‘ My religion is very simple , my religion is kindness ’-
Dalai Lama
All the religions around
the world have emphasized on importance of love , charity , sympathy and
empathy . Donation of food , alms , cows and
land have been well documented in religious scriptures . The giving of
an organ is an
opportunity for generosity. The giving of part of one’s body to a person in
need is an example of a very high level of generosity.
In Mahabharata , an
incidence is mentioned wherein Karna donated his life-saving Kavach to Indra as the later approached him as Brahmin in disguise , knowing
it well that this would cause his death
in the battle.
No religion is against
organ donation. Centuries ago , when the religious scriptures were written ,
blood or organ donations were not invented but these have become a reality
today. So we need to focus on stretching the spirit of donation to organ
donation to save lives . The jest of the religious scriptures is that the saving of life
overrides all objections . Organ
donation is thus a greatest sacrifice one can do.
There are certain
religious groups who believe that the God
created them as whole and they prefer to
return to Him as whole. With this
belief , many people bury amputated
limbs, foreskin from circumcision ,
amnion and placenta from delivery. This belief also prevent them from
organ donation .
In Islam, religious
leaders, ‘ustazs’ , ‘ulamas’ and mufti have different interpretations on organ
donations , but all agree that holy book Koran
does not forbid tissue donation.
‘MUFTI’ are experts in
Islamic law qualified to give authoritative legal opinions know as fatwas.
Mufti are appointed by government
to deal with Islamic matters. ‘FATWAS’ are religious rulings made by
‘Fatwa Committee’ as official stand by government on various issues. ‘Fatwa Committee’ chaired
by MUFTI includes prominent religious leaders, lawyers, doctors and other
members of public. Fatwas are not legal binding. Often these religious
leaders have come out with fatwas to donate organs . But despite Fatwas, people are often reluctant to donate organs.
A religious practice
that often comes in the way of organ donations among different communities is that a body must be buried as soon as possible after death –
the sooner the better usually less than 8 hours , often because of procedural
delays it is not possible. If the officials co-operate then this delay is
avoidable.
Christianity promotes organ
donation. John Paul II stated that ‘ We
shall receive our supreme reward from God according to the genuine and
effective love we have shown to our neighbor ’. Bible states , “Give, and it
will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running
over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you.” (Luke 6 : 38).”
The attitude of Buddhism
is in perfect agreement with organ and tissue donation; and in Buddhist
Scriptures there are stories where donation of tissues have been referred to as
an act of charity earning merits . In the Sutra of Golden Light, a Mahayana Sutra, where the
Buddha in a previous lifetime (as a young prince) is said to have encountered a
starving tigress and her cubs and killed himself in front of her to provide her
with food .
What is important for a person at
the time of death for a Buddhist is not the condition of their body but of
their mind. A state of non-attachment to the body is desirable at this time,
and this could be aided by the generosity involved in deciding that one’s body
could be used to help others after death.
According to statistics
provided by India’s Organ Retrieval Banking Organization, every year 1- 1.5 lakh kidneys are required in the country but
only 3,500-4,000 are transplanted. At the same time 15,000-20,000 liver are
required every year but only 500 are transplanted. If people donate the
organs after death then these shortages will be overcome and many lives can be
saved . We must realize that brain death is the reality today , once a persons’
brain is dead , he or she ceases to
survive .
As I leave this
transient world
Let me kindle a ray of
hope
In the eyes of those
Who can not see
A breeze of fresh air
for those
Who can not breath
An elixir of life for them
Whose kidneys have
failed
Let my heart beat in
those
Whose heart is fluttering to stay alive .
On the occasion of National Organ Donation Day, 6th August 2015
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