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Sallekhana (santharo, samadhi, or samnyasa-marana) is the facing of death by an ascetic or house-holder voluntarily when nearing the end of normal life according to religion is not possible due to unavoidable calamity (upasarga), old age (jara), incurable disease (nihpratikara ruja), or severe famine (durbhiksa). This involves subjugation of all passions and abandonment of all worldly attachments, by observance of austerities gradually abstaining from food and water, and by simultaneous meditation of the real nature of the self until the soul parts from the body.
The underlying principle is that the householder or sage should have complete peace of mind after voluntary acceptance of the vow, consistently with the pious life of self-restraint and austerities. Calmness, patience, and a mind undisturbed by emotions of joy or fear will conduce to purgation of karmas. Mental peace will lead to liberation from karma, new and old, in life, so during the controlled death, one should have equanimity of mind and die while engrossed in deep meditation, as the final step for further liberation from bondage of karma. In fact, the entire spiritual life of a layman is preparation for a sacred death.
SALLEKHANA vs. SUICIDE
Those who adopt the vow should, with a pure mind, give up friendship, enmity, company, and possessiveness. While samayika and pratima partially prepare house-holders for voluntary termination of life, six-fold essentials (sadavasyakas) take one to the threshold of meditation-unto-death. Five transgressions should be avoided:
1. Wishing for procrastination of death
2. Wishing for hasty death
3. Entertaining fear of death
4. Remembering friends & relatives
5. Wishing for particular rewards.
Precautions are recommended to ensure external peace during the period of vow. Passions and afflictions should be conquered preliminarily to adoption of the vow. There are three methods of attaining nirvana that increase in expectations:
1. bhaktapratyakhyana marana
2. itvara/ingita marana
3. padapopagamana/pavagamana There are different kinds of deaths:
1. bala marana - death of an individual who has right faith but who does not possess self-control
2. bala-pandita marana-house-holder who has reached the fifth stage of his spiritual progress, who is unable to abstain from himsa of one-sensed beings, but has abstained from himsa of twosensed beings and is still in state of indecision in matters of self
restraint
18/JAIN DIGEST SPRING 2002
Jain Education International
By Sanjay V. Mehta, Toronto
3. pandita marana - death of an ascetic who has attained pure knowledge While Hinduism condones sati and mahaprasthana, Islam has neither advocated nor sanctioned voluntary deaths. At extremely holy places like Prayaga, Sarasvati, and Beneras, drowning with the desire of securing release from samsara were allowed. Similarly, a man guilty of Brahman murder was allowed to commit suicide by entering into fire or water.
Christianity also forbids voluntary deaths, saying "thou shalt not kill, neither thyself or another". However, earlier Fathers approved of suicides committed to secure martyrdom, avoid apostacy, or protect virginity. Buddhism condemns suicide but there are stories of individual monks having committed suicide in a heat of passion by hanging.
Although it is certain that all religions condemn suicide as unethical and opposed to religion, different faiths have their own reasons to approve of voluntary deaths in different forms motivated by acquisition of religious merit or hopes of having a better life in the next birth. Most Eastern religions allow escape from the cycle of births and rebirths, and, in fact, it is the aspiration of religiously-conscious individuals to free themselves from fetters of karma by leading life of nobility, austerity, and meditation.
Faiths have different beliefs over what stage and manner life can reasonably be considered to have attained spiritual purity so as to permit individuals to resort to austerities for release from the physical body. The ultimate decision for whether any particular voluntary death is suicide depends upon the motive, means adopted, and consequences ensuing thereafter.
Suicide (atmaghata or atmahatya), on the other hand, is killing oneself, by means employed by oneself. All living beings have fondness for their bodies and take care by adopting methods or modes to keep sound health. Psychological and physical features often include emotional stress, overpowering feelings, hope to escape from consequences, lack of religious or spiritual consid
erations, use of weapons, suddenness, secrecy, and subsequent misery and bereavement.
Changing societies encompass changing notions of objectionability. Law is dynamic and changes with concepts, forbidding revolting and immoral sentiments of society.
Euthanasia (good death) refers to deliberate and direct killing of a sufferer (mercy killing) in order to relieve pain. However, distinctions should be made between voluntary and involuntary, active and passive, omission and commission, and acting and refraining. Assisted suicide is controversial, yet proponents argue that distinctions are spurious; they feel termination of treatment and direct killing are morally the same. Dedication of the medical (continued on page 17)
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