[JainVeganBuddha]

Jainism:

Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma (जैन धर्म), is a spiritual, religious and philosophical tradition of Indian origin dating back at least as far as the 9th century BC, but believed by Jains to stretch back many centuries into the very distant past. A Jain is a follower of Jinas ("the saints"),[1][2] human beings who have rediscovered the dharma, become fully liberated and taught the spiritual path for the benefit of beings. Jains follow the teachings of 24 special Jinas who are known as Tirthankaras ('ford-builders'). The 24th and most recent Tirthankar is Lord Mahavira who lived from 599 to 527 BCE according to traditional history. The 23rd Tirthankar of Jains, Lord Parsvanatha is now recognised as a historical person, who lived during 872 to 772 BC.[3][4] Jaina tradition is unanimous in making Rishabha, as the First Tirthankar.[5]

A major characteristic of Jain belief is the emphasis on the consequences of physical and mental behavior.[6] Because Jains believe that everything is alive, in some sense, and that many beings possess a soul, great care and awareness is required in going about one's business in the world. Jainism is a religious tradition in which all life is considered worthy of respect and it emphasises this equality of all life, advocating the protection of the smallest creatures. Jainism encourages spiritual independence (in the sense of relying on and cultivating one's own personal wisdom) and self-control (व्रत, vratae) considered vital for spiritual development. The goal, as with other Indian religions, is moksha: realization of the soul's true nature, a condition of omniscience (Kevala Jnana or Keval Gyana).

Jains are a small, influential religious minority with at least 4.2 million followers in modern India,[7] and more in growing immigrant communities in the United States, Western Europe, the Far East including Australia and elsewhere. Jains sustain the ancient Shraman (श्रमण) or ascetic tradition and have significantly influenced the religious, ethical, political and economic spheres in India for over two millennia.

Jains have an ancient tradition of scholarship and the highest degree of literacy in India.[8] Jain libraries are India's oldest.[9]

Anekantavada, a foundation of Jain philosophy, literally means "The Multiplicity of Reality", or equivalently, "Non-one-endedness". Anekantavada has tools for overcoming inherent biases in any one perspective on any topic or in reality in general. Another tool is The Doctrine of Postulation, Syādvāda. Anekantavada is defined as a multiplicity of viewpoints, for it stresses looking at things from others' perspectives.

Jains are usually very welcoming and friendly toward other faiths and often help with interfaith functions. Several non-Jain temples in India are administered by Jains. A palpable presence in Indian culture, Jains have contributed to Indian philosophy, art, architecture, science, and to Mohandas Gandhi's politics, which led to the mainly non-violent movement for Indian independence.[23]

Karma:

According to Jainism, Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म, kär'mə, kär'mən, Prakrit: कम्म, kä'mmə) means that every action, every word, every thought produces, besides its visible, an invisible, transcendental effect. The word karma is commonly understood to mean "action," but implies both action and reaction. However, Karma in Jainism conveys a totally different meaning as commonly understood in the Hindu philosophy and western civilization. [1] It is not the so called inaccessible mystic force that controls the fate of living beings in some inexplicable way. It does not mean "deed", "work", nor invisible, mystical force (adrsta), but a complexes of very fine matter, imperceptible to the senses, which interacts with the soul and causes great changes in it. The karma, then, is something material (karmapaudgalam), which produces in the soul certain conditions, even as a medical pill which, when introduced into the body, produces therein manifold effects.[2] Hermann Kuhn, quoting from Umasvati's Tattvartha Sutra, describes karma as "…a mechanism that makes us thoroughly experience the themes of our life until we gained optimal knowledge from them and until our emotional attachment to these themes falls off." [1]

According to Robert J. Zydenbos, Jainism can be considered a kind of system of laws, but natural rather than moral laws. In Jainism, actions that carry moral significance are considered to cause certain consequences in just the same way as, for instance, physical actions that do not carry any special moral significance. When one holds an apple in one's hand and then lets go of the apple, the apple will fall: this is only natural. There is no judge, and no moral judgment involved, since this is a mechanical consequence of the physical action. [3]

According to Jainism, consequences occur when one does something that is harmful. Rather than assume that moral rewards and retribution are the work of a divine judge, the Jains believe that there is an innate moral order to the cosmos, self-regulating through the workings of karma. Morality and ethics are important not because of a god, but because a life that is led in agreement with moral and ethical principles is considered beneficial; it leads to a decrease and finally to the total loss of karma, which in turns leads to ever increasing happiness.[3] In these ways it is similar to some other Dharmic religions, especially Buddhism.

As all actions have consequences, some immediate, some delayed, others in future incarnations, the doctrine of karma must be considered not in relation to one life only, but with an understanding of reincarnation. In fact, it forms a central and fundamental part of Jain faith and is intricately connected to other concepts like transmigration, reincarnation, liberation, ahimsa, and non-attachment to name a few. Hence it is not surprising that since ages Jains have produced abundant of doctrinal material dealing with the karmic mechanism, causes of karmas, types of karmas, nature and duration of karmas, liberation from karmas and like.

Causes of karmic bondage
Karmas are attracted by the activity of mind, speech and body influenced by various passions.
Karmas are attracted by the activity of mind, speech and body influenced by various passions.

Irrationality (mithyatva), non-restraint (avirati), carelessness (pramada), passions (kashaya) and activities of mind, speech and body (yoga) result in karmic bondage.[4] The influx of karmas is called asrava and the resultant bondage is called bandha. According to Jainism, even the mental disposition of a person results in the karmic bondage. For example, an intense desire to kill also attracts the karmic particles and results in the karmic bondage even if no one is actually killed. Hence, Jains attach a lot of importance to purity of thought.

The Tattvartha Sutra identifies the following elements in the process of attachment of karmas:

* Activity (yoga) attracts the karmic matter to our consciousness[5]
* Negative emotions like anger, pride, greed and deceit cause the bondage between the karma and our consciousness.[4]
* The nature and intensity of our emotions determine the strength of these bonds i.e. nature, duration and quantity of the karmas so attracted.[4]

The karmas are attracted to the consciousness of the soul by combination of the following four factors[4]:

1. The instrumentality of our actions. We act by either through

a. body i.e. physical action,
b. speech i.e. verbal action, or
c. mind i.e. thoughts

2. The process of action. This includes whether we

a. only decide or plan to act,
b. make preparations for the act e.g. like collecting necessary materials, or
c. actually begin the action

3. The modality of our action, including if we

a. we ourselves carry out the act,
b. we instigate others to carry out the act, or
c. we give our silent approval for the act

4. The motivation for action. This includes which of the following negative emotions that actions is motivated by.

a. Anger
b. Greed
c. Pride
d. Manipulation or deceit

Thus a karma is attached to a soul in a combination of any one element of the above four factors. Due to this, there are 108 ways with which the karmas are attracted.