In Jainism, the soul (jiva) is pure consciousness. It is not material like the body or senses, but it experiences joy and sorrow through its own nature and through the karmic influx that coats or clears its consciousness.

Key points:

• Joy is not produced by matter. The soul inherently has the capacity for pure happiness when it is free from karmic impurities.
• Karma acts as a veil. When karmic particles bind to the soul, they distort its pure consciousness and color its experiences with happiness or misery. Removing these obstructions reveals the soul’s intrinsic bliss.
• True joy comes from right knowledge, right faith, and right conduct (the Jain path). As one’s understanding and actions align with ahimsa (non-violence), aparigraha (non-attachment), and other Jain virtues, the karmic bondage decreases, and the soul experiences subtler, purer joy.
• Liberation (moksha) is the ultimate state where all karmic obstructions are shed. In that state, the soul experiences uninterrupted infinite bliss (ananda) and freedom from suffering.
• There can be differences in emphasis between Digambara and Śvetāmbara practices, but both traditions hold that joy arises from the soul’s own pure nature when freed from karmic impurities and attained through ethical and spiritual discipline.

If you’d like, I can explain how specific Jain scriptures describe the nature of jiva and the mechanics of karma in simple terms.