Karma Doctrine and Rebirth in Jainism: A Logical Perspective

About the Book:

The twin doctrines of karma and rebirth are the most misunderstood topics in the field of metaphysics, but it does not have to be that way. This book not only describes the twin doctrines methodically and logically, but it also solves the four new-found issues and the three age-old issues related to the twin doctrines. This book is the result of an attempt to develop a model of the karma doctrine that is free from inconsistencies. All consequences of actions and all causes of karma phala are not governed by the karma doctrine. The answer to the question “What type of consequences of actions and what type of causes of karma phala are governed by the karma doctrine” is explicated to avoid the misinterpretation of the karma doctrine, which in turn leads to controversies. A conceptual scheme of transmigration of living beings from the least developed to most developed life-form that introduces new insights in the rebirth process is presented. The author, who has Ph. D degrees in both Engineering and Jainology, is able develop an introductory mathematical model of the karmic load to study the functional insight of the rebirth process. The issues of free will, good and evil actions, and bhavyatava and abhavyatava are resolved using the answers to the new-found issues.

About the Author:

DR. SUBHASH C. JAIN is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA. He has published several articles, authored three books, and presented many lectures on the karma doctrine. He is keenly interested in delving into the nature of reality.