ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 04

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

Page 434

Secondly, for a reasoning being, that the human being is, the afterlife is also not such an absolutely uncertain commodity after all. The quality of afterlife largely depends on the activities of the present life and if one has led a pious life, he can be reasonably sure of a good afterlife and it certainly reduces the fear of death just like in the case of a traveller who has made all the necessary reservations and, consequently, can travel arrangements and, consequently, can hope to have a good trip.
2.1 The Concept and Practice of Sallekhan
As this subject has already been covered, at length in a previous lecture discussion, I shall skip it with minimal reference. The very purpose of Sallekhan is to reduce the fear and anxiety associated with death and to prepare the dying, psychologically, to face death with equanimity in a peaceful state of mind. It does so by drawing his attention to the purpose of life that is to be fulfilled in a number of lives in a continuum.
I am sure; you have been exposed to the three different regimens, at three different levels of rigor, which have been in vogue for the practice of Sallekhan. I shall just name them for a quick recall. The three regimens are:
1. The longest one of twelve years' duration
2.
The medium one of one year's duration, and
3. The short one of anything up to six months' duration.
Three levels of rigor are: 1. Bhaktapraty khy na, 2. I gin, and 3. Pr yopagamana.
Sallekhan as Voluntary Peaceful Death' or the death without fear and misery: As has been hinted earlier, Sallekhan enjoys the distinctions of being voluntary and of being peaceful and, therefore, can be justly termed as the 'Voluntary Peaceful Death.' As it is the death in a state of equanimity and peace of mind, it is the death without fear and misery.
2.2 Relevance of Sallekhan in Today's Society -
This is the most pertinent part of this discussion. The answer to the question: 'Is Sallekhan relevant in today's society?' is the most sought after answer. Actually, the question of death is so personal that each one has to find the answer to this question by oneself and no generalization can be made. However, if we carefully look at today's society, the point cannot miss us that in the present run for material goodies, the peace and tranquility eludes most of us and we cannot help feeling miserable and fearful when we come face to face with death.
As has been brought out earlier, in spite of all the causes of fear associated with death, one may not die a frightened and miserable death. As the death can be rationalized and steps taken to reduce the fear and misery, it is within everyone's reach to die a peaceful, tranquil death in a state of equanimity of mind. Because Sallekhan is such death, it never becomes irrelevant but remains relevant in all ages and at all times. It is, therefore, relevant for today's society as well.
As a part of my study of Sallekhan for my PhD. thesis, I had gathered data on the Sallekhan s undertaken over a period of ten years from 01 January, 1994 to 31 December, 2003. It will be an eye opener for most of us to know that nearly twenty persons embrace Sallekhan every month. The data is presented hereunder for ready reference:
1. Period of Study: Jan 1994 to Dec 2003.
2. Sample Size: 350 cases.
3. Extrapolated figure for the incidence of 'Voluntary Peaceful Death' in the last ten years: 2400.
4. Average incidence of 'Voluntary Peaceful Death'
1. Per year: 240
2. Per month: 20
5. Sources of Information:
1. Newspapers:
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STUDY NOTES version 4.0