Jaina Ethics

Author(s): Dayanand Bhargav
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

Page 80

Metaphysical Background (a) Physical (audārika) (b) Physical and kārmic (audārikamiśra) (c) Fluid (vaikriyaka) (d) Fluid with kārmic (vaikrayikamiéra) (c) Ahāraka (f) Ahāraka with physical (āhārakamiśra) (g) Kārmic ( kārmāna).
Thus we have fifteen yogas in all.1
The Jaina conception of working of the law of Karman is based in the psychological theory of habit. We sow an action and reap a habit, we sow a habit and reap a character; we sow a character and reap our fate. Repetition of similar actions makes us habituated and we are forced by habit to repeat them. But, as already shown, this does not deprive us of our freedom.2 Human efforts have their own part to play in the whole working of this process. The previous action can be altered, amended, aggravated or affected through exertion (puruşārtha). That is why the ācāryas have asked us to exert and stop the inflow of fresh kārmic matter and also to annihilate the previous karmans.
It may also be noted that these karmans have not only psychical impressions ( saṁskāras) but also force physical molecules to be attached to the soul. The processes are known as psychic (bhāva) and material (dravya ) inflow.3 These two aspects of the inflow of kārmic matter mutually influence each other. The various psychic modifications attract the kārmic matter, and give birth to fresh psychic modifications. In its impure state, the soul, overcome by attachment, aversion and delusion, attracts the kārmic matter as magnet attracts needles to itself. This chain of kārmic holds the self bound to the miserable worldly existence.
The removal of misery
The Buddhistic view
The third noble truth, dukkhanirodha, concerns the means of checking misery. The ethical teachings of Lord Buddha are summarised in the following triple jewels4 (triratnas) in
1. Upadhyāya, Baladeva, Bhārtiyadarśana, pp. 182-183. 2. Bhatta Akalankadeva on Tattvārthas utra, 8.1.(Hindi Translation, p. 805). 3. Supra, pp. 32-37. 4. Dravyasangraha, 29-31.
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