________________
is no inauspicious volition, there is no violence even when a creature is killed or compromised. It is very clear that such involuntary external violence will not result in any karmic bondage.21 The Oghaniryukti also supports this line of thought.22
Shri Kanhaiyalalji Lodha, who is a well-known scholar of Jaina scriptures of both the Svetāmbara as well as Digambara followings, has, with the help of agamic references and quotations, tried well to prove beyond any shadow of doubt as to how the auspicious activities such as mercy, kindness, compassion, friendship, charity, co-operation, etc., go to reduce the undesirable volitional dispositions like attachment, etc. and as to how they contribute towards achievement of karmic stoppage and separation. The author has a firm grasp over the very soul of the Jaina doctrine of karma and he has used his grasp over the subject to clarify any doubts that may be there in the minds of the readers. Here, I would like to quote from his thoughts and arguments presented at various places in this work to show as to how he dispels the doubts with his logical treatment of the subject - 1. Mercy melts the heart of a man. With this melting of the heart
melts the feeling of attachment therein. Just as heat melts a solid into liquid and liquid into gaseous state, which eventually evaporates so does mercy or the warm of his sensitivity towards others’ troubles and travails melts the dense ‘delusion' into fluid delusion and then fluid delusion into vaporised delusion that vanishes eventually. (pp. 30-31) Feelings of mercy, kindness, compassion, friendship, affection, etc., are not due to fruition of any earlier bonded karma but they arise in a person naturally, and are, therefore, his basic nature. Whatever is natural is dharma and dharma can never be a cause of karmic bondage. On the other hand it is a cause of karmic
destruction and separation. (p. 78) 3. If the feeling of generosity or charity were to be karma-bonding,
the progressive spiritual accomplishments of any aspirant, which result in greater and greater giving, would be more and more karma
XXXVIII
Positive Non-Violence
Jain Education International
For Personal & Private Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org