(2011) 1-26 the Significance of Adhyavasāya in Jain Karma
International Journal of Jaina Studies (Online) Vol. 7, No. 3 (2011) 1-26 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ADHYAVASĀYA IN JAIN KARMA THEORY Kristi L. Wiley1 In discussions of the classical Jaina conceptions of the bondage of the soul (jīva) in the beginningless cycle of death and rebirth (saṃsāra), the centrality of mohanīya karma, which causes delusion or confusion regarding proper belief (samyak-darśana) and proper conduct (samyak-cāritra), has been emphasized. In the words of Paul Dundas (2002: 99), it is “the keystone of the whole structure in that its destruction paves the way for the elimination of the other varieties of karma.” While the influx (āsrava) of karmic matter is caused by activities (yoga) of the body, speech, and mind (TS 6.1, 6.2), its binding with the soul is caused by a deluded view of reality (mithyā-darśana), which is produced through the operation of darśana-mohanīya karma, and by non-restraint (avirati), carelessness or inattentiveness (pramāda), and passions (kaṣāya), all of which are produced through the operation of the conduct-deluding (cāritra-mohanīya) karmas (TS 8.1). The most important of these is the four passions, namely, anger (krodha), pride (māna), deceit (māyā), and greed (lobha). The intensity of these passions is the determining factor for two of the four aspects of karmic bondage: duration bondage (sthiti-bandha), the length of time that karma can remain bound with the soul, and intensity bondage (rasa-, anubhāva-, or anubhāga-bandha), the strength of the effect produced when karmic matter comes to fruition (TS 8.4 = SS 8.3).2 Karmic matter is grouped into four rasas, or degrees of intensity.
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