Basic Principles Of Jainism

Author(s): Narayan Lal Kachhara
Publisher: Narayan Lal Kachhara

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chaste life, guards himself against all evils, does not incur sin and acquires such Karma as will be destroyed after small amount of time.
In everyday life, people love merit (Punya) because it brings in pleasure and worldly happiness; they hate demerit (Papa) because it is cause of pain. Really speaking, pleasure and worldly happiness is also not welcome because every moment of sense gratification enhances our craze for further enjoyment. A gold fetter binds a person as much as an iron one. Similarly auspicious or inauspicious Karma arising as a result of good or bad deeds binds the soul. From the real point of view, both merit and demerit lead the soul into cycles of births and rebirths, though they may bring about different states of birth or differing environments of happiness and misery.
A wise right believer should therefore refrain from accumulating Karmas of either kind and should have an eye on liberation of the soul by contemplating on its real qualities. In the lower stages of spiritual development (see chapter 10), the mind and senses would be easily attracted towards pleasures and inclined towards performance of good deeds to earn merit. Yet constant devotion towards the Tirthankaras, engaging oneself in the service of the saints, study of scriptures and adopting an attitude of introspection repenting for wrong acts etc will gradually prepare the mind for spiritual advancement. A seeker of liberation should know that both good and bad deeds produce Karmas that bind the soul and he should therefore cultivate an attitude of detachment using right knowledge and faith, and free himself from the operation of Karma.
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