Jain Digest 2007 11 2

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 28

Jain Digest. Winter 2007
Rarma in. Jainism
EDUCATION
As all actions have consequences, some immediate, some delayed, others in future incarnations, the
doctrine of karma must be considered not in relation to From Wikipedia
one life only, but with an understanding of reincarnation
In fact, it forms a central and fundamental part of Jain According to Jainism, Karma (Sanskrit: , kär'me, faith and is intricately connected to other concepts kärman, Prakrit: HH, kä'mma) means that every
like transmigration, reincarnation, liberation, ahimsa, action, every word, every thought produces, besides
and non-attachment to name a few. Hence it is not its visible, an invisible, transcendental effect. The word
surprising that since ages Jains have produced karma is commonly understood to mean "action," but
abundant of doctrinal material dealing with the karmic implies both action and reaction. However, Karma mechanism. causes of karmas, types of karmas, nature in Jainism conveys a totally different meaning as and duration of karmas, liberation from karmas and commonly understood in the Hindu philosophy and like western civilization. It is not the so called inaccessible mystic force that controls the fate of living beings Mechanism of Karma in some inexplicable way. It does not mean "deed",
es not mean "deed", Karmas are often wrongly interpreted as a method "work", nor invisible, mystical force (adrsta), but a
for reward and punishment of a soul for its good and complexes of very fine matter, imperceptible to the
bad deeds. In Jainism, there is no question of there senses, which interacts with the soul and causes
being any reward or punishment, as each soul is the great changes in it. The karma, then, is something
master of its own destiny. The karmas can be said material (karmapaudgalam), which produces in the soul
to represent a sum total of all unfulfilled desires of a certain conditions, even as a medical pill which, when
soul. They enable the soul to experience the various introduced into the body, produces therein manifold
themes of the lives that it desires to experience. They effects. Hermann Kuhn, quoting from Umasvati's
ultimately mature when the necessary supportive Tattvartha Sutra, describes karma as"...a mechanism
conditions required for maturity are fulfilled. Hence a that makes us thoroughly experience the themes of
soul may transmigrate from one life form to another our life until we gained optimal knowledge from them for countless of years, taking with it the karmas that and until our emotional attachment to these themes
it has earned, until it finds conditions that bring about falls off."
the fruits. Similarly, heavens and hells are often viewed According to Robert J. Zydenbos, Jainism can be as places for eternal happiness or eternal damnation considered a kind of system of laws, but natural for good and bad deeds. But according to Jainism and rather than moral laws. In Jainism, actions that carry some other Dharmic religions, they, including earth, are moral significance are considered to cause certain simply the places which allow the soul to temporarily consequences in just the same way as, for instance, experience its unfulfilled desires. physical actions that do not carry any special moral
For example, a person who is good and virtuous all his significance. When one holds an apple in one's hand
life indicates a latent desire to experience good and and then lets go of the apple, the apple will fall: this is
virtuous themes of life. Therefore, he attracts karmas only natural. There is no judge, and no moral judgment
that will ensure that his future births allow him to involved, since this is a mechanical consequence of experience and manifest his virtues and good feelings the physical action.
unhindered. In this case, he may take birth in heaven or According to Jainism, consequences occur when one in a prosperous and virtuous human family. A person does something that is harmful. Rather than assume who has always indulged in immoral deeds with a cruel that moral rewards and retribution are the work of a disposition indicates a latent desire to experience cruel divine judge, the Jains believe that there is an innate themes of life. As a natural consequence, he will attract moral order to the cosmos, self-regulating through the karmas which will ensure that he is reincarnated in hell workings of karma. Morality and ethics are important to enable him to experience the cruel themes of life not because of a god, but because a life that is led unhindered, as the environment in hell is conducive of in agreement with moral and ethical principles is such life. There is no retribution, judgment or reward considered beneficial; it leads to a decrease and finally involved. to the total loss of karma, which in turns leads to ever
Hence whatever suffering or pleasure that a soul may increasing happiness. In these ways it is similar to
be experiencing now is on account of choices that it
h some other Dharmic religions, especially Buddhism has made in past. That is why Jainism stresses pure
Ja S
ucation Intemational