Neuroscience and Karma

Author(s): Jethalal S Zaveri, Mahendramuni
Publisher: Jain Vishva Bharati

Page 47

Programs of the Brain
such as thinking, planning, believing and worshipping are also there, since all our actions and thoughts come through the brain although it is difficult to say whether they come from it. In short, the brain operates in definite organized ways, called programs and results of these programs constitute the entity that we call 'personality'. To avoid too much complication, we shall ignore, as far as possible, the ultimate (transcendental) separateness of the body and soul and treat a living organism as an entity. 3. Selection of Programs
We can then say that a set of programs would mean a plan of action or activities which would be undertaken by an organism during its life-span. It would be composed (written) beforehand by karman and would, obviously, be selected from an innumerable possibilities to confirm to the particular group or class to which the organism belongs.
The selection of program will depend upon the past carrier of the individual and would be composed mainly by two out of the eight main categories of karman (See Prologue I) viz., (i) Life-span-determining (ayusya) karman and (ii) Body-making (nāma) karman.. Thus the programs of a human organism would be the combined work of the three selective agencies : (a) Manusya-āyusya-karman (b) Manusya-gatināma-karman and (c) Manusya-anupūrvi-nāma-karman.
Indeed, other selective agencies would also be concerned e.g. the culture, family etc. of the organism would be determined by the "Status-determining (gotra) karman". In the case of humans, it would also be the major determinant of his religion, legal, social and political status and language. Various other contributions to the programs of and organism would bave to be made by several other selective agencies from the other major categories of karman. In fact, every division and subdivision of all the eight categories would have some influence, even if faint, in determining the brain organization and programs of what an individual would be and can do in a life-span -- to love or to bate, to command or to obey and what to believe and whom to worship.