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Doctrine of Karma
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to be observed by an ascetic and the layman (sravaka) imply the recognition of dignity and equality of life. Schweizer maintains that the problem of deliverance in the Jaina and the Buddhist thought is not raised beyond ethics. In fact, it is the supreme ethic. Jainism gives importance to social ethics as a means to the realization of the highest end of perfection. 37 It is full of significance for the thought of India.38 And karma is not a mechanical principle but the spiritual necessity. It is the counterpart in the moral world of the physical law of uniformity. 39 Unfortunately the theory of karma became confused with fatality in India and man grew feeble and helpless,40 Fatalistic theory of life was presented by Makkhali Gošala, a contemporary of Mahavira. He considered himself a rival of Mahavira. He said, that happiness and misery are measured to one as it were in busheis.
But we should realise that our actions are determined by the karma that we earn due to our own actions. The after-effects of action in the form of karma have to be experienced and exhausted. In this sense our actions are determined. But the karma that we have accumulated is due to our own activity for which we are responsible. Therefore, we earn the karma by our own activities and we have to exhaust the karma that we have accumulated. In this sense we can interpret the famous verse of the Bhagavadgita - “Karmanye va dhikaraste" so as to emphasise that my authority and the right is on the action and the after effects of action in the sense of the karmic after effect.
2) It is alleged that karma theory connects actions and its effects in a mechanical way. It over-emphasises the retributive aspect of punishment.
But we have seen that by suitable moral and spiritual efforts, we can transform one type of karma into another, reduce the intensity of karma and to some extent by repentence we can create an atmosphere as a psychological means for moral and spiritual efforts, although repentence alone without the requisite moral effort may not help in the exhaustion of karma.
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