Jain Spirit 2002 03 No 10

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 56

It's Your Karma
laboratories using particle accelerators or bubble chambers, but conceit, deceitfulness and greed (krodha, mana, mava, using introspection into their own consciousness as their tool of lobha: Tattvarthasutra VIII.10). When any of these investigation.
attitudes are foremost in our consciousness while experiLife's most pressing questions cannot be answered with an encing the effects of karma, we will bind new karma again absolute certainty to convince all people. These questions will and this in its turn will have its effect on us some time in the meet with answers of varying degrees of probability. Some of future (Tattvarthasutra VI.4). We need not suffer from the answers are easier to accept than certain others, and each these negative passions. By conscious effort we can control individual will have to decide for himself or herself which of our reaction to the fruition of karma and thereby intervene those answers are the most satisfying. This is a matter of in what otherwise would be an unending process of causing philosophical effort. Every human being who wishes to rise the binding of ever-new karma. Indeed, we could let karma above the level of a mere biological creature and develop a rule us as if it were fate, but we can also choose not to let truly human consciousness and conscience will have to ask this happen. This is how the concept of karma differs himself or herself a few philosophical questions. Various fundamentally from the notion of fate. factors guide us in finding answers to those questions. Some of Far from being something utterly beyond our control, these may be very personal and subjective, others very karma is a tool for our self-realisation. We are responsible objective and debatable. In
for the karma acquired in any case, the concepts of
previous existences, metamorphosis and karma
whether as human beings are in themselves certainly
or as other living beings, not less logical or rational
and we must reap as we than the hypotheses about
have sowed. We cannot the afterlife which other
escape completely from the religions offer.
effects of our deeds Karma is often
whether physical, verbal or mistaken for fate and the
purely mental, although we mistake is the following:
can atone for wrong deeds fate is determined by a force
and thereby lessen their outside oneself, by a god
effects. Our attitude that is conceived as a person
towards the effects of with a will of his own or by
karma will determine an impersonal force over
whether we will bind new which we have no control.
karma and if so, what kind
ISI11 This is very clearly not the
of karma that will be. Thus case with karma. Karma has
we are the makers of our consequences with which
future in this life as well as we must deal, e.g. our health
in the next. No god or or our concrete social
other superhuman power circumstances, but it is
plays a role in any of this: important to realise that Shri Vatsa is an auspicious mark seen on the upper chest of all the the workings of karma are these consequences are the 24 Tirthankaras, symbolising compassionate universal love for all a matter of natural laws a result of our own actions and living beings. The 16 rays depict the 16 fundamentals of
part of the reality of all that they are not permanent. At a Jainism (sol bhavna). The pure gold bindu is the core of the sun,
lives. If we understand a reminder to mankind of his final goal - liberation (moksha) certain point in time, the
these laws, we can vipaka or "fruition" of karma occurs, which means that we consciously live in such a way that we avoid what is experience the results of earlier actions and after that there is undesirable and increase the purity of our consciousness, nirjara or the disappearance of the same karma (see which in essence is our soul. Ideally, we can finally rid Tattvarthasutra VIII. 21, Vipako 'nubhavah, and 23, Tatasca ourselves of all karma, thereby achieving the supreme nirjara). This is the normal course of events but if a person happiness of moksha or release in bliss from the cycle of wishes, niriara can be brought about without first experiencing death and rebirth. the full karmic effect. This is done through certain psycho- The extent to which we shape our own future is a matter physical exercises, acts of penance, etc. However, when we for individual choice and illustrates the basic humanism in experience the effect of karma, our response to it is most Jainism. important. Jain thought has traditionally identified four kashayas (passions or attitudes towards our experiences), Robert Zydenbos is a Professor of Indology at Munich which are the cause of the binding of new karma: anger, University. He has done extensive research on Jainism.
SAADHAK SHIVANAND SARASWATI ORIGINAL PAINTING FOR TIMES OF INDIA BOOK VARDHAMAN, 2001
March - May 2002. Jain Spirit
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