Karma in Jainism is the subtle, real bondage that affects the soul. It is not just fate or luck; it is a kind of subtle matter that sticks to the soul because of our intentional actions, words, and thoughts.

Key points:

• Karma is a real substance that attaches to the jiva (the self) and colors future experiences, including birth, health, wealth, and suffering.
• It is produced by our own karma-causing activities: passionate thoughts (wrong emotions), wrong speech, and wrong actions. Anger, pride, deceit, greed, and attachment are especially potent causes.
• There are two broad effects: permanent uplifting or constraining (good karma leads to pleasant experiences; bad karma leads to painful ones).
• Karma is not just “reward/punishment” from an external deity; it is the natural result of our own actions, and it can be shed through right conduct, self-discipline, and spiritual practices.

What helps reduce or shed karma:

• Right nonviolence (ahimsa) in thought, word, and deed.
• Truth, self-control, and non-attachment.
• Regular practices like meditation, self-study, and ethical living; sincere repentance and striving for detachment from ego.
• Detachment from outcomes and a balanced, compassionate outlook toward all beings.

If you’d like, I can share the traditional statements about karma from Jain scriptures and explain how Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions describe karma a bit differently.