Do not commit suicide

Do not think, furthermore, that to commit suicide is to free yourself of the cares and worries of this life! Once dead, your soul will be led away by the power of karma to be reborn in another body - not to mention that, given your angry state of mind, you may well be reborn in the animal realm. Under such circumstances, it will be difficult even to regain a female body. Should you succeed in being reborn as a woman or a man, or even as a ruler in the human or celestial realms, there is still no assurance that you will encounter the Dharma and engage in cultivation! Even if you are so fortunate, who knows if you will be in the good position to discover the Pure Land method - a method that enables each and every one to escape Birth and Death in one lifetime.

Moreover, even if you were fortunate enough to encounter the Pure Land method then, is it not much better to go on living and cultivating patiently right now, so that when this retribution body comes to an end, you will immediately achieve rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss?

Celestial realms in this text refers to the realms of the gods (beings superior to humans in merit and virtue). In Buddhist cosmology, there are two main divisions: realms subject to Birth and Death and realms beyond Birth and Death. Those realms still subject to Birth and Death include the hellish, animal, human and celestial realms, etc. The Buddha Realms/Lands (of which the Western Pure Land is part) are beyond the cycle of Birth and Death. (Pure-Land Zen, Zen Pure-Land)


http://www.kheper.net/topics/Buddhism/wheeloflife.html