Jainism
About
Jainism, also known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient religion of India and one of the oldest religions in history that is still practiced today. Jainism believes the way to liberation is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation.
Jainism shares many principles of Yoga and Buddhism. There are three main pillars; ahimsa (non-violence), anekantavada (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (asceticism). It is considered an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every cycle of cosmology.
End of Life
Jains believe that the Atman (soul) is eternal and never dies. It cannot be destroyed and death is purely a transition to a new body. Jains believe the soul journeys through countless lifetimes determined by karma and can be enhanced through special vows to promote energy, consciousness, and bliss.
Jains prefer to die at home. During their final days, a Jain will seek forgiveness from their loved ones for any wrongdoings, before starting to detach from the physical world. They focus on the inner self through chanting and reading from spiritual texts to evoke a state of meditation as they approach death.
Jains can also choose to embrace a final fast to help them transcend. This is known as Sallekhana and has been a source of much debate since Jainism's earliest teachings over whether this is a form of suicide.
After Death
The Jains believe that the soul is reborn immediately, so death is a festival, or Mahotsav. Loud expressions of grief are therefore not part of the Jain Tradition. To prepare for cremation, the body is rubbed with a damp cloth, dressed, placed in a bier, and covered with a shroud. The cremation is performed as soon as possible so the funeral is kept quite short, with stavans and bhajans being recited for about an hour, along with a eulogy.
Many intricate rituals follow, including the placing of several sacred items such as a swastika and whole coconut, the burning of incense, and the application of water, ghee, rice, and sandalwood. At the end of the ceremony, guests chant navkar mantra, and place a piece of gold in the mouth and a pearl in the right eye of the deceased before closing the casket.
The eldest son of the deceased performs the last rituals, going round the pyre three times, chanting the Namokar Mantra. He then lights the pyre. After the ceremony, milk is poured over the remains which are then collected in bags and the site is thoroughly cleansed. The remains are not immersed in rivers, but instead a buried in the ground with salt to help them dissolve easily.