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Chapter - 8
Samayasāra (Puna vatthum paducca jīvānam tu tam ajjhavasānam hodi) Feelings are generaterd in the souls due to their attachment/affection for alien objects; (du vatthudo na hi bamdho) in reality, the bondage is not determined by objects (ajjhuvesānena bamdho) (tti) (but] by feelings and instincts. Annotations :
In these verses, the author concludes the discussion on the ultimate cause of bondage of karma contained in the preceding verses. To grasp properly the true significance of these verses, we must first clarify and understand the complex relation between feelings, attitude and behavior. We shall do so with a little help from some established findings of modern science and a simplified diagram. [See figure on p. 17)
In a living organism, the soul can be conceived as the nucleus circumscribed by the limits of the gross physical body. The main constituents of the organism are: gross body, sense-organs and brain, subtle micro-body (karma-sarīra), psyche (citta) and the soul. In a simplified diagram the soul may be shown in the center, enveloped by the micro-body, forming the nucleus. This is surrounded by a contaminating field produced by the rise (fruition] of karma. It is obvious that the psychic expression, radiating towards the gross body, has to pass through this contamination envelop of Kaṣāya. The interaction of the psychic expression with kaṣāya results in the formation of the field of primal instincts called Adhyavasāya, which proceed towards the gross body in the form of urges and impulses! which is shown in the diagram as the field of psychic dispositions-Bhāva. The compulsive forces produced in the subtle body, cross the border and enter the gross physical body.
In the physical body, the waves of urges activate the endocrine-adrenals and gonads and compel them to produce specific chemical messengers in the form of hormones. Modern science has established that hormones have profound influence upon the mental states and tendencies, behavioral patterns of an individual.
1. In modern English language the words emotion, feeling, desire etc. refer to
subjective states of mind with slight differnce in meaning, depending on the context. The word emotion, for instance, is the most general and is used to mean all mental states from the slightest change in mood to the most intense or
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