MANAGEMENT OF KARMAS FOR HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY – “A JAIN PHILOSOPHICAL PROSPECTIVE OF LIFE CYCLE”

Abstract

The karmas theory of Jain tenets is that every living being contains ‘soul’ -the essential element, which has the capacity of salvation but it has the bondage of karmic matter particles making it an empirical soul, which wanders into 8.4 million destinies (yonis). Every soul that has the natural characteristic to attain the liberation after destruction of eight karmas and shall be placed on sidh shila is called an Omniscient/Omnipotent/Omnipresent/Enlightened. The soul exists as nuclei which has the bondage of karmas by the influx of eight types of karma via wrong belief, non-abstinence, negligence, passion, and activities and hence attain different types of birth, bodies, senses, completion, vitalities, instincts, investigations, consciousness, and distinctive characteristics. This soul is called Empirical/Impure/Transmigrating/Mundane/Samsari Soul. The empirical soul transmigrates from one destiny to another destiny in accordance with the rise of eight types of karma. If the karmas which have 148 species divided into merit and demerit species along with 20 common species can be managed, then fruitful results can be obtained in the birth and life of an empirical soul. By managing the merit species of karma, the soul can attain the human or celestial destiny with happiness, prosperity, good looking body and all the right belongings. The principle of karmas also describes the life cycle of empirical soul, their movement, taking birth and death, reason of attachment and aversion, happiness and sorrow, types of destiny, types of physique, status, and life span. Furthermore, it describes the activities and characteristics of the soul. Hence the life should be managed in a way that none of the karma can make the bondage with soul, so that the existing karmas can be burnt with the fuel of meditation and impure soul may become omniscient soul.