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JAINA CONVENTION 2017
Karma and modern science
Regarding Karmic bonding the following verse given by Acharya Amritachandra in Samayasaar Kalash is worth noting:
Meaning: Life, death, pain, and pleasure - all these happen according to definite Karmic laws and according to one's own Karma; an ignorant person does not know this truth, and thinks that others are responsible for his/her life, death, pain, and happiness.
In simple words, this stanza says that one gets fruition of the bonded Karma as per definite Karmic laws, and the bonding of Karma happens as per one's own actions and thoughts.
Further, as per scriptures Karmic particles are very fine and can pass through any obstacle of any size such as a big mountain. The author of this paper as a physicist believes that the elementary particles such as electron, proton, neutron, neutrino, etc. fall in the category of Aharak-Vargana of Jain metaphysics. TattvarthSutra reveals that Karmik particles or Karman Vargana is finer than Tejas-Vargana which is finer than Aharak-vargana [10]. The present day technology is unable to detect such fine Karmic particles. In addition to the limitations of the present day technology, the concept of hidden variables [11] introduced in quantum mechanics may also be helpful in understanding the finer Karmic Vargana. It may be noted that quantum mechanics (12] is the most minute and respectable area of Science/Physics. It was discovered in 1900. Without it many modern inventions such as mobile phones and advancements in the electronics would have not been possible. Many scientists were awarded Nobel prizes in the field of quantum mechanics. The interesting point is that it is considered very close to the philosophy due to many reasons. One of the reasons is that it accepts the uncertainty principle which points out incompleteness or inaccuracy in the nature. Here an example of inability of balancing the cash-book of a cashier due to a missing entry may be helpful. With this idea, to explain the cause of inaccuracy some scientists like Bohm [11] suggest the possibility of some unknown hidden variables in the nature, and the Cambridge University published a book (12d] entitled, ,,The Ghost in the Atom." Who is the „ghost"? Which are the hidden variables? The future may reveal. It is likely that the failure of detection of Karmic particles is causing inaccuracy. In other words, Karmic particles may fall in the category of hidden variables. In short, the scope of entry of Karmic particles in the science cannot be denied.
Regarding the Karmic laws, another valuable avenue may be to perform the experimental study of Karmic laws. For example, one can take up the following Karmic law given by Acharya Umasami in TattvarthSutra: Bhuta-vratyanukampā-dāna-sarāga-samyamādi-yogaḥ kṣāntiḥśauchamiti sadvedyasya. [6.12]
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