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Karma-Its Operation and an Appraisal
Where destiny with men aa pleces plays Hither and thither moves, and mates and slays, And one by one in the closet lays
But determinism is here interpreted in a narrow seose as a mechanical operation of Karma to produce its effects, as does law of gravitation
The question, now, is whether Karma theory implies determinism We have seen that determinism emphasises that events are caused Ao cvent is so connected with some preceding event that unless the latter has occurred the former would not have occurred The principle of causality operates 10 life This has been accepted by the Karma theory also Our actions are determined by the Karma theory also Our actions are deterinined by the Karma that accumulates due to the previous actious The after-effects of action in the form of Karma have to be experienced and exbausted In this sense, it is deterministic But the choice of action 18 with us In this connection we may mention the distraction drawn by some regarding the levels of judgeident of action On uprefective level a person s action 13 distinguished on the basis of the fact whether it is due to Impact of emotions or imbal ance of mind or that it has been acted 10 accordance of unimpeded rational desire Yet considered from the plage of refaction, each rational desire Is rooted and determined by the total character and personality of man. and the total character is formed by the total life and the environmental factors in this sense, the individual 19 free The individual's ability to be free 19 not impaired by the fact that his being 18 determined by Karma And moral choice, like thought and act, moves on different causal levels It achieves freedom just as they do, only when it 18 determined by its own appropriate necessity We are determined by the past and we can determine the future For the bondage we have so far suff. ered and for the kindly light of awarences of the power of self-realisation, we can say to God, with Omer Khayyam, 'forgiveness give and take
3 It 19 also said that the Karma theory 19 inconsistent with individual freedom of the will It does not guarantee true freedom to the adividual which is esaential to his moral progress 16 And in the background of caste system, the boon of individual loequality becomes a curse, 'if Karına had not to work with caste, a dar abrama-dharma, a wrong idea of the self and transmigration, we might reconcile Karma with freedom The charge of 'determinism from the polat of view of higher morality bolds good 37 Older Buddhism and Jainism were much concerned to defend self-regulative character of Karma, salvation was essentially through self-relia ace, and there was fear of the antinomian tendencies of the notion of reliance of other (eg
The Suffering God (1932), p 60
36 37
Paul (OS) Ibid P, 60
