本文以初期佛教典籍為出發點，針對自殺這個亙古永存的存在議題，進行具有現代脈絡意義的考察與省思工作。自殺議題在現代社會中的討論日形重要，而且角度多元，但是在佛教觀點的論述上，卻一直停留在片斷解釋經籍的層次，普遍欠缺將自殺者情境及現代思考脈絡融入後的詮釋。以致自殺者需歷經七次自殺、果報悲慘、沒有輪迴資格等傳言，反而成為坊間的流行信念。對自殺者的遺屬而言，在面對失去親人的悲痛時，更承擔社會污名的壓力，真是情何以堪。因此，一條兼融經典義理及現代自殺觀的佛教詮釋學道路，乃是本文主張應該開拓的方向。 為達到前述視域兼融的詮釋目標，本文的研究方法運用，主要在文獻學的基礎上，依循高達美的哲學詮釋學及傅偉勳的創造詮釋學，針對自殺議題，在初期佛教聖典、現代自殺觀點、以及筆者個人的前理解結構等三個層次間，進行對話及詮釋循環的過程，以期在這幾個範疇之間達到視域融合。其中佛教經籍內容部份，包括佛陀最初對自殺的教化、初期佛教聖典的自殺事例，以及佛教對自殺的倫理討論等面向。至於現代詮釋的脈絡，則以諾丁斯的關懷倫理學及詹納的現象學倫理學為主，作為自殺存在處境理解的再出發。 透過上述研究歷程，本文分別在(1)佛陀對自殺的判準與觀點，(2)佛教對自殺的倫理判斷，以及(3)自殺的佛教省思及現代詮釋等三項主題上，做出具體的分析、討論與建議。本研究獲致的初步結果，在學術上可做為探討現代佛教自殺觀的基礎，在實務上對破解坊間與佛教相關的自殺迷思，可提供典籍證據與思考進路的參考。 In the recent years, due to the rising rate of committing suicide, Taiwan’s society has been more urgently forced to pay attention to the long existing issue of suicide. Among the folk talks, there is a way of saying that a suicider has to go through seven suicides, his/her retribution will be terrible, and he/her isn’t qualified for the transmigration of souls. To the family of those suiciders, they do not only have to face the grief of losing their beloved ones, but also have to deal with the pressure of the rumors which both make it very unbearable. All these above-mentioned issues stimulate the author’s motive of research here, and the author tries to discuss the Buddha’s religious advice about suicide under the topics of Buddhist concept of suicide and its modern explanation; moreover, to understand the Buddhist responses and interpretations to suicide. In short, this article isn’t discuss the matter of “should or shouldn’t commit suicide” but to look at the suicidal phenomena in a neutral way. The essay here tries to trace back to Buddha’s initial religious advice about suicide. In the matter of time, it tries to figure out what death is like by tracing back to the original suicidal matters appeared in Buddhist Scriptures also considered as the main basis of investigation. Yet the Buddhist Scriptures can’t completely explain the existing difficulties of the modern suiciders, the author will apply Noddings’ caring ethics and Zaner’s phenomenonism as the reference to help understand the suiciders’ difficulties. With this, the author tries to bring up a solution of buddhist ethics, points out a possible horizon with a different point of view while discussing the issue of modern suicide.
