Jaina Psychology

Author(s): Mohanlal Mehta
Publisher: Sohanlal Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti Amrutsar

Page 20

KARMA: THE BASIS OF JAINA PSYCHOLOGY
individual can be accounted for by the acts and experiences of his past life. The idea underlying this theory is that certain phenomena like a sudden appearance of an extraordinary genius, an unexpected occurrence of an emotional experience, and the like that seem inexplicable by any definite cause can be accounted for by the theory of the continuity of the soul and its experiences in more than one life.
DETERMINISM AND FREEDOM OF WILL
In short, the doctrine of karma is nothing more than a series of acts and effects in which each act is necessarily followed by its effect. This effect is known as fruition or retribution. This series of action and fruition goes on expanding, since every new effect produces another effect for which it serves as the cause. The event which is the effect of its preceding act becomes the cause of its succeeding event in turn. Thus, viewed from one standpoint, an event is an effect. Viewed from another angle, an event is a cause—an act. All our acts come under the supreme rule of this hypothesis.
Granting the validity of this assumption, the series of act and effect will go on marching in an automatic course. It will require no active effort. It will demand no voluntary endeavour. Thus, it will lead to Determinism and Necessitarianism. This is an objection which has been commonly advanced against the doctrine of karma. Determinism paralyses human effort. It is against the application of moral progress and collides with Libertarianism which propounds Freedom of Will, The exponents of the doctrine of karma try to remove this difficulty. They maintain that to confuse the doctrine of karma with Necessitarianism and Determinism is to demonstrate misconception of the doctrine. The view that 'what a man soweth, he shall reap' cannot be considered as Determinism. The adherents of the doctrine of karma not only defend their position but also attack the other side. They level the same charge against Libertarianism. If each and every act is absolutely at our liberty, there would be no consistence, coherence, harmony in the universe. You would require no water to clean your clothes, no fire to cook your food. If you choose, water will cook your food and fire will clean your clothes. You would require no air to fly, no mountain to climb, no horse to ride.