Sallekhana(santhara) is a practice in Jainism, where after discharging ones
duties in life, one stops being a consumer and goes into deep meditation until death. You may call it total
voluntary retirement from consumerism in favour of spiritualism. It is akin to euthanasia in terms of the
final result but not in methodology or philosophy.
The very core idea behind Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism is that the soul
is part of God which never dies but keeps changing body by virtue of repeated
births (role palying) and this material world is just an illusion. Influenced by
this core idea, the philosophy behind santhara is to get ready for the life
after successfully completing the present term. It is like preparing soul for
the next level. The idea is not to kill self but self realization, in which the
soul finally overcomes bodily senses and worldly illusion. Its a celebration to
usher a new beginning in quest for the truth.
5 comments:
I like your posts. Would like to read more of it....
Anything in Jainism that tells how to help someone who is into bad habits like many relationship, telling lies, loving caring at one min and beats another min, keeps changing his words and blaming others. Is religious but does all these.
Hi there. Unfortunately, Jainism is self centric. It does not tell how to correct others. It will tell you to change your perspective of the person. It will tell you to pity the guy and forgive him thinking your association with him is the result of your past karmas. I know it is very hard to follow but avoiding the cause by retracting into self is the only solution. Its like, if it is raining outside, you don't do anything to stop the rain but get inside your house.
Sadly, even Hinduism says the same thing 'karmic deeds'. But all these seem impractical when you see your dear friend dying every single minute bcoz of her selfless love. She sacrificed lot on personal and emotional front for this man whose dual personality came out later. Both are highly educated. We all feel so helpless. Wish there was something in Jainism which would help us to brainwash this man claiming to be religious.
Aren,t we all puppets tangled in strings? We are tied, yet we fear of falling. Death is certainty, yet we fear of dying. There is light all around, yet we can't see a thing. Blinded by our desires and attachments, we fail to see or appreciate other options. I think the solution is to shift the focus from the object of desire and look within and have a broader perspective of life.
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