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I recently shocked someone by pointing out that the ultimate goal of Buddhism is suicide.
“Wait,” she objected. “Isn’t it enlightenment?”
No, that is not Buddhist terminology. The Buddhist goal of the eightfold path is “nirvana.” Nirvana actually means extinction: like the snuffing out of a candle. Actually the opposite of enlightenment.
What you are snuffing out is the self—anatta, anatman, “no self.”
Hence, literally, the goal is suicide.
This gets complicated when you believe in reincarnation. It is not a simple matter of shooting yourself in the head; you’ll just be born again. It takes many lifetimes to accomplish the task.
I am not sure Buddhism would be as appealing in the West if more Westerners understood this. I think too many embrace Buddhism because they imagine it is an easier path than Christianity. People (wrongly) imagine it lacks a moral code and so any pesky feelings of guilt.
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