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स्वाध्याय परम तप
arrange the above activities with the number of saints available at the time. However, it is necessary that at least two saints be there.29"
We know that such death assistants must be monastics, and thus necessarily follows the " twenty eight basic and primary properties (mula-guna) of a Jaina ascetic [which is] comprised of] the five great vows (mahāvrata), the five 'cares' (samiti) [which aim to not harm beings], the six essential duties (Avaśyaka) [which consist of inner and outer practices], the five-fold abjuration (of indulgence in the pursuits of the five senses)" and seven more bodily austerities. The five mahāvratas (five great vows) [are]: ahimsā (nonviolence), satya (truthfulness), asteya (taking nothing belonging to others, for own use, without permission of the owner), brahmacarya (chastity), and aparigraha (possessionlessness). This would ensure great discipline. A monastic, also, "must be totally obedient to his upadhyaya (preceptor) and to his Acarya (the head of his order)32" and thus has a two-fold accountability. Generally, then, Jaina voluntary death assistants are both highly disciplined and highly accountable.
It is significant that those who assist a practitioner who is engaging in Jaina voluntary death practice is expected to be so highly qualified. Not only is this time the most crucial for the practitioner, one they have been preparing for their entire life and which will determine the quality of their rebirth, but there are also very subtle negotiations that need to occur between the practitioner and the community. Jaina voluntary death practice is done by monastics and householders, and in both cases it must be supervised by a qualified teacher. In both cases, also, apologies are made. For the monk, the Bṛhat-kathākosa mentions "kṣamāpanā apology to the congregation"33, and for the householder, many sources suggest that "[h]aving called relatives and friends, one should seek their forgiveness for any transgressions in conduct34." This can be seen as the occasion for saying farewell. In both monastic and lay communities, there will be potential grief at the departure of a close one, but considering "Sanlekhana as the highest end...[there is] no cause for tears.35" Grieving
29 Jnanamati Mataji, Jaina Bharati, 1981: pp. 242-243.
30 Jain, Religion and Culture of Jains, 1975: p.109.
31 Jain, Religion and Culture of Jains 1975: p.109.
32 Jaini, Jaina Path of Purification, p.246
33 Upadhye, The Brhat Kathakośa of Acarya Hariṣena, 1943: p.51.
34 Kalghatgi, Jaina View of Life; p.190
35
Ibid. p. 189.
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