The Doctrine of the Jainas, Described after the Old Sources c8.193

Language: English

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obscuring knowledge (nāṇ’āvaraṇijja kamma) obstructs (acc. to Ṭhāṇ. 347 a) cognition in all its five forms. It causes—this is its aṇubhava § 85)—the obscuration of the senses as sources of cognition and of all knowledge gained by them (soy’āvaraṇa soya-viṇṇāṇ’āvaraṇa nett’āvaraṇa. netta-v.-āv., etc.). Insights gained by other than sensual means and their obscurations are not considered. The result is that one does not know what one is to know, wants to know, or else has known. The Karman obscuring vision (damsaṇ’āvaraṇijja or darisaṇ’āv. k.) arrives at the corresponding result for vision. It shows up in nine different kinds (Ṭhāṇ. 447 a; Samav. 15 a), for it obstructs the four-fold vision (§ 82) and furthermore it consists in unconsciousness which, owing to the chosen expressions, gradually deepens by proceeding from normal sleep (niddā) to sleeping while walking or standing (payalā)¹—including the intensive stages of both (niddā-niddā, p.-p.)—and onwards to acting while sleeping (thiṇ’addhi).² The Karman which is called the one to be perceived through the senses (veyaṇijja k.) represents the feelings of comfort and discomfort (sāyā- and asāyā-v.). Both are shared by the five senses, the inward sense, speech and body, and, hence, each of them is eight-fold. Next there follows in (52 names, stated by Samav. 71 a, the confusing Karman (mohaṇijja k.) producing disturbances in belief and conduct (damsaṇa-m.

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and caritta-m.), the former manifesting itself supposedly as true belief (sammatta-veyaṇijja), erroneous belief (micchatta-v.) and as the mixture of both (sammā-micch. v.). The sammatta-vey. in this connexion is said to be a modification of the micchatta (mithyātva-prakṛti Prajn. 468 a) (comp. also JACOBI on T. 8, 10.). Perhaps the intention was but to incorporate into the system the fact of orthodoxy being a Karman just as well, and its becoming conscious (hence veyaṇijja). The disturbance of conduct is caused by passion (*kaṣāya-v.*) showing up in the four forms of anger, pride, fraud and greed (Thāṇ. 193 a; Samav. 9 a). Each of these passions appear in four grades and each is called accordingly *anantānu-bandhi*, *apaccakkhāṇa*, *paccakkhāṇ’āvaraṇa* and *saṃjalaṇa*. With the single exception of the last these words are adjectives. Their meaning is the linkage with the Saṃsāra (*ananta*), the entire absence and the occasional obscuring of renunciation (*paccakkhāṇa*, § 172), and the sudden eruption, the latter being the weakest form. It thus follows that the form of passion concerning the disturbance of conduct is sixteen-fold (Samav. 31 a). Several moods as laughing, pleasure, fear, grief and loathing¹ do not count among passions and are called *nokasāya* for that reason, and sexual consciousness (*veya-veyanijja*) as man or woman or neuter is equally placed into this connexion. So, then, we have altogether nine forms (Thāṇ.

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468 b) of disturbance of conduct free from passion, though by disregarding the sub-division their power is five-fold only. For a reason immediately going to be discussed there now follows the kind of Karman invariably ranging last, the obstructing Karman (*antarāya k.*). It manifests itself as obstructive where the act of giving, taking, enjoying (*bhoga*), using (*uvabhoga*)² and volition (*viriya*) ought to take place. The so far mentioned *kamma-pagaḍi* with the exception of the *veyanijja* all share in a more or less strongly pronounced activity, and in that this activity has a destructive influence on the soul they are comprised as *ghāi-kamma* (*Aṇuog. 118 b*). Together with the *veyanijja* they are placed over against the three last kinds as inactive or *aghāi-k.*: first the quantity of life (*āuya k.*) which differs with the beings of hell, animals, humans, and gods (§ 90), and finally, the individuality (*nāma-k.*) and the social standing (*goya-k.*). The latter is either high or low and makes itself felt accordingly, in which case the position within society is determined by noble birth (caste, jāi) and good family (kula), but also by physical strength (bala), sacredness (tava), erudition (suya), costly property (lābha) and splendour (issariya) as well as by their opposites. All this refers to human conditions, but, though neither text nor commentary gives it, it may naturally, under certain circumstances, apply to non-human beings also.

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The Karman of the personality or the individuality, at the long last, is built up by very different components which amount to a total of 42 in number. They are physical in both a narrower and wider sense as far as, within one class of beings, they contain: shape of the body, structure and functions of the body as breathing, radiation (āyava and ujjoya) and locomotion (vihāya-gai), and influence on the senses (feeling, smell, taste, and colour). Added to this there are the organic causes of death (uvaghāya) and the destination of the new form of existence (ānupuvvī). With individuality there also goes the power of acting upon others: superiority (par’āghāya), the presence or absence of the faculty to influence people, honour and disgrace, pleasant and unpleasant impressions. The end is made up of the state of accomplishment achieved by a Titthagara. In comparison with this variety the general activity of the individual Karman is merely distinguished as either being a favourable or an unfavourable one. Each of both these distinctions lists 14 cases based on concrete qualities of the Karman bearer, his reputation and his deeds.