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Jainism Portal v t e

Santhara (also Sallekhana, Samadhi-marana, Samnyasa-marana), is the Jain religious ritual of voluntary death by fasting. Supporters of the practice believe that Santhara cannot be considered suicide, but rather something one does with full knowledge and intent, while suicide is viewed as emotional and hasty. Due to the prolonged nature of Santhara, the individual is given ample time to reflect on his or her life. The vow of Santhara is taken when one feels that one's life has served its purpose. The purpose is to purge old karmas and prevent the creation of new ones.^[1] There exist a similar Hindu practice known as Prayopavesa.

According to the Press Trust of India, on average 240 Jains practice Santhara until death each year in India.^[2]

Rationale of starvation[link]

Jainism believes that each and every action (eating included) may or may not become karma. Jains are strictly vegetarian, but a tree, even if it has only one sense, has life, and hence taking away a piece of it (vegetable, fruit, leaf) hurts it—thereby adding a negative karma to all who encourage this process. Besides, there may be living organisms surviving in that fruit/vegetable/leaf that one eats. So by eating, one hurts the tree/plant and also possibly kills organisms living in it. In fact, since water also has microscopic organisms, even drinking water adds to one's karma.

The basic idea in different kinds of Jain fasting is to acquire a lowest possible negative karma and purify oneself in the process. Santhara, in this sense, is the best way to purification.

Jains claim that Santhara or Sallekhana is the most ideal, peaceful, and satisfying form of death. However, depending upon the person’s general health, certain vitamin or mineral depletion or electrolyte imbalances, along with intolerance for cold temperatures, dizziness, hair loss, and extreme fatigue the starvation process can be excruciating^{[citation needed]}. Jains acknowledge the suffering one endures while in the process of starving but rationalize it by stating that it allows for a better understanding of the inherently painful and flawed nature of earthly existence. To further explain the rationale, Jains claim moral superiority in that they stop sustaining their own life at the cost of the other life forms they might otherwise consume. The supreme goal is to minimize the damage one does to their environment. Asceticism is revered and practicing ascetics are worshipped.

The rationale behind Sallekhana comes from the Jain belief in karma, rebirth, asceticism and spiritual purification. Jainism teaches that the every living creature has an immortal soul called a jiva, which has consciousness and intelligence and which ideally should be able to ascend to the summit of the universe and achieve omniscience. However it is karma that prevents the immaterial soul from achieving liberation. It is important to note that the concept of karma in Jain theology is very different from the understanding of karma in Hinduism and western popular culture. In Hinduism karma literally translates as "deed" or "act", representing a cosmic understanding of cause and effect, the actions and reactions that governs all life. Karma is not understood as fate, rather, in Hinduism man acts with free will creating his own destiny. According to the Vedas, if man sows goodness, he will reap goodness; if he sows evil, he will reap evil. This understanding is not terribly dissimilar from the western popular culture interpretation of “what goes around comes around”, and a generalized belief that good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished. However, for Jains karma is a much more sophisticated and developed belief system. The physical body is viewed as a prison for the soul and it is believed that karma is responsible for keeping the soul trapped within the body. Karma is understood to be an invisible supernatural substance composed of very fine particles that permeate the soul determining what physical form the soul will take. It is the accumulation of karma that determines the form in which a soul is reincarnated. The deliverance of the soul from karma is achieved through strict asceticism whereby the soul hinders the karmas, or tiny particles of matter, from infusing the soul and purges the old karmas before they are realized in the next life.^[3]

Questions regarding legality[link]

Like most Dharmic religious traditions, Jainism considers suicide a wrong that only retains the karma from the current life and does not allow escape from the cycle of births and rebirths. Suicide involves an intentional act of harm against oneself with a known outcome that negatively affects those left behind. With Sallekhana, death is welcomed through a peaceful, tranquil process providing peace of mind for everyone involved.^[4]

Because people who take the vow of Sallekhana are elevated to a position of reverence, admiration and worship, it is difficult to parse out the individual’s true intentions in taking the vow of Sallekhana. For some, Sallekhana is probably motivated by belief alone. For others, their decision to end their life may be motivated by reasons ranging from the economic hardship to the desire for redemption for some bad act. Regardless of the motives, speaking out against Sallekhana is rare and it is commonly understood in the Jain community that preventing or interrupting Sallekhana invites social ostracism. Statistically Sallekhana is undertaken by more women than men and some have argued that in this way Sallekhana serves as a means of coercing widows and elderly relatives into taking their own lives.^[5]

Legal Controversy[link]

In 2006 human rights activist/lawyer Nikhil Soni and his lawyer Madhav Mishra, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with the High Court of Rajasthan. The PIL claims that Sallekhana is a social evil and should be considered to be suicide under Indian legal statute. The petition extends to those who facilitate individuals taking the vow of with aiding and abetting an act of suicide. For the 5.2 million Jains living in India this is a violation of the Indian Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom.^[6]

This landmark case sparked debate in India, where bioethics is a relatively new phenomenon. Historically, Sallekhana has been accepted because of its religious context, while euthanasia and attempted suicide are criminal offenses. Hunger strikes are a common form of protest in India but often end with forced hospitalization and criminal charges. In the 1996 case of Gian Kaur v. State of Punjab the Indian Supreme Court ruled that human rights guaranteed by the Constitution do not include the right to suicide under any circumstance. However, it is not clear at present as to on what grounds and statistics, Santhara is to be held illegal. The Indian Penal Code punishes any attempt to commit suicide, but this provision is in itself somewhat contentious, since it would punish only an unsuccessful attempt at suicide.

Santhara/Sallekhana Scholarship[link]

Jain voluntary death by fasting is a relatively obscure religious practice that has not received much scholarly attention in Western academia. Three scholars currently researching the practice are British anthropologist and philosopher James Laidlaw^[7], Canadian anthropologist Anne Vallely^[8] and American bioethicist Whitny Braun.^[9]

Notes[link]

See also[link]

• Sokushinbutsu
• Catharist endura

External links[link]

• Euthanasia? Jain woman observing death ritual dies
• Picture Gallery of Santhara fasting : Jainism
• Is Santhara Suicide or Sati?
• Hindustan Times
• The Times of India: Editorial
• Hindustan Times

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Yang Amat Berhormat Tuan Guru Dato' Bentara Setia Haji Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat
Menteri Besar of Kelantan
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 October 1990
Monarch	Sultan Ismail Petra Sultan Muhammad V
Deputy	Ahmad Yaakob
Preceded by	Mohamed Yaacob
Member of the Kelantan State Assembly for Chempaka
Incumbent
Assumed office 1995
Majority	4249
Spiritual Leader of PAS
Incumbent
Assumed office 1991
Preceded by	Yusof Rawa
Personal details
Born	1931 Pulau Melaka, Kelantan
Political party	Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)
Spouse(s)	Tuan Sabariah Tuan Ishak
Children	10
Religion	Sunni Islam

Dato' Bentara Setia Haji Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat (born 1931 in Pulau Melaka, Kelantan) is a Malaysian politician, a Muslim ulama and currently the Menteri Besar of the state of Kelantan. He is the Mursyidul Am or spiritual leader of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).

Early life[link]

Nik Abdul Aziz was born in 1931 to a single father (Tok Kura) who was an aspiring blacksmith in his hometown of Pulau Melaka, being the second eldest of five siblings.^[1] His Islamic studies began in pondok schools in Kelantan and Terengganu.^[2] He went on to study at Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, India for five years. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Studies and Master of Arts in Islamic jurisprudence from Al-Azhar University, Egypt. During his university studies, he was one of the witnesses and a civilian to have lived in the heat of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.^[3]

Having returned from Egypt, Nik Aziz began as a teacher at various religious schools in Kelantan, hence his popular nickname "Tok Guru."^[2] He is able to converse in Arabic, English, Tamil and Urdu in addition to his native Malay language.^[2]

Political career[link]

Nik Aziz joined PAS in 1967. He contested and won the Kelantan Hilir parliamentary seat by-election in that same year, and held the seat (later renamed Pengkalan Chepa) until 1986.^[2] In 1982, he was part of a movement by young members to bring change to the party leadership. PAS had lost the Kelantan state elections in 1978 and, as PAS state commissioner, Nik Aziz began to question president Asri Muda's leadership. Finally, in the PAS Muktamar (General Assembly) that year, Asri was forced to resign.^[3]

After stepping aside from federal politics, Nik Aziz won a seat in the Kelantan State Assembly in the 1986 general elections. In 1990, PAS managed to wrest control of Kelantan back from Barisan Nasional. In his capacity as party leader in the state, Nik Aziz became Menteri Besar of Kelantan.^[2] He succeeded Yusof Rawa as spiritual leader of PAS in 1991.

His administration in Kelantan frequently clashed on the role of Islam in Malaysia with the former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir. In contrast with the racially-exclusive ruling party UMNO, he openly rejects communal politics.^[4]

Nik Aziz has been known to command support from non-Muslims in Malaysia and has played a leading role during PAS' increase in popularity among non-Muslims.^[5][6][7]

Controversy[link]

Hardline views[link]

Nik Aziz has drawn occasional criticism for his hardline Islamic views. His advocacy of Islamic shariah law to all Malay Muslims drew criticism, as did his suggestion that women would be at a lower risk of being raped if they abandoned their lipstick and perfume, and for a 15-year ban on the game of snooker.^[8][9]

Son[link]

His son Nik Adli was held under the Malaysian Internal Security Act in 2001 for alleged terrorist activities including planning jihad, possession of weapons, and membership in the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM), an Islamist extremist group.^{[10][11][12][13]} After 5 years in detention without trial, he was released.^[14]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Blog of Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat
• A Day in a Life of Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat at YouTube