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  • If someone is immensely attached to an object say mobile, tv etc not available during previous times, available only during current times what does it mean. Say, for example, if I'm attached to a particular bike nd have immense and way too extreme love fo
  • author Posted by
    Jain Follower

    If someone is immensely attached to an object say mobile, tv etc not available during previous times, available only during current times what does it mean. Say, for example, if I'm attached to a particular bike nd have immense and way too extreme love fo

    7 months ago 86

    In Jain dharma, your question is understood through the lens of rāga (attachment), mohaniya karma (deluding karma), and parigraha / āsakti (possessiveness & clinging) – not through the specific object (bike, mobile, TV), but through the inner tendency of the soul.

    I’ll explain step‑by‑step, in simple language.

    ---

    1. Jain view: attachment is to enjoyment, not to the specific gadget

    According to Jain philosophy, the soul carries forward tendencies of attachment (āsakti, rāga) from one birth to another. Objects change with time (chariot → car → bike → something else in future), but:

    • The inner liking for
    - speed, - comfort, - status, show‑off, - control, power, - or sensual pleasure

    remains as a karmic tendency.

    So if today you have extreme love for a bike, it does not mean you loved this exact model in your past birth. It usually means:

    • In earlier births you had similar types of attachments:
    - to a horse or chariot (for speed / transport), - to weapons or ornaments (for ego, status), - to some luxury item of that time.

    The form of the object changes; the type of attachment and inner passion (kashāya) continues.

    More on attachment (āsakti) is explained here: About parigraha (possessiveness) here:

    ---

    2. How karmas create such strong attachment

    Jainism says: Whenever we think, speak, or act with intense desire, pride, greed, or infatuation, we attract and bind mohaniya karma (deluding karma) to the soul. ( jainknowledge.com)

    • This karma:
    - confuses us, - creates exaggerated attraction toward things, - makes us feel “I cannot live without this”.

    Over many births, the soul collects patterns like:

    • “I like fast movement”
    • “I like impressing others”
    • “I like comfort/luxury”
    • “I like control & power”

    These are inner habits of attachment. In the next birth, when suitable new objects appear (bike, car, mobile), those old habits link to the new object.

    So it’s not that: > “I loved a bike when bikes did not exist.”

    Rather: > “I had strong rāga for speed / show / comfort / luxury / control, > and in this era that rāga has taken the form of love for a bike.”

    This is mohaniya karma playing through new instruments.

    Examples of mohaniya karma are discussed here:

    ---

    3. Old birth → new birth: how the pattern may look

    To make it more concrete, suppose:

    Example 1 – Attachment to speed & thrill

    • Previous birth:
    You were highly attached to: - riding horses fast, - racing chariots, - or some risky adventurous travel. You enjoyed the thrill and pride that came with it.
    • This birth:
    The same rāga for speed + thrill + show finds a new medium: → love for a racing bike.

    Example 2 – Attachment to status & show‑off

    • Previous birth:
    You were crazy about: - royal clothes, - jewelry, - a decorated chariot with many servants. You wanted others to notice and praise you.
    • This birth:
    That status‑seeking attachment connects to: - a premium bike or car, - customized looks, loud sound, fancy gadgets. You feel proud when people look at your bike.

    Example 3 – Attachment to control & comfort

    • Previous birth:
    You were deeply attached to: - servants obeying you, - comfortable palanquin or carriage, - smooth easy travel with no hardship.
    • This birth:
    The same need for comfort and control appears as: - “My bike must be perfect, smooth, always with me; I can’t travel without my vehicle.”

    In all these, the soul is the same, mohaniya karma is the same type, only the external upkaran (tools) are new.

    ---

    4. Why the attachment feels so extreme

    When attachment becomes very intense, it usually means:

    • The relevant mohaniya karma is strong and heavily matured.
    • Many similar attachments have been repeated over many births.
    • Your mind has learned: “My happiness = having/using this thing.”

    Thus you feel:

    • anxiety if the bike is scratched,
    • sadness if you can’t use it,
    • insecurity thinking “What if I lose it?”,
    • pride when someone praises it.

    Jain dharma calls this ālasya / āsakti / parigraha driven by kashayas (anger, pride, deceit, greed, and attachment). ( jainknowledge.com)

    This is exactly the bondage of karma (bandha) discussed in texts:

    ---

    5. What does this mean spiritually?

    From a Jain spiritual view:

    1. Your soul has a strong samskār / tendency of rāga

    – especially toward: - enjoyment through objects, - speed, show, comfort, or control (depending on you).

    1. This tendency has not started in this life;

    it is the result of many lives of similar attachment.

    1. The specific object (bike) is just today’s “face” of that old attachment.

    – In past, it might have been horse/chariot/weapon/jewel. – In future, when technology changes, it might be something else.

    1. As long as this rāga continues, mohaniya karma keeps binding, and samsara (cycle of rebirth) continues.

    ---

    6. What to do with this understanding?

    Jain dharma does not say you must instantly throw your bike away. But it clearly says: extreme attachment is dangerous for the soul.

    You can use this understanding to:

    (a) Recognize: “This is my old weakness.”

    • See the bike as:
    - a mirror showing your deep‑rooted rāga, - a signal: “Here my mohaniya karma is strong.”

    (b) Gradually practice aparigraha (non‑attachment)

    For a householder (shravak/shravika), the path is limit and detach, not instant total renunciation:

    • Still use the bike, but:
    - Avoid talking/thinking of it all the time. - Accept calmly if it gets a scratch or minor damage. - Practice contentment: “It is useful, but my real happiness is inside, not in this machine.” - Be ready mentally that one day I may have to lose it – and that is okay.

    Practical guidance for lay followers on aparigraha is here:

    (c) Strengthen right view and inner focus

    • Daily reflection (anupreksha):
    “This bike is pudgal (matter), temporary, perishable. I am jiva (soul), pure, separate, eternal.”
    • Samayik / Kayotsarga: sit quietly, observe the body and possessions as separate, and focus on the soul.
    (Kayotsarga intro: )
    • Self‑restraint: sometimes intentionally choose:
    - to walk or use simpler means, - to say “no” to unnecessary rides just for show.

    Slowly, the cord of attachment becomes thinner. The object may remain, but your inner freedom increases.

    ---

    7. Summary

    • Extreme love for a bike / mobile / TV today does not mean you had that exact object in past lives.
    • It means your soul has long‑standing attachments to similar kinds of enjoyments (speed, comfort, show‑off, control, sensual pleasure).
    • These attachments are due to mohaniya karma, created and strengthened over many births through rāga‑dveṣa.
    • According to Jain dharma, spiritual progress means:
    - recognizing these patterns, - reducing āsakti and parigraha, - practicing aparigraha, samayik, and right conduct, - so that such karmas weaken and finally end.

    So, in simple words: Earlier you loved some other “vehicle of pleasure”; today that same inner love has taken the form of a bike. Objects change; attachment continues – until you consciously start reducing it.

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