ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 207

longer walk, he or she) is temporar[ily] or [in]definitely exempted from the practice of wandering.21" In Jaipur, I saw a sort of bike used for monastics when they are unable to
A same-gendered monastic pushes the three-wheeled bike from the back, using handle-bars with brakes, and the monastic being pushed sits inside. This allows the monastic to fulfill the commitment to wander and not stay in one place beyond a certain length of time. This sort of creative flexibility shows an active concern for debilitated monastics, which can only be beneficial for those who require help, those who help and for the order itself in keeping the spirit of the vows in changing times.
It seems, therefore, that the Jaina push towards choosing to engage in death practices when one can no longer fulfill religious commitments, such as self-study for the layperson or wandering for the ascetic, does not lend itself well to a secular end-of-life context. However, the Jaina emphasis on choosing to engage in death practices to most effectively prepare for death when it is imminent can easily be accommodated in a secular end-of-life setting.
Can Jaina voluntary death be practiced in secular healthcares? We have already determined the importance placed on the autonomy and uniqueness of the individual in health ethics. Both would allow for the individual to choose to withdraw oral intake and ambulation. Next, let us go even further and look at an explicit reference to withdrawal of treatment that leads to death in the Catholic Health Ethics Guide. Under the 'Suicide and Euthanasia' section of the 'Care of the Dying Person' chapter we find this:
Article 105. Refusal to begin or to continue to use a medical procedure where the burdens harm or risks of harm are out of proportion to any anticipated benefit is not the equivalent of suicide or euthanasia 22
All together, autonomy, the unique background and perspective of the individual, and the Health Ethics Guide not equating withdrawal of treatment with suicide, make a secular endof-life setting very amenable for Jaina voluntary death. There remains some tension,
however.
In end-of-life care, people are offered food and drink by mouth, but are not pressured to eat or drink. They are also not required to move. A palliative client can walk, sit in a chair or go
21 Amiel, Jains Today in the World, 2008: p.225. 22 CHAC2000: p.59.
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STUDY NOTES version 5.0