Q10. What is Sallekhana? What is Suicide & Euthanasia? Is Sallekhana considered Suicide? What are Jain views on Death Penalty?
We are addressing this question from the perspective of lay people
SALLEKHANA:
It is also known as Santhara, Samadhi-maran, Samlehna.
Jain definition of Sallekhana is very explicit and clear.
Sallekhana is the religious practice performed with FULL AWARENESS & KNOWLEDGE of voluntarily fasting to death by gradually reducing/limiting one's movements, then gradually reducing the intake of solid food, and finally reducing the intake of fluids.
Jainism believes that the process of sallekhana at the end of one’s life, while being engaged in meditation, serves to prevent the accumulation of bad karmas as well as assisting the soul in spiritual purification.
Observing Sallekhana leads to Ahimsa as the person observing it detaches or reduces his/her Kashayas, which are considered the root cause of himsa.
Jain religion allows to perform Sallekhana to monks, nuns, shravaks, and shravikas. Sallekhana is rare, performed only when death is imminent.
Sallekhana should be performed only when a person:
- Is terminally ill
- With no hope of a cure or recovery
- Is fully aware about his condition
- Realizes that there is no usefulness of his life to be able to further his spiritual progress
In other words, a person is not capable of doing Nirjara of one’s karma and hence his human life is a burden to others. Then, and ONLY then, can he take a vow (pachhkhan) of Sallekhana from a Guru, and the Guru must agree with the decision before giving pachhkhan.
A person in a coma or in severe pain, who is not completely aware about his/her state of mind should not be given the vow of Santharo. The decision to take Sallekhana cannot be taken by relatives or society or disciples and must never be done for fame or prestige.
Sallekhana is a private event and it is taken with an intention of having a spiritual death. It should not be made a public affair and turn it into a celebration because person taking the vow needs privacy to remain in meditative state until the last breath.
Process of performing Sallekhana
The person who decides to take the vow of Sallekhana:
- Makes the decision to end his/her life and family members are aware (unlike suicide)
- Should discuss with a Guru and get Guru’s permission
- Requests forgiveness from others and forgives all for any sinful acts in their life
- Remains in the state of forgiveness & in Pratikraman
- Should eliminate all the fear, grief, hatred, regret, prejudice, attachment, etc. from his mind to the fullest extent
- Remains in meditative state on the innermost self, the soul till the end
If after taking the Sallekhana vow, a person has doubts or second thoughts, then the process of Sallekhana must not be continued, and one should withdraw from it.
If after taking the Sallekhana vow, arta-dhyaan (sorrowful dhyaan) occurs in the person due to not drinking water, not consuming any food, or not taking any medicines, then the process of Sallekhana must not be continued, and one should withdraw from it. Then one should take appropriate steps to eliminate arta-dhyaan because in arta-dhyaan the person is immersed in thoughts of suffering, agony and anguish. Such mental state leads to very high negative karma bondage and defeats the purpose of having a spiritual death.
Sallekhana is not considered suicide, and unlike suicide, it is not spontaneous or immediate. On the contrary, it is a slow process and can take as many as 30+ days. A person taking Sallekhana has to be fully aware to make the decision with his/her own will.
So, for a successful and rightful Sallekhana, the decision must be made VOLUNTARILY, with FULL KNOWLEDGE/AWARENESS, PROPER PLANNING, and undertaken CALMLY & PEACEFULLY, with a focus on SPIRITUALITY, FORGIVENESS, and reduction in one’s own Kashayas.
SUICIDE:
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. It is an immediate death. A person can decide to take his/her own life when he/she is depressed, when one is experiencing intense emotional pain, or generally thinks that life is not worth living. As far as Jain religion is considered, suicide is considered as committing a murder. Suicide is an instantaneous and purposeful killing hence one acquires Karmas equivalent of killing a five-sensed human being.
As per Jainism, from all the life forms (84 lakh yoni) where our soul can take birth, it is only this very human birth which is the most precious. This is because human life is viewed as a rare opportunity for the soul to reach enlightenment and ultimately Liberation.
So, to commit suicide, regardless of any circumstance/situation the person is in, is depriving one's self from the opportunity to reduce or eliminate kashayas/karmas and there by hindering their own spiritual growth or liberation. Therefore, Suicide is NOT ACCEPTABLE AND NOT ALLOWED in Jainism.
EUTHANASIA:
Euthanasia is an act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.
From Jain point of view, euthanasia is NOT considered as sallekhana.
DEATH PENALTY:
Strictly from Jain principles point of view, we do not have any right to take some one’s life and hence Death penalty is NOT acceptable.
However, we MUST obey the laws of the land that we reside in. One can protest the law but cannot violate the law.
Good to see the difference between sallekhana and suicide explained well. But I want to clarify two points: 1) who can give the vow 2) can one withdraw from the vow.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago, I interviewed Smt Tara Dakliya of Jalgaon, whom we can call a Sallekhana specialist. (http://pratibhajain.org/sallekhana-specialist-tara-dakliya/) Taraji explained that since our ascetics are wanderers, they may not be around when someone wants to undertake the vow of Sallekhana. In that case, a shravaka or shravika who is well versed with this concept can help to undertake the vow. So it is not necessary that it has to be undertaken in the presence of a Guru. The second point is that can one really withdraw after undertaking this vow? Since Sallekhana has to be undertaken with such mindfulness and vigilance, why should such a stipulation be allowed? Sallekhana is a very serious matter, requiring complete integrity from both the people - one who undertakes it and one who bestows it.
If aartadhyaan occurs after undertaking sallekhana vow, then withdrawal from it should be allowed. Better still, not to take the vow in the first place.
DeleteAs far as my understanding of Jain Scriptures goes , with the permission of the Acharya's disciple who may be monk or nun ,staying and living nearby has the right to give the vow with the due permission of guru as well as the family members too. Secondly once this vow is undertaken it cannot be withdrawn in any case asper the Acaaraanga sutra.
DeleteThere an argument that one can be terminally ill, and being fully aware, decides the suicide route to avoid undue emotional and physical burden on family and carers.
ReplyDelete1.Sallekhana is a process of volunteering for separating self from material body over a period of time after consulting society since society provides help to self for acquiring material body at the time of self's birth in any living form.
ReplyDelete2.Sallekhana is best practice for "'permitted self' in human form" since sallekhana eases for 'permitted self' to separate from active material body over precise time interval.
3.Precise Time for ending process of separating "self" from acquired material body or death for 'human form' is governed by 'Life-span Karma'.
4.Human being either ascetic or layman/laywomen with complete knowledge of sacred 'scriptural knowledge' remain non-judgmental while authorizing sallekhana to "active living human form" and such socially permitted "human being undergoing sallekhana" achieves death as "skilled executor of step- by-step scriptural knowledge regarding sallekhana" without an error.
your 4th statement is very true.A jain ascetic has three manorath,1.being bahushruth i.e.complete scriptural knowlwdge,2.Ekal vihari,which is the consequence of the first pre requisite,3.sallekana santhara which is again the consequence of the second.sthanang sutra.sallekhana santhara has a minimum and maximum period of six months and three years respectively. A state of being desiring neither life nor death after many years of spiritual practice. suyagadang sutra. Also the five bhavanas one should not bring to his mind, uttaradhyan sutra last chapter.
Deletewww.nirgranth.in
It should also be noted that sallekhana is a private event. Making it a public event has invited all sorts of trouble. Human rights activists or the media or someone might just find it different and may object to the entire thing.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, it's a kind of spiritual death. So the person taking the vow needs privacy. A lot of time is wasted when people get the news about someone taking the vow. Everyone comes and visits and the news spread faster. It sometimes turns out into a celebration. So far, I don't think we have dates of any Jaina mendicant taking the vow. We do have dates of when did they actually die. But not of taking the vow. Its not recorded. For a purpose.
Its indeed a spiritual Death.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this article, I was unaware of what Sallekhana was. However, this article was very informative in describing what it was and how it differed from other types of death, such as suicide or euthanasia. One thing that I wanted to note, though, was how someone would realize that there was no usefulness of his life to be able to progress spiritually. Isn't there always something that someone could do to progress spiritually in life, even if it is something as simple as saying the Navkar?
ReplyDeleteIt's simple and clear explanation
ReplyDeleteVery nicely explained.
ReplyDeleteA great way to sacrifice the body!
ReplyDeleteNicely and specifically explained. However I have one doubt. Jain Dharma's main principle is Ahinsa. How it can suggest death or Hinsa by observing Sallekhana? Then can it also mean that observing Sallekhana cause such changes in body which cure even incurable diseases even in terminal stage? If we carefully look at other live beings eg Birds, animals etc. we may note it is also naturally observed by them and many got cured. Sit in isolated dark place, Neither take any food and water, look like death like depressed etc. So, can it be also be a real purpose to observing Sallekhana...i.e if fully matured or old get better death if unmatured or young probably get cure? Are we looking just one side of it? Regards.
ReplyDeleteSallekhana as a cure is to misunderstand the concept.
DeleteThe idea may be better explained by understanding it as the final form of "aparigrah" ie detachment. As you keep detaching from material things, slowly if you are able to detach yourself from the material body, you are actually moving into Sallekhana/Santhara.
As in case of material things, if you crave for something after announcing detachment; you have the choice of attachment again - you can do the same after taking the steps towards Santhara , if you start regretting it in any way.
Its a simple concept, really.
Is it possible according to Jainism beliefs that an individual’s bad karma (from the past) results in suicide of that individual?
ReplyDeleteBad karma from past can be one of the factor that creates situations or circumstances in one's life but the action of suicide is individuals self-effort or freewill on how they choose to react to the situation.
ReplyDeleteI think your statements are contradicting. When time comes one has to bear the fruit of Bad Karmas, what if suicide is the only fruit? In such case no one would be able to stop it right? Also one of the Aghatiya Karma is Ayuh Karma which means approximately interpreted by quantity of life.
DeleteThen what is Purushartha / freewill / determination?
ReplyDelete