ASR100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Jnana Yoga, Fatalism, Indian Philosophy
Deakin University ASR100 World Religions Trimester Two 2017
Week Three: Hinduism II: The Doctrine of Karma and Rebirth – Classical Yoga
Karma
• karma: “atio; eey atio eets ith its o eatio, o eates the oditio fo its
retribution/reward (in this or later life)
• samsara: the cycle of death and rebirth, over which karma is exhausted or resolved (sanskrit/pali =
continuous movement, continuous flowing, wandering)
• moksha: liberation; release; freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth
The Law of Karma
law of karma: the results of your actions (moral consequences) accumulate over your life, and after
death this determines whether you are reborn of higher or lower status. Right actions result in good
consequences, wrong actions in bad consequences. A spiritual principle of cause and effect: every
action meets with its own reaction
• As a man himself sows, so he himself reaps; no man inherits the good or evil act of another man. The
fuit is of the sae uality as the atioMahabharata, xii.291.22
Three Kinds of Karama
1. Sancita: the su total of past auulated kaa that is yet to e esoled atuig; a e
averted – if it is bad karma good karma will help nullify it, the bundle of arrows in the quiver
2. Prarabdha: that portion of sancita karma being experienced in the peset life ipe atios; aot
e aeted, the ao that has ee shot fo the o
3. Agami (or kriyamana: the thid type, is kaa you ae pesetly eatig uet oks, the
ao that is aout to e shot fo the o
Cosmic Justification
The law of karma provides a metaphysical explanation for the uneven distribution of success and
suffering in the world: inequities are only apparent, the fruits of past harvests sown by individuals in
their past lives.
• In Jaipur I met in December 1892 an old pandit almost naked, who approached me groping his way. They
told me that he was completely blind. Not knowing that he had been blind from birth, I sympathised with
him and asked by what unfortunate accident the loss of sight had come upon him. Immediately and
without showing any bitterness, the answer was ready to his lips: - kenac’id aparâdhena pûrvasmin
janmani kritena, by some crime committed in a former birth. (Deussen, 1908: 313)
• That is, the kaa dotie signifies not merely that the events of our life are determined by their
antecedent causes, but also that there is absolute justice in the rewards and punishments that fall to our
lot i life. y ephasis Hiiyaa, 15: 15
Karma and Fatalism
• Does karma imply fatalism?
• Fatalism = the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Week three: hinduism ii: the doctrine of karma and rebirth classical yoga. The law of karma law of karma: the results of your actions (moral consequences) accumulate over your life, and after death this determines whether you are reborn of higher or lower status. Right actions result in good consequences, wrong actions in bad consequences. A spiritual principle of cause and effect: every action meets with its own reaction (cid:862)as a man himself sows, so he himself reaps; no man inherits the good or evil act of another man. The f(cid:396)uit is of the sa(cid:373)e (cid:395)uality as the a(cid:272)tio(cid:374)(cid:863)mahabharata, xii. 291. 22. They told me that he was completely blind. Not knowing that he had been blind from birth, i sympathised with him and asked by what unfortunate accident the loss of sight had come upon him. Fatalism = the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable.
