Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/89

 IV] Theoryoj' Karma 73 the special instincts of that life (technically called vtisanti) come forth. In accordance with these vasanas the person passes through the painful or pleasurable experiences as determined for him by his action. The length of life is also determined by the number and duration of experiences as preordained by the fructifying actions of his past life. When once certain actions become fit for giving certain experiences, these cannot be avoided, but those actions which have not matured are uprooted once for all if the person attains true knowledge as advocated by philosophy. But even such an emancipated (11lukta) person has to pass through the pleasurable or painful experiences ordained for him by the actions just ripened for giving their fruits. There are four kinds of actions, white or virtuous (sukla), black or wicked (kr1Ja), white-black or partly virtuous and partly vicious (sukla-krl!a) as most of our actions are, neither black nor white (asukliik"1}a), i.e. those acts of self-renunciation or meditation which are not associated with any desires for the fruit. It is only when a person can so restrain himself as to perform only the last kind of action that he ceases to accumulate any new karma for giving fresh fruits. He has thus only to enjoy the fruits of his previous karmas which have ripened for giving fruits. If in the meantime he attains true knowledge, all his past accumulated actions become destroyed, and as his acts are only of the asuklak!"l)a type no fresh karma for ripening is accumulated, and thus he becomes divested of all karma after enjoying the fruits of the ripened karmas alone. The Jains think that through the actions of body, speech and mind a kind of subtle matter technically called karma is pro- duced. The passions of a man act like a viscous substance that attracts this karma matter, which thus pours into the soul and sticks to it. The karma matter thus accumulated round the soul during the infinite number of past lives is technically called kar- masarira, which encircles the soul as it passes on from birth to birth. This karma matter sticking to the soul gradually ripens and ex- hausts itself in ordaining the sufferance of pains or the enjoyment of pleasures for the individual. Vhile some karma matter is being expended in this way, other karma matters are accumulating by his -activities, and thus keep him in a continuous process of suffering and enjoyment. The karma matter thus accumulated in the soul produces a kind of coloration called lesyii., such as white, black, etc., which marks the character of the soul. The