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Jaina Philosophy and Religion
good results like happiness, prosperity, progress and peace; and if he performs evil acts, he will get bad or bitter fruits like unhappiness, poverty, degradation, defeat, sorrow, mental disturbance. This is the inexorable and relentless law of karma. The kind of influences the body receives from the food is determined by the kind of food it takes in. If it takes in nutritive food, it becomes healthy. And if it takes in harmful food, its health deteriorates. Similarly, the kind of activity determines the kind of its subtle influence. Good activity generates good subtle influences on the soul.
A person who does not care for his children will become barren in future in the next birth. One who misuses one's wealth thoughtlessly and extravagantly invites poverty in future. A man or a woman who disregards the love of his wife or her husband sows the seeds of future widowerhood or widowhood. A man who misuses his present power or authority given to him will have to suffer humiliation in future due to dependence and subordination. He who misuses his present leisure makes his future life hard. He who makes good use of his present opportunities and means will obtain better opportunities and better means in future. He who at present serves the people according to his means and circumstances will gain better means and more favourable circumstances in future. He who at present makes good use of his power and authority will in future attain greater power and greater authority. He who at present loves others unconditionally without the feeling of jealousy and passion will secure love of many in future. He who employs his present wealth in allaying the poverty of masses will become a benevolent rich man in future. He who is dishonest and accumulates wealth by intrigues, treachery and exploitation of others will invite his ruin in future. He who lives for his own self to the utter neglect of the interest of all others will be abandoned by all in future. In short, the wise man should always be vigilant to see to it that the given opportunities and means are not misused and are properly used for the good of his own self as well as of others and for the this-worldly and the other-worldly happiness as well.
When an individual hates someone, he binds the inauspicious karma. Similarly, when the whole family hates another family, it too binds inauspicious karma. And individual hatred gives rise to family hatred. So we can say that individual karma generates family karma. Thus auspicious and inauspicious individual karmas of the members of one family with respect to the members of another family, and vice versa, give rise to auspicious
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