Studies in Jaina Philosophy

SR No.: 001616
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Nathmal Tatia
Publisher: Jain Cultural Research Society
Publication Year: 1951
Total Pages: 366
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, Knowledge, Yoga, & Epistemology
File Size: 9 MB

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JAINA DOCTRINE OF KARMAN
CH.
divine, (2) different spans of life, (3) various enjoyments and sufferings of life. These three roughly correspond to the working or fruition of the gatināmaa-karman (which is a sub-type of the body-making karman), the longevity-determining karman, and the feeling-producing karman of the Jainas. It can be noticed that in this Yoga classification, the workings of the non-obscuring karmans of the Jainas have been enumerated. The nescience (avidyā) of the Yoga can be compared with the belief-deluding (darśana-moha) karman of the Jainas, and the other four afflictions of the Yoga can be compared with the character-deluding (căritra-moha) karman of the Jainas. The cover on the faculty of illumination or discrimination of the Yoga can be compared with the knowledge-covering and intuition-covering karmans of the Jainas. The nine obstructions of the Yoga correspond roughly to the energy-obstructing (viryāntarāya) karman of the Jainas. The similarities point to the intimate association of the Yoga and the Jaina system in matters of ethical interest.
* The Sankhya, the Nyāya-Vaišesika and the Vedānta did not develop separate conceptions on these subjects and so do not need any comparative study. We next come to the Buddhist conceptions. Although there is very little similarity between the Buddhist and the Jaina conceptions of karman, yet we state the Buddhist view in order to complete our survey of the conceptions of karman in the various systems that developed side by side. Moreover, there is much affinity between the Buddhist and the Yoga system, and our study will not be futile if we can show the fact. Before stating the Buddhist classification of the types of karman, it is necessary that we should understand the Buddhist conception of consciousness and its different planes as well as the various planes of life that the consciousness can attain to. We shall therefore at the outset describe in brief the nature of consciousness, the different planes of consciousness, and the various planes of life. And finally we shall state the Buddhist way of classification of karman according to different principles and the points of its similarity with the Yoga conception..
The Buddhists believe in consciousness as a complex of a number of psychic factors which determine the nature of the consciousness and are nothing but forces created by the tendencies of greed (lobha),
1 sati mūle tadvipāko jāty-äyur-bhogāḥ--YD, II. 13. 2 Vide supra, p. 234. 3 For the enumeration of the five afflictions vide supra, p. 89. 4 prakāśāvarana or viveka-jñānā-varaniya-karman--YD, II, 52 and Bhasya. 5 antarāyāḥ--YD, I. 30.
6 The enquiry that follows is based on the Abhidhammatthasamgaha of Anuruddhācārya. I have utilized profusely The Abhidhamma Philosophy by
J. Kashyap. I have utilisais based on the