Jain Journal 1980 04

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 18

130
various forms or bodies. Jaina philosophy states that soul is intrinsically pure and perfect, but we do not realize that perfection because of karmas which adhere or stick to the soul, covering or clouding the pure consciousness and its expression. For this reason, errors or mistakes are made in receiving information and knowledge from the environment. For the same reason inappropriate, often harmful responses are made to information as it is received from the environment.
JAIN JOURNAL
The forms and the way the energy expresses itself and is experienced by us depends on the degree of purity attained, the particular karmas which are blocking the individual soul from its ultimate pure condition. Karmas are then, from this point of view, those particles which inhibit hinder and distort communication between and among souls; they are the "things" which block the pure flow of energy of life.
We feel a need or desire to communicate, a lack of wholeness that motivates our outreaching, according to those coverings which we are experiencing. For example, to the extent that we suffer mohaniya karma, our effort to communicate will be coloured by destructive emotions or kasayas, by anger, pride, deceit and greed. Thus two people argue and quarrel rather than enjoying peace and soothing companionship. As our vision is obscured by darśanavaraṇiya karmas, we may misunderstand or misinterpret the messages we receive, and our jñānävaraniya karmas will block us from learning, from deeper comprehension of a given subject of knowledge. Antaraya karmas will inhibit our capacity to communicate and respond to others.
The soul has always been in this contact or partnership with matter; there was not a time when soul was pure and then it "fell" or somehow lost its purity. In fact, the story of evolution is that of soul's development and growth, its emergence from the grip of matter so that consciousness or sentient energy has more and more command over matter.
How does the soul acquire this control and how does it show itself? The dominance of matter over soul is seen in desire. Attraction and repulsion are qualities of matter, not soul, which is by nature infinitely calm, peaceful, blissful and all-knowing. That is, pure consciousness is desireless and it feels desire only as it experiences its affiliation with karmas or matter. To overcome desire is therefore to free from the binding of karmas; to practise equanimity in the midst of attraction and repulsion brings strength to the soul, and is the path to freedom.