Primer of Jain Principles

Author(s): Kirit Gosalia
Publisher: Kirit Gosalia

Page 10

capacity are fully described, as well as the detailing of its affirmative and nonaffirmative attributes.
Chapter two describes the nature of the free and transmigratory soul. The transmigratory status is the real unhappiness for any living being. It addresses the question, why is one in a transmigratory cycle of life and death? The soul's association with karma is the real reason for the soul's being in an unhappy state. Once the soul becomes free of all karma bondage, then the ultimate, everlasting, pure, uninterrupted, internal happiness is achieved. One could describe this to be the state of nirvana. One could also say that this is the true nature of the omniscient lord. Therefore, according to the Jain philosophy every living being has the capacity to achieve the status of omniscient lord.
In chapter two, we further learn that the karman particles have permeated the entire universe. When the soul commits any kind of liking or disliking (rag and dwesh) then the karman particles become attracted and bonded to the soul. These karman particles are now called karma. The soul and the karma remain in association until the fruition of the karma occurs. These karma are the most minute form of particles of matter (one of the universal substances). After giving fruition, the bonded karma are dissociated from the soul. At the same moment the soul again commits likes and dislikes and additional new karma become bonded with the soul. This cycle of the bondage and fruition of the karma has continued in the mundane soul since time infinite. Only when the soul ceases having likes and dislikes, are the cycles of the karma bondage and fruition broken; the soul ultimately becomes free of its cycle of misery; and, achieves the omniscient and permanent state of happiness. Here we learn that karma are of eight types which can be further divided into 148 sub types. (Please see the graph in the appendix for a comprehensive delineation of these)
Chapter two not only explains the mechanism of the karma bondage in great detail; but also the intimate relationship of bonded karma to the soul is described. We learn the soul is the cause for bondage of karma and that there are five reasons, from the soul's perspective, for the karma bondage: wrong belief (mithyatva), vowlessness (avirati), carelessness (pramad), passions (kashay) and the vibratory activities of the soul's space units (yog). Finally, there is the description of the process of how the dissociation of karma occur from the soul.
The third chapter describes the soul's conditions due to its association with the karma. Initially, it mentions the soul's different forms - its attitudes (bhav). The attentive consciousness (upyog) is the most important action the soul continues to perform at all times, whether he is in either a free form or in a transmigratory form. We learn that the soul, in the transmigratory form, has body as a result of its association with karma. As a result of the presence of a body, senses are acquired. A living being can possibly acquire five senses, as well as reside in