“The cremation ritual of a muni who has completed his vow of sallekhana- a ritual fast until death. The most radical Jain practice of withdrawing from passions and actions is the ritual fast until death, known as sallekhana. It is very rare and is usually performed by munis, ascetics, as a final act of detachment from the body. Unlike suicide, it is not motivated by feelings of futility, despair or hopelessness. On the contrary, it is a ritual undertaken from feelings of compassion for the many things that will be saved if one no longer continues to eat, breathe and consume all the other resources required for sustaining life. “ -Leonid Plotkin