plwk wrote:Once, I was posed this question...
Say I have a possessive parent/sibling/partner/spouse...
and on their death bed, in their last hour...
they take your hand and make a dying wish that you would return back to the faith/creed of the family tradition...
and the dying person starts saying 'Promise me! Promise me!' ...
As a Buddhist, what would you do? What skillful means would you adopt for a case as such?
In this case, I would probably lie to the person and make the promise. Otherwise he or she will have an unstable mind state at the time of death.
The way I see it, there are several factors to consider: 1) the likelihood of causing the person anguish and discomfort (or, alternatively, giving them reassurance and comfort), 2) the karmic result of telling a lie, 3) the practical result of my decision, and 4) my egoistic desire to "take a stand". The last one is not skillful, the first one is an important consideration, and in the case of the second I am willing to accrue some negative points if it is done out of compassion. The practical (worldly) result is nil.
If the family tradition or creed was something I considered monstrous or evil -- for instance, if my relative wanted me to become a Nazi -- then I wouldn't make such a promise. I don't view most religious traditions that way, even though I may disagree with them.
