Organ Donation

Originally Posted by psychoslice

There is no after life, there is just life, you and your organs are going no where, who you believe you are in this life will be finished, there is just pure Consciousness, bodies come and go within Consciousness, when the body dies, its like a light bulb that has finished its life, the light bulb doesn't continue on, it is replaced, it then is lite by the electricity that has gone nowhere, and so we are also, the body dies and is replaced by another, but it is animated by the same life force, or Consciousness.

You can't beat this answer.

I am an organ donor. I have been for years. When I die, I won't be needing them any more. That being said....I am not sure I believe in organ donation for me personally. I mean, seriously, if it means taking very strong anti-rejection drugs for the rest of my life. I would much rather try to heal my body naturally rather than resort to organ donation. In most cases, if addressed early enough, the organs can heal themselves if given the proper healing nutrients.

And, I am not so sure how I feel about the face transplants, hand transplants, etc. It reminds me too much of the race that harvested body parts from others non-voluntarily on the Star Trek show Voyager.

We are so close to being able to growing needed tissues and body parts that contain one's own DNA..I hope that in the very near future we'll see the end to needing organ donors. Doctors will be able to harvest DNA and create kidneys, heart, lungs, etc in lab that are a perfect match for you. We already can grow cartilage and scientists have grown tracheas and arteries in the lab with the patients DNA.

http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...gan-transplant
http://www.dailytech.com/LabGrown+Ar...ticle20793.htm

[sound]

I think in Australia if you dont state otherwise, all of your organs can be used for research unless family step in and say no ... i could be wrong though ... we have it marked on our driving licences whether or not we choose to be organ donors ...

Originally Posted by Lazarus72

"Families would have no legal right to stop dead relatives' organs being used for transplant if the person has not opted out in advance, under a proposed Welsh law."

[...]

On the one hand organ donation seems like quite a selfless thing to do, potentially good from a karmic standpoint.

I read that consciousness can remain in the body for up to three days after the outward signs of death. Accordingly Buddhists prefer the body to remain undisturbed for that amount of time because if the body is disposed of before the consciousness has left, .....

So My concern with organ donation is that it may adversely affect transmission into the next life.

It would be a good law and I am all for it. I am an organ donor and wear a Medicalert bracelet to that effect.

This law would effectively mean that one has to think about one's death well in advance, which would be excellent for many reasons.

I am also a Buddhist and am aware that the Tibetan traditional beliefs are the way you describe them. However, one has to take the good (karma) with the bad (disruption of the dying process).
We cannot let our personal religious beliefs interfere with what is socially or medically desirable. I believe that one mitigating factor will be that the donor knows that the organs will be harvested. If one has volunteered for donation then the doctors entering the body to remove the organs will be like inviting a guest into your home, one is happy to have them. Very unlike to finding a burglar in it unexpectedly.

[ROM]

Yeah you have a good point. Not everyone leaves the body as soon as they die and it can be a very painful process if such a thing were to happen. Also, if someone opted not to have their body used for donation but the doctors went against that wish, the deceased person might feel contempt that their wishes weren't respected, thereby 'chaining' them to the earth because of such an act. There are many things that can happen that no one even takes into consideration.

i am registrared Organ Donor, i am opting to donate my organs when i die! my mother donated all her organs aswell, when she passed...it is odd to think that there is some people out there, that contain parts of her...comforting aswell!

[Native spirit]

This scheme is called opting out, you will be put on the organ donation list unless you state otherwise,
to me this takes away free will, which is what we all have, you can get people who dont want to donate their organs, but for some reason they think i will live far longer than they actually do, if they dont opt out their organdswill be taken and used.this to me is totally unlawful.
one person i know had a heart transplant he abused that heart, his answer is well i can have another one, but he wont donate his organs, what does that say about him.i am totally against it,

Namaste

Originally Posted by Native spirit

This scheme is called opting out, you will be put on the organ donation list unless you state otherwise,
to me this takes away free will, which is what we all have, you can get people who dont want to donate their organs, but for some reason they think i will live far longer than they actually do, if they dont opt out their organdswill be taken and used.this to me is totally unlawful.
one person i know had a heart transplant he abused that heart, his answer is well i can have another one, but he wont donate his organs, what does that say about him.i am totally against it,

Namaste

Opt-in, opt-out, how is it against free will, when refusing to think about whatever option one has open to oneself in good time, is also your free will?

The transplantee you cite as an example is an idiot. Knowing how difficult it is to find a matching donor, to think like that would be a sign of utter stupidity. It is not even worth discussing.

[Lazarus72]

Thanks for the replies guys, some thoughtful responses to consider, and quite a mixed bag really. Seems some folks see this as an issue and other don't. Some feel a part of Us carries on, or through, and others that We just go out like a light, (quite literally, hehe). It's also interesting that some who feel We do go on don't really see organ donation as a problem at all. A good cross section of opinions and certainly all food for thought.

I notice some have voiced strongly on the 'rights' aspect of this issue. I guess whether organ donation is a good idea from a metaphysical standpoint is one question, while the virtue of installing an 'opt out policy' is another. Perhaps the latter is more of an ethical thing, idk.

I can relate to what necta talked about regarding the medical establishment in this area, as I feel conventional medicine (science in general) doesn't concern itself too much with the metaphysical. As 'life' seemingly isn't defined very well, so I assume 'death' might be a bit of a grey area too. I feel there's a lot science doesn't know in these areas. Personally, I'd be less concerned about the body going to medical science, as was mentioned, as I suspect time would not be so of the essence as it were. Karmic or lifeforce issues as Spiritmessenger mentioned perhaps wouldn't be a factor here.

Hey, Iolite, I remember that episode of voyager, hehe. I think the race were called the Vidiians, and suffered from a particularly nasty disease called 'the phage'. They nicked Neelix's lungs !!

I'm also of the opinion that personally I wouldn't be interested in a transplant. And so am comfortable about not being a donor. I believe that (in a sense) We can be reborn an infinite amount of times, although not necessarily. But that generally We're born countless myriads of times spanning aeons of time. And so basically am unsure as to the merit of prolonging the inevitable in one lifetime to such extent. I also admire the advancements in science, it seems like a good thing to be able to alleviate unnecessary suffering and improve quality of life. Bio-genetics is an interesting field for sure, I keep an eye on it. I see they can artificially manufacture ribosome's now, which appears to be a pivotal feature in cell reproduction, quite some achievement. It has 57 moving parts that rotate grab and shift together made of almost a million atoms. A molecule so small you could fit 20,000 on the end of a sharpened pencil. It'll probably only be a matter of time before this all becomes moot.

Lastly I'd just like to say that despite what I said, I hugely admire anyone who chooses to display the heart, I really do. For Me this is a grey area, and felt it would be interesting to raise the issue.


Thanks again guys.

[Lazarus72]

Hi pre-dawn, more good points raised here.

Originally Posted by pre-dawn

It would be a good law and I am all for it. I am an organ donor and wear a Medicalert bracelet to that effect.

This law would effectively mean that one has to think about one's death well in advance, which would be excellent for many reasons.

I agree the incitement to think about ones death in advance has merit. Its said that in Western culture We often operate as if death is something that does not exist. And that an awareness of death can bring about a deeper appreciation of life, and the opportunity it affords. As ever there's a balance to be struck though, as an unhealthy pre-occupation with death obviously isn't helpful.

I am also a Buddhist and am aware that the Tibetan traditional beliefs are the way you describe them. However, one has to take the good (karma) with the bad (disruption of the dying process).
We cannot let our personal religious beliefs interfere with what is socially or medically desirable. I believe that one mitigating factor will be that the donor knows that the organs will be harvested. If one has volunteered for donation then the doctors entering the body to remove the organs will be like inviting a guest into your home, one is happy to have them. Very unlike to finding a burglar in it unexpectedly.

Yes thats right, I primarily deferred to the Tibetan buddhist schools ethos in the OP. Here's a link to a page that elaborates on that belief system in this area for anyone interested, (Although truthfully I've been swinging a bit toward Theravada recently, hehe. So I guess I really need to take the time to study their position on the process).

http://www.buddhanet.net/deathtib.htm

I also agree there is likely to be some sort of trade off between the selflessness of donating and the potential for disruption. And that the voluntary aspect of the scenario could well be a factor, say from an 'energetic' perspective. This is why personally, I prefer it should remain 'opt in' rather than moving to an 'opt out' system.