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Definition: In Jainism, sallekhana is a sort of ritual suicide undertaken as part of the process of reverence for all life. It has tradtionally been regarded as a spiritual ideal for all pious Jain monks, but it is not done very often today.
Because Jains regard all life as sacred, an ideal developed which involved the refusal to do anything which would harm life at all. This can include, when taken to extremes, the refusal of both food and water so as to avoid killing anything - even microbes.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: sati
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What is Theism?
What is the difference between monotheism and monolatry? Between pantheism and panentheism? How about between animism and shamanism? Or theism and deism? What the heck is henotheism? For that matter, what is and is not a religion?What is Religion?
A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear.
