Notes on Modern Jainism

Author(s): Mrs Sinclair Stevenson
Publisher: Oxford

Page 68

KARMA
Jaina, in common with Hindus, believe that Karma (action), the accumulated force of a man's actions, good and bad, in previous existences,* not only determines every detail of his present life and future existence, but necessitates his passing through an unknown succession of rebirths, until his Karma be exhausted.
It is interesting to note that of all the Tirtharkara Mahāvira had the greatest accumulation of Karma to exhaust.
The Six Les'a'. The Jaina believe that there are six emotions or Les'ā which lead to Karma ; three are bad, and three are good.
(1) Kệisna Les'ā (ogy G211 ), or the feeling that gives rise to very evil thoughts; this is the worst of the three bad emotions.
(2) Vila Les'ā (114 211, the emotion that leads to evil thoughts, but thoughts less evil than the first.
Compare :“ The Karma---all that total of a Soul Which is the things it did, the thoughts it had, The self' it wove-with woof of viewless time, Crossed on the warp of invisible acts
The outcome of him on the Universe." Sir Edwin Arnold. + The Hindus constantly quote the saying from the Mahābhārata
that “ As a calf immediately finds out its mother among many thousands, so does the fruit of actions done in bygone ages follow the agent.”
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