Harmless Soul

Author(s): W J Johnson, Dayanand Bhargav
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 29

Early Jainism 15 about the influx (āsrava) of new karmic matter.30 He goes on to say,
The vibrations referred to here actually denote the volitional activities of the individual. Such activities can be manifested through either body, speech, or mind; hence the soul's vibrations are said to be of three types, each corresponding to one of these modalities. 31
As will be made clear, I differ from Jaini on the importance of volition as an element in bondage, particularly in early Jainism; nevertheless, we may readily infer from the above that, in this context, the primary meaning of yoga is the juncture of the soul and matter (which then becomes karma), i.e. bondage. The meaning is then referred back to the cause of that bondage, either vibration of the spacepoints of the soul or the bodily, vocal and mental activities associated with it. However, since activity is the ultimate cause of vibration, it is the activity of the individual which comes to be synonymous with yoga.
For reasons which will become clear, I further suggest that in these earliest Jaina texts the influx of karmic particles and their bondage to the soul is seen as being the inevitable result of activity. In other words, activity is considered binding simply by virtue of its being activity; and the fact that both meanings, 'bondage' and 'activity', can be carried by the same term, 'yoga', bears this out.
In this, I have again followed the Majjhima Nikāya (56) and assumed that for early Jainism volition is not a relevant factor in bondage. But is the account of Mahāvira's attitude to activity given in the Buddhist text really an accurate reflection of the early Jaina position?
In the Süyagadamga (2.6.26-42), the Buddhists are
30 See JPP pp. 105, 112. 31 JPP p. 112.