Doctrine of Karman in Jain Philosophy

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Vijibai Jivanlal Panalal Charity Fund Mumbai

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embodied state, because they do not know anything better. The bhavyas, on the contrary, finally become tired of the wandering in ever new forms of existence, they recognise the truth of the religion of the Jina, pratise self-control and asceticism, and, in the end, after the lapse of longer or shorter periods of time, attain salvation.
JAIN PHILOSOPHY
2. PRELIMINARY SURVEY OF THE GUNASTHANAS.
From the state of complete dependency upon the karman to the state of complete detachment from it, 14 stages, the so-called gunasthānas (states of virtue) can be distinguished.1 There are stages of development in which the soul gradually delivers itself, firstly from the worst, then from the less bad, and, finally, from all kinds of karman, and manifests the innate faculties of knowledge, belief, and conduct in a more and more perfect form. They are named according to their owners, the characteristics of these always being associated with the word "guṇasthāna". The owners of the different stages are the following:
1. mithyādṛṣṭi, the unbeliever.
2. sāsvādana-samyagdṛṣṭi, the one who has only a taste of the true belief,
3. samyag-mithya-dṛṣṭi (or miśra), the one who has a mixed
belief.
4. avirata-samyagdṛṣṭi, the one who has true belief but has not yet self-control.
5. deśavirata, the one who has partial self-control.
6. pramatta-samyata, the one who has complete self-control, sometimes, however brought into wavering through negligence.
7. apramatta-samyata, the one who has self-control without negligence.
8. apūrva-karaṇa (or nivṛtti-bādara-samparāya), the one who practises the process called apurva-karaṇa, in whom, however, the passions are still occurring in a gross form.
9. anivṛtti-bādara-samparāya, the one who practises the process called anivṛtti-karana, in whom, however, the passions are still occurring in a gross form.
10. sūkṣma-samparāya, the one in whom the passions still only occur in a more subtle form.
1 "tatra guņā jñāndarśanacāritrarūpā jivasvabhāvaviseṣāḥ, sthānam punar atra teşām śuddhyaviśuddhiprakarṣāpakarṣakṛtaḥ svarūpabhedaḥ guna iti kṛtvā. guṇānām sthānam guṇasthānam" Kg. I, 56a.
tisthanty asmin