Jainism a Theistic Philosophy

SR No.: 006918
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Krishna A Gosavi
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith
Publication Year: 2012
Total Pages: 358
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 6 MB

Page 97

JAINA THEISM AND CONCEPT OF SOUL
viz. right attitude, right knowledge and right conduct, their corresponding mutilated forms being perverted attitude, perverted knowledge, and perverted conduct.
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The soul, for the Jainas, undergoes changes every moment without losing its identity. The soul has a number of potencies; each moment of its existence is an integration of those potencies. The nature of karmic body is determined by this integrated existence of the soul at any moment. The soul is pure and perfect in its intrinsic nature. It is due to only its relation with karmas that is the soul comes in contact with passions (kaṣāyas). The relation of soul with passions is beginning less.
Inauspicious mental states cause bondage of inauspicious karmic matter, and auspicious mental states cause the bondage of auspicious karmic matter. But the attachment free pure mental state causes no bondage what so ever. Hence this is the reason why mind is regarded as the one of the causes of liberation.
The omniscient one stands, sits, speaks, walks etc. like any ordinary man and performs other activities too, yet he does not bind karmas. His activities are caused by attachment free mental state (passionless universal affection) and hence they do not cause bondage of karmas.
Stoppage of the inflow of karmic matter into the soul is called 'samvara'. A pure and highly spiritual internal state of soul, causing control and restraint of the mental, vocal and bodily activities, can affect the stoppage of karmic matter. The partial disassociation of karmic matter is called 'nirjara'. It is also of two kinds: psychical and physical. The cessation of activities that leads to transmigration is psychical stoppage (bhāva-saṁvara). Dissociation of the karmic particle with soul is also psychical as well as physical. That modification of consciousness by which karmic matter (bondage) partially disappears is called psychical dissociation. Thus dissociation