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Essence of Jainism
detailed description of the answer to this question in the literature of philosophies that emphasise Nivṛtti, and it is more or less similar. This state of affairs proves that now and then the different schools of Nivartaka Dharma indulged in mutual exchange of thought. But a time came when these different schools did not remain close to one another. However, every school continued with its discussion with regard to Karma. In due course, there evolved, in the midst of these schools, a school that confined itself to thinking on Karma only; the school thought more deeply on Karma than on liberation itself. Mostly it studied and taught only this topic, as it happens with other thinkers also. This same group of thinkers on Karmasastra is known, in Jainism as Karmasastra Anuvogadhara--the upholder of the Yoga following karmasastra or the class of karma. siddhantavetta--the knowers of the doctrine of Karma.
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Thinking on Karma- How much Ancient and Similar
All schools propounding liberation as the only goal, are unanimous whether principally or in a subsidiary outlook, with regard to the causes of the bondage of Karma and its annihilation. Wo should, however, know the point of view of the abovementioned ponderors on karma with regard to the nature of Karma. The Vaigeṣika atomists. whose path is that of liberation, look upon Karma as found in life and so, a trait of life-force; while the followers of the Samkhya-Yoga schools, whose philosophy is dominated by Puruşa and Prakṛti, looked upon it as lifeless and stationed in the inner consciousness. But the Jain thinkers looking upon Ātmā and atom as the resultant or consequential, looked upon karma as the result both of material and life-force and therefore of the nature of both. In their opinion, even though Atma is life-force, it is of the nature of compression and expansion like the inner consciousness born of Prakṛti. There is therefore a possibility of change of the nature of Karma in the Atma that can even identify itself with gross atoms. Karma being a trait of life-force according to the Vaigeṣika and others is not independent of life-force in reality, while according to the Samkhya, Karma being a trait of the Prakyti, is not actually independent of gross material. But
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