Impediments & virtues

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In the Jain religion, Ahimsa plays a major role. One might ask why in one

case practice of certain virtues come spontaneously whereas in other cases

no argument whatsoever seems to be effective. A possible answer is given by

the Jain theory of karma:

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Types of Karmas:

 

There are 8 different types of Karmas :

 

1.Knowledge-obscuring (Gyanavaraniya) Karma:

 

Gyan means knowledge.Varaniya means stoppage. This karma prevents the soul

from acquiring true knowledge and keeps us ignorant just as a blindfold

keeps us from seeing. How can we improve our lot unless we know what we

are?

 

2. Perception-obscuring (Darshanavarniya) Karma:

 

Darshan means faith or perception. This karma prevents us from having a

rational, common-sense approach towards our lives and surroundings.

 

3. Feeling-producing (Vedaniya) Karma:

 

This karma makes us experience either the sweetness of physical happiness

or the bitterness of misery.

 

4. Deluding (Mohaneeya) Karma:

 

This karma, like too much alcohol, confuses all the human faculties and

makes us forget what is right and what is wrong. It makes the souls

bewildered and perplexed.

 

5. Life-span-determining (Ayu) Karma:

 

This karma determines the life spans of all living beings.

 

6. Physique-determining (Nam) Karma:

 

This karma determines the looks, skin, form etc.of the bodies of living

beings.

 

7. Status-determining (Gotra) Karma:

 

This karma determines the family and status of our birth.

 

8. Obstructing (Antaraya) Karma:

 

This karma prevents us from doing a good deed or undoing a bad action when

there is a desire to do it. For example, we may want to give donation to a

charity but this karma might put obstacles in our path and stop us from

doing so.

 

The Jain system has further sub-divided these eight karmas into 144 sub

classes designed to account for almost every conceivable experience that a

living being could have in a life time. All interactions between the

wordly souls and other entities of the world are guided by these karmas.

This is true of humans as well as other living beings. The same rules

apply to all worldly souls. These karmas keep us trapped in the cycles of

birth and death, happiness and unhappiness.

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The above indicates that it is very unlikely to change someone's

perspective by mere arguments or by examples of experiential data, which

often are subjective. Nowhere did I come across the explicitly detailed

gamma of "assets" required for the steep uphill way "to" nirvana/moksha and

there are good reasons why this is so:

 

1. For someone unprepared it will work as a deterrent.

2. What has to be avoided is the sense of doership so the "assets" have to

be intuited and applied, not talked about.

3. Defining one type of behavior a virtue and its opposite a sin or an

impediment leads to attachment whereas one has to be detached. Once the

understanding comes spontaneously, one has the proper motive to apply

sensibly, not before.

4. Expecting results from practice has to be avoided; unless practice is

spontaneous and pleasant it will add to the storehouse of like/dislike, do

and don't.

5. The French have a nice saying "Aide toi et Dieu t'aidera", a kind of

variant of "Self-reliance is the highest virtue".

 

One's life is like a leave on a tree in a storm; for sure it will be blown

off. The effect one can influence over "others" by examples, poetry or

reasoning can be compared to one man blowing against the storm in order to

save a leaf Apart from that, one might consider (post from the

Ramakrishna list):

 

Excerpted from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna p.149

 

Saturday 27/11/99

 

The Master Said:

 

"All trouble and botheration comes to an end when the 'I' dies.

You may indulge in thousands of reasonings,

but still the 'I' doesn't disappear. For people like you and me,

it is good to have the feeling, 'I am a lover of God.'"

 

om tat sat

 

RamakrishnaVedanta-

~~~~~~om shanthi om ~~~~~~