YJA Convention 2002 07 NJ Fifth

Author(s): Young Jains of America (YJA)
Publisher: Young Jains of America YJA USA

Page 65

Karma: What Goes Around Comes Around
Archit Shah T Shrenik Shah
n order to fully adopt the Jain path of life, one must make Ithree fundamental assumptions:
is a strong desire to attain liberation considered attachment? If so, does the desire to shed karma ultimately cause one to accumulate more karma?
1) The goal of human life is liberation. 2) Liberation is perfect knowledge, perfect intuition and eternal bliss. 3) All knowledge is partial truth except omniscience.
is there such a thing as a truly selfless deed? If one feels pride due to an act of charity, does one not gain negative karma?
The underlying philosophy that unites these three is the distinction between pap and punya really as assumptions is the Jain theory of karma. Karma is often clear as we think it is? Because they both contribute the subject of many a discussion concerning both theology to obscuring of perfection, aren't they both in and philosophy. This is because the dynamic between essence negative? Can the terms negative and the soul and karma is the underpinning on which all Jain positive be attached to karma? philosophy is based
It is issues like these and many others that one must At a very rudimentary level, basic karmic philosophy is considering before the delicate intricacies of karma simply a cause and effect pathway. Through the process theory can be fully grasped. of asrava karma flows into the soul, this is followed by bandh by which these particles bind to the soul. The karma Our journey towards absolute knowledge consists stays attached and exerts an influence on the soul of slowly prying away eons worth of karmic according to its type and the intensity with which it is bound. accumulation. Perhaps discussing these issues will Karma is split into two varieties: pap and punya, with the help us to understand our world and ourselves while former being pleasure producing and the latter pain our souls are blessed with this temporary human producing.
guise. We can view this discussion as a miniscule
step on the stairway to right knowledge, acquired These aforementioned basic principles may seem quite only on the threshold of liberation. simple. However, there are several confounding issues that can be raised when these principles are applied to certain tenets of Jainism:
notes:
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