” – H. P. Blavatsky
“. . . the greatest of all living crimes – Suicide.” – Master S.B.
“Suicides are not dead but have only killed their physical triad . . . The suicides, who, foolishly hoping to escape life, found themselves still alive, – have suffering enough in store for them from that very life. Their punishment is in the intensity of the latter.” – Master K.H.
Because suicide is not natural death but a highly unnatural form of death – self-induced death which, although very tragic and in many cases understandable and worthy of all our compassion, is still spiritually unlawful – the process is different from that which applies in the case of ordinary and naturally occurring death, which has been outlined in the article Death and The Afterlife and in much greater detail in When We Die.
The individual who commits suicide remains fully conscious, trapped in the Kama Loka (the psychic or astral atmosphere surrounding and to some extent interpenetrating the physical plane), able to see and witness everything that’s going on on Earth in regard to the situations and people from which they have severed themselves, and having to remain there for the destined duration of what would have been their life had they not killed themselves.
For example, if the person was destined by their Karma to have lived for 90 years in that lifetime but killed themselves at the age of 20, they will have to remain within Kama Loka for 70 years and cannot progress any further until then. They are not able to undergo the complete death process and enter into the state of Devachan – or “Heaven” – until then.
In this regard the Master K.H. explained that “That particular wave of life-evolution must run on to its shore.” They are well and truly trapped and the suffering caused by being in that state is far worse than the suffering they tried to escape from on Earth.
This fact of having to remain in Kama Loka for the entire remaining duration of the life they had been destined to live is not in any sense a form of “punishment” doled out by a Higher Power or Divine Being. It is merely due to the fact that each human being is comprised of seven parts or components (generally called the Seven Principles in the teachings of Theosophy) and the unchangeable Laws of Nature require that these separate from one another in the right way, the right order, and at the right time, in order for everything to proceed naturally and normally at the moment of death and beyond.
The person who dies a natural death does so because their Principles have gradually and naturally run their entire course of destined duration and, of their own accord, ceased to cohere with one another. But this is obviously not the case for the person who has murdered himself or herself; the one who has taken their own life.
They find themselves just as alive afterwards, only now without the outer shell of the physical body and in even more of a “trapped” state than before. Often filled with regrets and longing to get back in touch with Earth life, it is relatively easy for them to either initiate contact with a medium or for a medium to seek them out.
But this is the worst thing they can do, as it is spiritually unlawful for individuals to reinitiate contact with the life of which they have purposely deprived themselves. The Masters and Madame Blavatsky taught that the suicide victim who does this may well lose their soul forever as a result, when their natural life term finally reaches its end. A dark fate will also naturally be in store for the medium who enabled and consented for such a thing to happen, as they will have created terrible Karma for themselves.
If only people would leave departed souls in peace and allow them to progress on their eventual upward way! After describing some of these things, the Master K.H. poignantly wrote, “And now you may understand why we oppose so strongly Spiritualism and mediumship.”
At the end of the 19th century, when the teachings of Theosophy were given out to the world, the concept of NDEs (Near Death Experiences) was unknown. It is only much more recently – and increasingly so over the past few decades – that awareness and serious scientific study of such things has come about.
It is interesting to note that the nature and description of almost every Near Death Experience in our modern times is in perfect harmony with the explanations and details provided by Theosophy. We refer here to the original and genuine Theosophy – that of H. P. Blavatsky, William Quan Judge, and the Masters – and not that of later “Theosophists” such as C. W. Leadbeater, Annie Besant, and Alice Bailey, since their explanations and teachings regarding death and the afterlife are profoundly different from those of original Theosophy and are not supported or validated by contemporary research into NDEs or other similar phenomena.
Compare the Theosophical teaching about the experience in store for one who commits suicide (which we have outlined above) with what Dr Raymond Moody has to say in his famous and highly regarded book “Life After Life.” With regard to interviews he had conducted with people who had had a Near Death Experience as a result of a suicide attempt from which they either survived or were medically resuscitated, Moody writes:
“These experiences were uniformly characterized as being unpleasant. As one woman said, ‘If you leave here a tormented soul, you will be a tormented soul over there, too.’ In short, they report that the conflicts they had attempted suicide to escape were still present when they died, but with added complications. In their disembodied state they were unable to do anything about their problems, and they also had to view the unfortunate consequences which resulted from their acts. A man who was despondent about the death of his wife shot himself, ‘died’ as a result, and was resuscitated. He states: ‘I didn’t go where [my wife] was, I went to an awful place. . . . I immediately saw the mistake I had made. . . . I thought, ‘I wish I hadn’t done it.’ Others who experienced this unpleasant ‘limbo’ state have remarked that they had the feeling they would be there for a long time. This was their penalty for ‘breaking the rules’ by trying to release themselves prematurely from what was, in effect, an ‘assignment’ – to fulfill a certain purpose in life.”
In his subsequent book “Reflections on Life After Life,” Moody says:
“All of these people agree on one point: they felt their suicidal attempts solved nothing. They found that they were involved [in the other world] in exactly the same problems from which they had been trying to extricate themselves by suicide. Whatever difficulty they had been trying to get away from was still there on the other side, unresolved. One person mentioned being “trapped” in the situation which had provoked her suicide attempt. [It was] repeated again and again, as if in a cycle.”
In Sylvia Cranston’s excellent book “Reincarnation – A New Horizon in Science, Religion, and Society” she relates some of the observations and experiences of the American psychiatrist George Ritchie during his own Near Death Experience. We quote here a particularly relevant and tragic passage from that book, which includes excerpts from Ritchie’s own book:
“According to psychiatrist George Ritchie, one of the worst fates of a suicide is that after death he can see the misery caused others by his act of self-destruction. Among the places Dr Ritchie was taken by his celestial guide during his own near-death experience was a house where a younger man was following an older one from room to room. “I’m sorry, Pa!” he kept saying. “I didn’t know what it would do to Mama! I didn’t understand.” But though Ritchie
could hear the young man clearly, it was obvious that the man he was speaking to could not. The old man was carrying a tray into a room where an elderly woman sat in bed. “I’m sorry, Pa,” the young man said again. “I’m sorry, Mama.” Endlessly, over and over, to ears that could not hear. In bafflement I turned to the Brightness beside me. But though I felt His compassion flow like a torrent into the room before us, no understanding lighted my mind. Several times we paused before similar scenes. A boy trailing a teenage girl through the corridors of a school. “I’m sorry, Nancy!”
“Then there was a middle-aged woman begging a gray-haired man to forgive her. Ritchie turned pleadingly to his guide: “ ‘Why do they keep talking to people who can’t hear them?’ Then from the Light beside me came the thought: They are suicides, chained to every consequence of their acts. This idea stunned me, yet I knew it came from Him, not me, for I now saw no more scenes like these, as though the truth He was teaching had been learned.”
It is thus very apt that the Masters refer to suicide victims as “earth walkers”!
In his article “Suicide Is Not Death,” William Q. Judge (a close colleague of H. P. Blavatsky and co-founder with her of the Theosophical Society) expressed the matter like this:
“The fate of the suicide is horrible in general. He has cut himself off from his body by using mechanical means that affect the body, but cannot touch the real man. He then is projected into the astral world, for he has to live somewhere. There the remorseless law, which acts really for his good, compels him to wait until he can properly die. Naturally he must wait, half dead, the months or years which, in the order of nature, would have rolled over him before body and soul and spirit could rightly separate. He becomes a shade; he lives in purgatory, so to say, called by the Theosophist the “place of desire and passion,” or “Kama-Loka.” He exists in the astral realm entirely, eaten up by his own thoughts. Continually repeating in vivid thoughts the act by which he tried to stop his life’s pilgrimage, he at the same time sees the people and the place he left, but is not able to communicate with any one . . .”
Suicide rates are increasing dramatically in the 21st century and have been ever on the rise since around the 1950s or 1960s. People had just as much opportunity and ability to kill themselves in the many centuries before then but they didn’t. What does this tell us about our boasted modern “civilisation” in which science is man’s God, materialism and sensuality his creed, the television his talking Bible, and the internet his playground?
True spirituality is not fantasy or delusion, as the scientists and atheists would like people to believe. It is the revelation of FACTS and REALITIES. The basic foundational premise of Theosophy is that Truth exists and that there are “Those who know.” H. P. Blavatsky knew exactly what she was talking about, as did Mr Judge, and the Eastern Masters of whom they were the devoted pupils and disciples.
“Theosophy is for those who want it,” wrote Robert Crosbie, a student and associate of Judge and founder of the United Lodge of Theosophists. Yes, the Truth is here – the answer to every question and the solution to every problem you may have – if you are willing to receive it.
WE DEDICATE THIS ARTICLE TO ALL THOSE PRECIOUS SOULS
WHO HAVE ALREADY CHOSEN TO END THEIR OWN LIVES AND TO
THOSE WHO ARE STILL WITH US BUT STRUGGLING WITH DARK AND DEPRESSIVE THOUGHTS AND CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE.
MAY THEY ALL FIND PERFECT PEACE.
~ BlavatskyTheosophy.com ~
TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THIS AND RELATED SUBJECTS, PLEASE READ WHEN WE DIE.
T H E O S O P H Y 
There are lots of ghosts recorded at old prison sites. Anywhere there has been violent deaths or suicides that place will have ghosts. Ted Bundy is a good case.
I will copy and paste the relevant portion:
In April of 2001 a guard who was retired from the Florida State prison in Redford, Florida where Ted Bundy was executed told a Tampa newspaper the following very disturbing and chilling story under the condition they not use his name. *
This guard told a reporter that after Bundy was put to death that he and several other prison guards saw Ted Bundy as they entered the room where the electric chair is located. He stated that Ted Bundy was just sitting in the electric chair casually—that he was not strapped in. The guard described how Bundy would smile a “very knowing smile” as a greeting when they entered the room.
This guard told the reporter that when he or his fellow guards tried to speak to Bundy he would vanish. He also stated that at one point there was so many sightings of Bundy in this room that prison officials couldn’t find any guards willing to enter the room.
Bundy has also been seen by several guards near the holding cell where he was kept for the last few hours of his life. All the guards that reported seeing him here stated that Bundy spoke to them. He said the same thing to each of them, “Well, I beat all of you didn’t I?”
The reporter was told that because so many guards saw Bundy and reported it that the warden and his staff pulled each of them aside individually and warned them they were not to talk about what they had seen or they would be fired. Several guards didn’t stay around long enough to hear the warden’s warning because after seeing Bundy more than once they quit.
SOURCE URL: http://seeksghosts.blogspot.com/2012/03/haunted-electric-chair-ted-bundy.html
Sorry, spelling mistakes, disregard my last comment, use this one instead:
If a human dies due to murder, war, or bombing.. is it “natural death”?
I mean, he could have lived to his “natural death” if he was not shot for example…
Hello Maxim, I’ve replied to your e-mail but am also answering this question here as it might be of help to others:
These things you mention would be considered as unnatural death because the disintegration and separation of the various Principles of the human constitution has not been able to occur in the normal and natural way. The term “unnatural death” means death from violence (including murder), accidents, and suicide.
MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH.
MAY OUR MISSIONS BEEN ACCOPMPLISHED.
WITH INFINITE GRATITUDE AND LOVE
from palermo soho ,buenos aires argentina
sebastian san
Thanks for your reply.
So does it mean that a person who died in such way finds himself in the same position as a person who commits suicide?
If the later is true, isn’t death by accident (as opposed to death by shooting/war) can be considered “karmic death” which is planned ahead (because no person is intend to kill him, and the person doesn’t intend to kill himself, the death is by “higher forces”) – and if so, why that person needs to suffer the fate of the one who takes his own life?
Thanks,
Maxim.
“In the state of Kama Loka suicides and those who are suddenly shot out of life by accident or murder, legal or illegal, pass a term almost equal to the length life would have been but for the sudden termination. These are not really dead. To bring on a normal death, a factor not recognized by medical science must be present. That is, the principles of the being as described in other chapters have their own term of cohesion, at the natural end of which they separate from each other under their own laws. … Before that natural end the principles are unable to separate. Obviously the normal destruction of the cohesive force cannot be brought about by mechanical processes except in respect to the physical body. Hence a suicide, or person killed by accident or murdered by man or by order of human law, has not come to the natural termination of the cohesion among the other constituents, and is hurled into the kama loka state only partly dead. There the remaining principles have to wait until the actual natural life term is reached, whether it be one month or sixty years.
“But the degrees of kama loka provide for the many varieties of the last-mentioned shells. Some pass the period in great suffering, others in a dreamy sort of sleep, each according to the moral responsibility. But executed criminals are in general thrown out of life full of hate and revenge, smarting under a penalty they do not admit the justice of. They are ever rehearsing in kama loka their crime, their trial, their execution, and their revenge. And whenever they can gain touch with a sensitive living person, medium or not, they attempt to inject thoughts of murder and other crime into the brain of such unfortunate. And that they succeed in such attempts the deeper students of Theosophy full well know.” – William Q. Judge, “The Ocean of Theosophy” (Chapter 12)
As you say, an accident isn’t necessarily actually an “accident,” since nothing happens outside of the Law of Karma…but nevertheless they are “not really dead” (as the passage quoted above explains) until the proper and complete separation of the various Principles has occurred. But the person who dies from an “accident” or through violence or murder doesn’t have the same unpleasant experience in Kama Loka as the person who has committed suicide…UNLESS that person was of such a nature and consciousness as to make it unpleasant for them. Many people who die in violent and sudden circumstances actually remain in a sort of deep sleep during the period they have to spend in Kama Loka.
There are a number of quotations on this topic in the section titled “Different Experiences for Victims of Unnatural Death” in the “When We Die” article at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/when-we-die/. We can rest assured that there is never any injustice in Nature but that everything proceeds as it should and according to the Law of perfect balance, adjustment, and equilibrium.
I am a Hindu & I am from India. The theories presented in this site are very similar to Hinduism. This article should compel people to introspect before committing suicide.
This IS the most comprehensive article
I have read on this subject, thanks for driving me away of my suicidal thoughts….
Thank you very much for your comment Julio. It’s a real joy to learn that the article has had this positive effect on you.
Very informative and an unselfish knowledge shared to save future suicidal individuals 😄
As myself as well 🙂 we can change. And make our circumstances better.
I don’t think it’s fair that one should suffer again from trying to end their suffering here on earth in the first place. From what I read it’s understood that if you commit suicide you will end up in an empty place re-living the horror that you were trying to escape. I think depend on how ones live their life if they were good the soul should depart and go to heaven and if they were bad their soul should go to hell. Easy Peasy. No need to be so dramatic about taking your own life if your not happy anymore it’s not fair that ones should suffer by staying. Truth is if you not happy you already dead inside, why not die all together. Everyone has their own personal reasons why they commit suicides. I’ve been thinking about it that is why I was reading up and doing some research that is how I find this sites. It did not change my mind one bit I just find it to be annoying from what I read so far. Here’s my final thought if the creator who created me will be upset of me committing suicide , why not help me in my situation before I even have the thought. And over all if he knew he couldn’t help, I was going to do it, why not create me at all to begin with?
Hello Angie, thank you for your comment.
This subject of suicide and its consequences is a very important one and this article tends to have two main effects on readers. For some, the information and inspiration it provides helps them to overcome their suicidal thoughts and actually saves them from killing themselves. It’s the most frequently viewed article on our site. For others, however, the content of the article seems to annoy them and they say that the teachings it expresses seem very unfair and unjust or even cruel.
Those who hold to the latter opinion are often those whose spiritual worldview has been largely coloured and influenced by Christian ideas and by notions of there being a personal “God,” a Being or Entity who is our “Creator.” Certainly, if there was such a God, then we might be able to say that the Theosophical teaching about suicide is unfair, since it would imply unfairness and lack of love and mercy on the part of God. But Theosophy denies the existence of God – as do some of the world’s major religions such as Buddhism and Jainism – although it does not deny the Absolute/Infinite; but that which is absolute and infinite must of necessity be a Principle, an Essence, an impersonal Supreme Eternal Energy whose nature is Law rather than sentiment, and not some sort of “Divine Person.”
As the article itself says:
“This fact of having to remain in Kama Loka for the entire remaining duration of the life they had been destined to live is not in any sense a form of “punishment” doled out by a Higher Power or Divine Being. It is merely due to the fact that each human being is comprised of seven parts or components (generally called the Seven Principles in the teachings of Theosophy) and the unchangeable Laws of Nature require that these separate from one another in the right way, the right order, and at the right time, in order for everything to proceed naturally and normally at the moment of death and beyond.
“The person who dies a natural death does so because their Principles have gradually and naturally run their entire course of destined duration and, of their own accord, ceased to cohere with one another. But this is obviously not the case for the person who has murdered himself or herself; the one who has taken their own life.”
You said, “If the creator who created me will be upset of me committing suicide , why not help me in my situation before I even have the thought. And over all if he knew he couldn’t help, I was going to do it, why not create me at all to begin with?”
You may possibly not like our answer to this but it is this: There is no Creator, nor can there even be such a thing as “creation” on the part of the Divine. (See the articles “There is No Creation” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/there-is-no-creation/ and “The Impersonal Divine” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/the-impersonal-divine/) No-one has ever created you. In your innermost essence and spirit, you are not a creation of a personal God…on the contrary, you are a divine spark of the very essence of Infinity Itself. How could it be otherwise?
A personal God and Creator must – from both a logical and philosophical perspective – be a finite and imperfect God. But rather than make this comment even lengthier, the best way of providing an answer to your questions and explaining the Theosophical view on these things is to encourage you to read “The Impersonal Divine” article. Please don’t feel under any compulsion at all to accept or agree with it. Freedom of thought and belief is of the utmost importance, as are spiritual and mental independence. But this article may help you to see why the ideas and arguments you’re presenting would always seem unreasonable and illogical to a student of Theosophy.
You also said “I think depend on how ones live their life if they were good the soul should depart and go to heaven and if they were bad their soul should go to hell. Easy Peasy.”
Such a simplistic idea may seem “easy peasy” to one brought up in the ways of ordinary religion but it is meaningless to a philosopher, that word literally meaning a “Lover of Wisdom.” It seems as if you’re implying that the soul has only one lifetime on Earth and that there can be eternal heaven or eternal hell at the end of it. How could a loving and compassionate person have any wish whatsoever for someone to go to hell, even if that person had been very evil in their life? This may be an “easy” idea to hold to but there is nothing easy about the intricate and complex nature of this Universe in which we live and which is governed by one thing only…absolute and impersonal JUSTICE in the nature of the unfailing, unerring, ever-present, ever-active, incredibly far reaching Law of cause and effect, action and reaction, sequence and consequence, sowing and reaping, or in other words, Karma. Theosophy teaches that “Law is Deity and Deity is Law.” It is the One Life, the One Law, the One Element.
If you have read the article in full, you will see that the difficult state experienced in Kama Loka by those who commit suicide is not permanent but is actually only very temporary, in comparison with the Heaven state of Devachan which they enter into afterwards, prior to their next rebirth on this physical plane. It’s here, in Earth life, that we have to face the Karmic consequences of our bad acts and misdeeds, for it’s here on Earth that we set those causes in motion and thus they can only be adjusted here. The real “hell” is life on Earth and this is only the case if we have made it such, through our own Karma, which is the Law of self-created destiny. (See “Blavatsky on Hell and Christianity” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/blavatsky-on-hell-and-christianity/) So is this not far more fair, reasonable, and just than your notion of heaven for the “good” and hell for the “bad” after death? And who amongst us can truly claim to have been properly “good” or properly “bad”? Most of us are a mixture and blend between the two, in various ways, although of course we can and should be working to eliminate all our impurities and vices.
In closing, we just feel compelled to say that your idea that there’s “No need to be so dramatic about taking your own life if your not happy anymore it’s not fair that ones should suffer by staying. Truth is if you not happy you already dead inside, why not die all together” seems to indicate no sense or conception of the great sacredness and importance of life on Earth. WE are the ones who have caused ourselves to be here on Earth at this time, in this place, and in these circumstances and experiences. Thus to try to escape from all this is to try to escape from and evade one’s own Karma and this cannot be done, hence all the after-death difficulties for those who try to do it. Did you read in the article the references to modern Near Death Experiences of people who had attempted suicide and how these clearly and profoundly confirm the Theosophical teaching on the matter? We hope that this doesn’t count for nothing in your view. It should at least show that the Theosophical perspective is very plausible, even if one doesn’t accept it as being entirely accurate.
Also see “A Right Understanding of Karma?” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/a-right-understanding-of-karma/), “Questions about Karma” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/questions-about-karma/), and “Is Karma Merciful and Compassionate?” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/is-karma-merciful-and-compassionate/)
We hope you will feel no offence at this reply, as no offence is intended at all. But as the site gives you the opportunity to express your own views and disagreements with the article, it also gives us the right and opportunity to respond to that with an explanation in support of Theosophy.
My father commit suicide when I was 9 years old and that event is very devastating in our life. I am the elder among 4 siblings and at my younger age I was forced to help my mother to feed our family. My father is a responsible person as I know it but he was attack by sever depression during that time as I analyzed it that compel him to end his life. After his death, I encountered some unexplained phenomenon in my dream and in still awake which I found the answer only after reading this material. On the other hand, I have some question in mind regarding the biblical account regarding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ where in after three (3) days he came again under his resurrected body, show up again to his disciples and even eat together with them and later took by the Angels into heaven. Jesus Christ was murdered at his early age, and what further disturb me is that he again eat an earthly food together with his disciples?
My husband committed suicide 3 months ago. It left us completely devastated and shattered. He left his old parents, 2yr old son and me. I cry everyday. I have become a lifeless being. Iam dying everyday thinking ‘why’. Even though he left a note it doesn’t explain taking such an extreme step. Suicide is an erratic solution to a temporary problem. There are people who love you, who care for you. Accept things the way they are and things will be fine. ‘Suicide indeed is the worst of crimes’
My wife killed herself on October 1st 2010. It gets easier. Good luck getting through this grief, it will become one with you, and in that oneness you will grow in a way you wouldn’t have otherwise. Be well.
Thanks Mark. Yeah I have grown a lot. Changed as a person completely.
What can we do about our karma? Like i had done a huge mistake, and after i have tried to solve some, i repetadly done it wrong again even tough i wanted to do it right. Now i know i cannot change the past, im affraid what consiquenses of my actions will i experience in the future. The fear of the future is making me depressed,so im thinking about ending it all. what are my chances for having a happy future without the fears linked to my wrong moves/desicions?
Thank you for your comment and questions.
You say that you have made “a huge mistake” of some sort but it would be a far huger mistake to end your life. You have read the article, combining both the Theosophical explanations about what happens to people who commit suicide and information reported by people who had Near Death Experiences after attempting suicide, which confirms the teachings of Theosophy in this regard.
No matter how awful one’s life and future may seem, it can never be as awful as being trapped helplessly in Kama Loka for the remainder of the duration of the life one had been meant to live on Earth.
There is no need to be afraid of the future. All of us probably have some very bad things waiting in our future – either later in this life or in a subsequent lifetime – as part of our Karma resulting from past actions. You are not alone in this. But we can look to the future with strength and confidence, reminding ourselves that any suffering is inevitably only temporary, and that whatever we experience is exactly what we deserve and is perfect justice.
When we have experienced it and gone through it, that part of our Karma will have been worked off…done and dealt with…and hopefully a “soul lesson” will have been learnt in the process. To commit suicide in order to try to ESCAPE that would only create far worse Karma and a much worse future.
We have to face our self-created destiny. Your inner strength will see you through. Do not dwell on what might happen in the future and do not misuse your power of imagination in negative speculations as to what your future might be like. Forget about all that and just let it come in its own way in due season. For now, you can start creating the right sort of Karma by living to help and serve others in whatever way possible. This is what life is truly all about.
After my husband committed suicide, I have retrospected myself thoroughly n I firmly believe I didn’t deserve this. For life I lived I really didn’t deserve this. I was best in academics, in professional life, did everything for my husband, loved him, looked after his baby still he stabbed me. I did have issues with my in-laws which evey other lady has. Im not perfect. I made mistakes like any other human being does but I didnt deserve such tragic death of my husband. I believe it was karma of past lifetime. Im glad it is over. I’m looking forward to life n waiting for best to happen. After dedicating myself to my family I didn’t deserve this. Life im living today after my husband’s death is also good. Except for husband missing I have loving n supporting parents, sister and kid. I got a good pay job as well. My life as of today is good if I don’t see the grief part. At least im not on roads. I have good house, good job and a loving family.
After my husband’s death i faced alot of grief, shame and heard alot of spiteful words. Even I felt suicidal. But after reading alot of articles from this website I felt that this life is already ruined so let’s finish all the suffering in this lifetime itself. I don’t want to ruin next life as well.
I have grown a lil spiritually and am making efforts to live life consciously and harmlessly. I have controlled my anger and ego to a great extent. Have started looking positivity in everything. Thanks to this website. It gives me much needed peace and strength to spend the rest of my already damaged life. I feel time is the biggest healer. If I got this suffering coz I deserved it then I will also get the due happiness which me n my family deserves. Just a matter of time. 🙂
It’s really nice to read and feel your newfound positivity and higher perspectives on things, Akanksha. Hopefully the site will continue to provide you with hope and inspiration!
I understand that nothing happens outside the law of Karma and that Im suffering bcoz of causes I created either in this life or in previous life. My suffering was bound to happen due to my husband’s suicide which is a result of my karma. So does that mean his suicide was also a part of law of karma I.e. his previous karma? Does it mean his suicide was also destined? Bcoz I wouldn’t had suffered if he hadn’t committed suicide. Does it mean his suicide was destined?
It cannot be said that any suicide is absolutely and definitely 100% destined. If it were, then we would have very little in the way of freedom of choice.
But what is destined – by our own Karma, i.e. our self-created destiny resulting from the thoughts, words, and deeds of this and former incarnations – is that at some point in a lifetime we may come to a very difficult period, a stage of intense crisis and suffering, in which we are faced with a choice, a decision. The choice may be between killing oneself and continuing to live.
No-one else makes us do what we do…it’s always up to us. At times suicide may look like an easier and more comfortable option but in reality and metaphysically it never is. But it IS an option, a choice. Your husband’s Karma was obviously to have a choice, a choice between life and death. His Karma was such that he was presented with the right and ability to choose either. Unfortunately he chose death but this doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have avoided doing so.
Karma is a very complex, subtle, and abstruse subject. Maybe it would be good to study it in depth and detail, for the help and benefit of both oneself and others.
May your strength and peace increase with each passing day.
I have grown a lot as a person. The strength, hope and knowledge this website has given me has made me move on. I feel as though my spiritual journey has started. Grief period is over and I have started living my life once again. And yes have started living life consciously. I never understood Bhagwad Gita before. But now I do understand it.
And from the comments I read on this website, you have saved many lives; given hope to many shattered lives. Commendable work. I feel blessed that I came across this website. I was just doing google on suicide and I read this article. Now this website is always open on my laptop. I keep reading some or the other article. I have become an ardent believer of Theosophy.
You said: “Karma is a very complex, subtle, and abstruse subject. Maybe it would be good to study it in depth and detail, for the help and benefit of both oneself and others.”
Could you please recommend me any book which could help me understand Karma in more detail. I also want to know any books related to Theosophy which can help me grow spiritually. And where can I buy them from (online or through post)? I live in India.
Hello Akanksha, you can find articles on this subject under the heading “THE LAW OF KARMA” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/articles/ and can find listing and details of recommended Theosophical books at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/books-on-theosophy/.
You should be able to purchase almost all the books listed on that page from the United Lodge of Theosophists in India. Its two main Indian centres are in Mumbai and Bangalore, contact details for which can be found here: http://www.ultindia.org/contact_info.html
The subject of Karma is covered in good depth and detail as part of such books as “The Key to Theosophy” by H.P. Blavatsky, “The Ocean of Theosophy” by William Q. Judge and “Answers to Questions on The Ocean of Theosophy” by Robert Crosbie. But one can find something about Karma in almost every Theosophical book as it is described as the pivotal doctrine and fundamental principle of the Esoteric Philosophy.
I believe that when one commits suicide he or she is forgiven
It is not a matter of being forgiven or unforgiven. Everything proceeds according to the Law of Karma and for every action there will be a consequence – by means of cause and effect – which has to be faced. There is no God outside of us to do anything for us, including answering prayers or wiping out “sins.” We are our own devil and our own god. Theosophy helps us to see and realise this and to begin to take responsibility for our every thought, feeling, word, and deed. Of course, it’s true that the sufferings of a suicide victim are not everlasting but there is suffering nonetheless. The Near Death Experiences related above serve as evidence of this. There is no evidence to the contrary.
Thank you for this article. I think it’s quite general the knowledge that suicide is very wrong and you should never do it. But I had never heard about you having to wait until your life on Earth was supposed to be over, in that place you call “Kama-Loka”, reliving what you’ve done while watching the suffering of those you left behind. It makes a lot of sense. But I don’t understand when you say that the suicide victims who try to make contact with Earth life through a medium “will often lose their soul forever as a result”. I understand your explanation on why it’s wrong, I don’t understand the part, “lose their soul forever”. What does that mean? The person, or being, ceases to exist?
Yes Maria, in such a case the individual being would end up ceasing to exist, as awful and horrible as this may sound.
Something can be read about it towards the end of the article “Loss of the Soul and Annihilation” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/loss-of-the-soul-and-annihilation/.
Some may possibly find these things extreme but the Karmic consequences of committing suicide truly are extreme and unspeakable and people must be warned about it.
Hello again and thank you for your answer.
In this life I have never had suicidal tendencies, so I don’t have, at least so far, that worry. But what about if I have them in future lives?
Is there anything I can do in this life that will leave a strong imprint in my mind, so that in future lives I have a strong conviction/feeling that one should never ever commit suicide?
It’s best not to even worry or be concerned about the possibility of having suicidal tendencies or anything else of a negative nature in future lifetimes. Everything proceeds according to the Law of Karma – cause and effect, action and reaction, sequence and consequence, sowing and reaping, etc. – and if you focus on such matters it may potentially end up producing such an undesired effect later on. The best thing to do now is to simply focus on the sacredness and preciousness of life and allow this awareness of the inner divinity of all things to become indelibly imprinted in your soul. This will end up helping you and many others.
My son committed suicide at 33 yrs of age, he has left his brother and myself devastated. He left behind two young sons. I feel sick knowing his current state is not bringing him comfort. The suicide remains fully conscious, and as such I do feel his presence. I had him cremated but have nowhere to bury the ashes, all of the family is still living including the grandparents. I know it is not a good thing to make contact with his astral spirit, however would it be ok to write notes to tell him the things we are doing to complete some of the tasks he left undone?
Hello Barbara, please accept our sincere condolences and sympathies at this sad and difficult time.
Although it is of course up to you, I think it would be inadvisable to write notes, as this is a form of attempted communication and could potentially lead to unfortunate consequences. It may also be better to find somewhere to bury or scatter the ashes, for both your sake and your son’s, rather than continuing to hold onto them.
I should emphasise that the above paragraph is only personal opinion. The teachings of Theosophy do not go into such personal depth or detail about this but this is what I would assume based on lengthy study and attempted application of those teachings.
As difficult as it may be, it’s possible that the best help and support you can provide for your son’s soul is to attempt to think positively and cheerfully about him and to silently wish him all the best. Depending on his degree of consciousness in his present state, he may be able to perceive this and could possibly be helped and strengthened through it.
Thank you for this site. This article is what I needed to read. I have been depressed for sometime and have thought about taking my life but not too seriously. Now I know it is my selfishness and lack of discipline that has put me in this state. I picked The Secret Doctrine off my book shelf last night and it has started to change my outlook. I have had my challenges in life but not nearly as much as the millions of suffering people who keep on moving ahead living their life the best they can. If I can give any advice to those who are in a bad state of mind, it would be to ask for help from the higher power that has created all and search within. The light and path will be given to you.
What about the person who is terminally ill and has no chance of recovery again to normal life? Who seems to be a burden, both physically and financially, on others and everyone just waiting the person to die including the doctors those know that the survival of such a person is no more possible, especially from a clinical point of view.
Thank you, Subrat, for your comment and question.
The following is from H.P. Blavatsky’s article “Is Suicide a Crime?”:
“No more than murder, is it [i.e. suicide] ever justifiable, however desirable it may sometimes appear. The Occultist, who looks at the origin and the ultimate end of things, teaches that the individual – who affirms that any man, under whatsoever circumstances, is called to put an end to his life, – is guilty of as great an offense and of as pernicious a piece of sophistry, as the nation that assumes a right to kill in war thousands of innocent people under the pretext of avenging the wrong done to one. All such reasonings are the fruits of Avidya mistaken for philosophy and wisdom.”
Suicide, as no-one can deny, is the act of self-murder, i.e. murdering one’s own body. From a Karmic perspective, this is a very severe thing to do and has dire and extreme consequences.
It is of course true that the motive behind such an act will determine to some extent the nature and force of its Karmic effects but no act of suicide can ever be properly permissible under the Law of Karma, regardless of the circumstances.
It’s easy to understand and sympathise with those who may be terminally ill or in awful constant physical agony and who just want to end their life now and free themselves and their loved ones from this terrible and prolonged suffering…and yet, if we know and understand Theosophy, we will realise that all suffering is part of that soul’s own Karma (their own self-created destiny) and has to be faced, dealt with, and worked through until the end, until that portion of Karma is “burnt out” or “burnt off” and completed, meaning that the soul is then free from having to face it again in the future because the necessary re-balancing and re-equilibrising for past actions has taken place and been fulfilled. For most people with a terminal illness or lifelong medical condition, the soul does not get freed from that Karma until the death of the body. It’s a painful purging process but finally resulting in freedom on many levels.
We can readily see that if one was to put a stop to this process prematurely, whether by their own suicide or by euthanasia at the decision of their family members or loved ones, that Karmic debt would have to surface again in the next or some other future lifetime because it would have been interrupted and in a most unnatural way. And we cannot override or evade the Law of Karma. It is the Law of Perfect Justice and described by HPB as “the Ultimate Law of the Universe.”
Although this view and perspective will undoubtedly sound strange or even callous to many, it explains why many Theosophists, as well as believers in Karma and reincarnation from different religions and spiritual traditions, do not support or condone euthanasia and do not ever consider suicide to be a justifiable action. Theosophy gives us a much larger, broader, deeper, metaphysical view of things and enables us to look into the inner side of life, which is far more real than the outer.
Hopefully this may help to answer your query in some way.
How to write notes to tell a dead person that we still love him and remember him? As, the person who commits suicide does not die fully, Is there any way to ease him, to make him feel better?
Thank you for your comment and questions.
As was suggested above to a previous enquirer, it would most probably be inadvisable to write notes to someone who has committed suicide, as this is a form of attempted communication and could potentially lead to unfortunate consequences. Please re-read the article for more clarification about the predicament and restrictions that those souls who have committed suicide find themselves in.
As difficult as it may be, the only real help and support you can provide for one who has committed suicide is to attempt to think positively and cheerfully about them and to silently wish them all the best. Depending on their degree of consciousness in their present state, they may be able to perceive this and could possibly be helped and strengthened through it. But one should not endeavour to initiate an actual communication or attempted dialogue with the individual.
In regard to those who have died a more natural death and entered into the Heaven state known as Devachan, there is no use or benefit in trying to let them know that they are still loved and remembered by those on Earth. Their Devachanic state is a condition of perfect bliss and peace in which they are already surrounded by the representations – as real as life – of all those who they loved, whether already deceased or still alive here on the physical plane. There is an impassable abyss between this physical plane and Devachan and nothing from here can reach them there, since nothing can be allowed to disturb, interrupt, or intrude upon that sacred period of heavenly peace between embodiments.
For more information and explanation about this, please see the articles “Death and the Afterlife” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/death-and-the-afterlife/), “When We Die” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/when-we-die/), and “To A Woman Whose Mother Had Died” (https://blavatskytheosophy.com/to-a-woman-whose-mother-had-died/).
My first love committed suicide two days ago on the 9th. He was only a senior in highschool, and he deserved the world. I’m having unbelievable trouble coping with his decision. This article was amazing word for word, gives me a little bit of closure. Thank you for writing this.
What if the person has a disease, say cancer, and they know they are going to die and they then kill themselves so they don’t have to die in the hospital with cancer and stuff? Would they still be able to move on or would they be stuck in Kamaloka until they have figured things out?
Thank you for your comment and question. Here’s the answer we offered to another commenter on 1st October who asked a very similar question to yours:
– – –
The following is from H.P. Blavatsky’s article “Is Suicide a Crime?”:
“No more than murder, is it [i.e. suicide] ever justifiable, however desirable it may sometimes appear. The Occultist, who looks at the origin and the ultimate end of things, teaches that the individual – who affirms that any man, under whatsoever circumstances, is called to put an end to his life, – is guilty of as great an offense and of as pernicious a piece of sophistry, as the nation that assumes a right to kill in war thousands of innocent people under the pretext of avenging the wrong done to one. All such reasonings are the fruits of Avidya mistaken for philosophy and wisdom.”
Suicide, as no-one can deny, is the act of self-murder, i.e. murdering one’s own body. From a Karmic perspective, this is a very severe thing to do and has dire and extreme consequences.
It is of course true that the motive behind such an act will determine to some extent the nature and force of its Karmic effects but no act of suicide can ever be properly permissible under the Law of Karma, regardless of the circumstances.
It’s easy to understand and sympathise with those who may be terminally ill or in awful constant physical agony and who just want to end their life now and free themselves and their loved ones from this terrible and prolonged suffering…and yet, if we know and understand Theosophy, we will realise that all suffering is part of that soul’s own Karma (their own self-created destiny) and has to be faced, dealt with, and worked through until the end, until that portion of Karma is “burnt out” or “burnt off” and completed, meaning that the soul is then free from having to face it again in the future because the necessary re-balancing and re-equilibrising for past actions has taken place and been fulfilled. For most people with a terminal illness or lifelong medical condition, the soul does not get freed from that Karma until the death of the body. It’s a painful purging process but finally resulting in freedom on many levels.
We can readily see that if one was to put a stop to this process prematurely, whether by their own suicide or by euthanasia at the decision of their family members or loved ones, that Karmic debt would have to surface again in the next or some other future lifetime because it would have been interrupted and in a most unnatural way. And we cannot override or evade the Law of Karma. It is the Law of Perfect Justice and described by HPB as “the Ultimate Law of the Universe.”
Although this view and perspective will undoubtedly sound strange or even callous to many, it explains why many Theosophists, as well as believers in Karma and reincarnation from different religions and spiritual traditions, do not support or condone euthanasia and do not ever consider suicide to be a justifiable action. Theosophy gives us a much larger, broader, deeper, metaphysical view of things and enables us to look into the inner side of life, which is far more real than the outer.
Hopefully this may help to answer your query in some way.
– – –
For a terminally ill person to commit suicide may seem reasonable enough from the purely materialistic perspective. However, only an extremely small percentage of people with cancer commit suicide. The vast majority show incredible bravery and strength in going through what is often their final battle in that lifetime…a battle in which the body is almost always defeated but in which the soul – the inner being – is victorious.
As said by HPB: “There is far more courage to live than to die in most cases.”
The answer to your specific question regarding Kama Loka may now be apparent. ANYONE who commits suicide will have to spend a period of time in Kama Loka after death, waiting for their appointed life term to come to its natural end. And as the article and others on this site attempt to make clear, this is no “divine punishment” and there is no God or devil behind it…it is simply Nature’s changeless Laws.
We should also repeatedly emphasise, however, that our compassion should be paramount for those who are suffering and those who take their own lives. This article is not written in judgment or condemnation of any individual but rather in order to help those who can recognise the reality of what it says.
Hello i am 29 years male from india.If a person commit suicide than will he able to connect or speak to those people who died from unnatural death ?
Thank you for your comment. If you’re asking whether those who have committed suicide and are thus temporarily trapped in Kama Loka will be able to interact in that astral state with others who have also died via unnatural means, then the answer is that this is a possibility in some cases but not necessarily in all.
For further reading on the subject, please see “Is Suicide a Crime” by H.P. Blavatsky at http://www.theosophytrust.org/446-is-suicide-a-crime and “Suicide is not Death” by William Q. Judge at http://www.theosophytrust.org/187-suicide-is-not-death.
what about someone who dies from a drug overdose? is that considered unnatural?
Hello Allie, yes, such a death is an unnatural form of death, in the sense that it’s the result of either deliberately or accidentally taking too much of a potentially lethal substance.
I have absolutely no reason to doubt.
What if a person needs a heart transplant in order to live, and they refuse the heart transplant and then die as a result. Is that considered a natural death?
What if, instead, that person got the heart transplant and continued living (whereas they would’ve died had they refused the heart transplant), only to get depressed and commit suicide a few months later. Is this suicide then permissible, since they would have died earlier from a natural death if they had simply refused the heart transplant?
Thank you for your comment.
You may possibly find it interesting to read the article “An Esoteric View of Organ Transplants” at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/an-esoteric-view-of-organ-transplants/
From the Theosophical perspective, organ transplants are not particularly advisable and the article explores some of the reasons why. However, each person has to be left entirely free to form their own decisions and conclusions in this regard, without judgment or criticism. It is ultimately a very personal matter.
To decline an organ transplant, whether of the heart or anything else, and to then end up dying as a result of that decision, is a perfectly natural death. Many Theosophists would say that to do the contrary – i.e. to ACCEPT the organ transplant and thus have someone else’s uniquely Karmically fashioned organ grafted into one’s own body – is the UN-natural course of action.
If the person had the heart transplant and later committed suicide, the suicide is by no means permissible. As shown in the article and in quotes that have been shared in some of the other comments on this page, the act of suicide is never permissible and, however much we may justifiably sympathise with those who decide to take their own lives, it remains in each case a crime against the soul.
I have a physical illness and I have chronic pain. I am seriously considering suicide as a means to end my suffering. I am not depressed and won’t die in a depressed state of mind. I want to seek your advice regarding what might happen after my suicide. Truly a man should have the right to end his physical suffering, isn’t it?
We would strongly urge you to reconsider this plan of action and to NOT commit suicide. No-one can stop a person from killing themselves but there will always be a very unpleasant Karmic consequence for it. The rationale and descriptions of this – according to what Theosophy teaches about it – are outlined and explained in the article above. While you are of course not under any pressure or obligation to believe or accept the Theosophical teachings, please consider carefully the fact that modern cases of Near Death Experiences of those who attempted suicide but were revived are so extremely similar to what Theosophy says as to be considered confirmatory of the validity and accuracy of the Theosophical position. You can end your physical suffering if you wish but the mental, psychic, and spiritual suffering that will ensue is likely to be many many times worse and much longer than what you are now facing physically. We hope that you may discuss your thoughts and feelings with trusted family members, friends, and/or medical professionals who may be able to advise and support in some way.
Why should we not try to contact the person who committed suicide? Someone close to me committed suicide. He wanted me to suffer. He told me I would have to live with it for the rest of my life. I want to know why he would want to hurt me this way. I talk to him and wonder if he can hear and understand the pain he has put me through.
My boyfriend committed suicide n died the reason s me..I feel very guilty n scared.I was too worried abt him where will he be n wat vl he b doing..now I came to know..thank u for the article..
Its all rediculous the person who become frustrated from there life they should comit suicide cos life is also a hell . Soon i m also going to commit suicide cos that hell is better than this hell. Suicide is a best way to get ride from every problems its not a regret. So please stop preaching and dont talk nonsense
Akanksha, please do NOT commit suicide. You may discover too late that the information and evidence provided in this article is all too true and real. How can you claim to know that the article is “nonsense”? How would you explain the experiences of all those people who have attempted suicide, come close to death as a result, and experienced something extremely similar to what Theosophy described as the fate of the suicide? We urge you to reconsider.
And for anyone reading this page and these comments, please be aware that professional help and support is available – in person, by phone, and online – for those struggling with suicidal thoughts and feelings of depression. You can search online to find something suitable. You need never feel alone and abandoned.
There’s much value in the help offered; many are unconsciously crying for help.
Potential suicides are often those who are psychically ‘open’ and who have disturbances on the inner planes. This is sometimes due to ill-advised ‘spiritual’ practices so-called, or such strong modes of wrong thinking that reality becomes – for a while when in the grip – upside down.
Others say a voice ‘tells me to do it’ not realising these are low and brutish influences from entities in the astral, elementals etc.
Theosophy teaches that fear, anger, self-hate etc come from being too self-absorbed; sure antidotes are charity & generosity to others, cheerfully carrying out one’s hardest responsibilities; and some wholesome self-denial.
‘As you say, your brain wavers, then give it a long rest and do simple constant acts of kindness for others. . . .’
[ William Q Judge, from ‘Letters that Have Helped Me’]
Kindness is contagious.
Those are for the longer term: as the author commented, immediate help is best, from trained & impartial counsellors who will listen.
Stephanie I love u now as I Always will see you when I’m ready to depart my natural order love dad
The thought of Suicidal or wanting to leave this world has been with me as long as I remember, even as a kid. I am not depressed at all, I am resilient and joyful, and grateful.
The thing is that,
I have a strong feeling that I have existed for too long, have been living so many countless lives, literally, I feel very old but doesn’t mean I feel weak,
It feels like I am at the end of the road or cycle.
I have obeyed the universal law, I have learned so much.
I have been on thorny roads on barefoot and accepted my karma and I surrendered.
The challenges are never ending and I am very tired.
I ask
What’s next?
Sometimes I think.
It would be good to leave while I am still healthy, sane, and glowing.
For me.
Death is an Exit and a Gateway.
Going back home.
And I am aware the difference between Death and Suicide after reading this article.
That is so horrible for anyone who has committed suicide. All the problems are still there and now there is even more sorrow and pain for them to endure and there is no way out and it only made everything they were dealing with still there and now more pain and never ending hell. It didn’t solve anything only made everything worse for them. So sad and heart breaking. Thanks for the info
Thank you for your comment Shauna. You’re right, it is sad and heartbreaking although some of it could certainly be avoided if this information from Theosophy was more widely known.
Since this article has been online we have heard from several readers who said that reading it had the effect of saving them from committing suicide, which they had been planning to do until they came across these details. Hopefully there have been many others like this, even if they have not said so. It has been the most frequently viewed article on the site and is normally read by about 30 people a day, which would work out at over 10,000 people reading this every year.
However, as was hopefully clear in the article the after-death sufferings of someone who commits suicide are not actually “never ending” as you put it; if the soul is fortunate enough to get through those sufferings – and surely many do – then a state of peace can be reached, prior to the next incarnation. As was said, the time of difficulty in Kama Loka lasts for the duration of however many more years they had been *meant* to live on this Earth. Please feel free to take a look at some of the many other articles on this site, all listed by topic at https://blavatskytheosophy.com/articles/