For those who follow Jainism, Diwali marks the moment when Mahavira, the most recent Tirthankara, or saviour, was liberated from the cycle of life and death, reaching nirvana.
With each life cycle, good karma brings souls closer to nirvana, a state of higher being or enlightenment that releases souls from samsara, the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Buddhist monks exert every effort to renounce this life in favour of future nirvana. But, without a full knowledge of this life, how could they see through the vanity of human society and make a clean break with this mortal world?