I will answer only from Jain viewpoint, in simple words.

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1. Do Jain scriptures directly talk about “gay/lesbian”?

Ancient Jain āgamas and commentaries do not use the modern words “gay / lesbian / LGBT”. They speak about:

• Three genders (linga) –

1. Puruṣa (male) 2. Strī (female) 3. Napuṁsaka (third type / mixed)

• Three sexual drives (veda) –

1. Puruṣa‑veda (attraction towards male) 2. Strī‑veda (attraction towards female) 3. Napuṁsaka‑veda (mixed / irregular sexual attraction)

Some ācāryas include same‑sex attraction under veda and napuṁsaka‑bhāva (mixed mentality), but the main point in Jainism is: Any passion‑driven sexuality (with man or woman) is a form of moha (delusion) and binds karma. The soul itself is beyond male/female/other.

So, Jainism looks at it as one more karmic condition, not as a label of “good person / bad person”.

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2. Which karmas decide gender & sexual attraction?

In Jain karma theory, four main karmas decide your next birth’s basic setup:

1. Āyu karma – type of birth (human, animal, heaven, hell).
2. Nāma karma – physical body, gender, beauty, strength, etc.
3. Gotra karma – family, status, environment.
4. Vedanīya karma – type of pleasure & pain you experience.

Sex, gender and attraction mainly come from Nāma karma, especially:

• Śarīra‑nāma‑karma – type of body (male, female, mixed).
• Veda‑nāma‑karma – direction of sexual urge.

These are bound in previous lives when the soul:

• Indulges strongly in sensual pleasures.
• Has obsession with sexuality – too much thinking, talking, imagining, watching, etc.
• Uses sexuality with intense passions (anger, deceit, pride, greed), e.g.:

- cheating, forcing, exploiting, - selfish enjoyment without any morality or responsibility.

Very important:

• This applies equally for:

- man–woman sex, - man–man, - woman–woman, - or any other combination.

• Jainism does not say “only gay/lesbian is bad and straight is pure”.

It says: “Any uncontrolled sexual passion binds karma.”

So the cause is not ‘being gay’. The cause is past indulgence in sexuality with passion and attachment, in any form.

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3. How does it come into uday (fruition) in this birth?

Process in simple steps:

1. Past life

- Soul acts with sexual passion, attachment, fantasy, misuse, etc. - This creates āsrava (influx) of karma. - Those karmic particles bind as bandha, especially nāma‑karma and veda‑nāma‑karma.

1. In between lives

- Karma stays attached in a subtle, invisible way. - It has a fixed “maturity time” (udaya‑samaya).

1. At the time of new birth

- When the soul leaves one body and takes another, - these karmas mature and give: - a male/female/third‑type body, - a particular direction of attraction (towards man, woman, or mixed).

1. In present life

- You simply experience what was already decided by those karmas: - your body type, - your psychological tendency of attraction.

Your current feelings of attraction are the uday (fruition) of old veda‑nāma‑karma. You did not “choose” this consciously now; it unfolded from a very long karmic history.

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4. Is it a “sin” just to have that attraction?

From Jain view, we must be precise:

• Karma is bound by reaction, not by mere existence of a condition.

So:

• Just having a particular tendency (towards same sex, opposite sex, or no sex)

is not itself new paap.

• New karma is bound when we:

- deepen attachment to it, - act with kashāyas (anger, pride, deceit, greed), - hurt others or ourselves because of it, - repeatedly indulge in it with intense passion.

Therefore:

• A person with same‑sex orientation, living with restraint, honesty, and ahimsa,

is spiritually in a better state than a “straight” person who cheats, exploits, or abuses others with lust.

Jainism always focuses on the state of mind now – raag, dvesh, kashāyas.

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5. How should a Jain see such a birth?

According to Jain dharma:

1. Every jīva has passed through all types of bodies & mentalities in endless past lives.
2. Today’s human birth (whatever orientation) is a rare and precious chance for spiritual progress.
3. The correct attitude is:

- No self‑hatred (“I am dirty / cursed”). - No hatred towards others (“they are sinners because of orientation”). - See it as one more karmic condition, like height, color, health, etc.

The correct question in Jainism is always:

> “From this situation, how can I move towards samyak darshan, jñān, charitra?”

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6. How can a soul get rid of this karmic condition?

To “get rid” in Jainism means:

• 1) Stop new karmas (saṁvara)
• 2) Shed old karmas (nirjarā)

This is same for all – gay, straight, male, female, third gender.

6.1. For householders (śrāvaks / śrāvikās)

Main points:

1. Follow brahmacharya‑anuvrata (limited celibacy)

- Sexual life only within dharmic limits (traditionally within marriage). - Avoid: - violence, cheating, forcing, - using others only for pleasure, - pornography, constant fantasies, etc. - Gradually move from excessive sex → balanced → reduced → towards celibacy.

1. Reduce sexual thoughts and obsession

- Busy mind with svādhyāy (scripture study), satsang, seva. - Limit triggers: vulgar media, erotic talks, bad company. - Practice anuprekṣā (reflections) on: - impermanence of body, - impurity of attachment, - greatness of self‑control.

1. Strengthen the Three Jewels

- Samyak darshan – right faith: “I am a pure soul, beyond body and orientation.” - Samyak jñān – right knowledge: Understanding karma, āsrava, bandha, saṁvara, nirjarā. - Samyak charitra – right conduct: Five anuvratas, guṇa‑vratas, śikṣā‑vratas.

1. Daily pratikraman

- Accept honestly: - “Today I had such‑and‑such passions, thoughts, fantasies or acts.” - Repent with: - Alochanā – open inner confession before the Self & Jina. - Pratyākhyān – firm small‑step resolve: “Tomorrow I will reduce it a little.”

1. Tapas (austerities)

- Anshan / Upvās (fasting), Ayambil, Ekāsan, Nakt. - Use them not as punishment, but as means to purify desire: - During fasts, try to purify thoughts: “I am not the slave of body and senses.”

These practices help all sexual karmas become weak and fall off over time.

A simple explanation of karma and how to come out of it is given here

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6.2. For ascetics (muni / aryikā / sadhus / sadhvīs)

• They take mahā‑vrata of complete brahmacharya:

- no sexual act, - no deliberate sexual thought or stimulation, - strict discipline of senses and mind.

For them, all sexual identity is to be transcended. Body is just a temporary instrument for sādhana.

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7. Can orientation itself change by spiritual practice?

From Jain standpoint:

• The deep karmas (like veda‑nāma‑karma) can change only by:

- strong nirjarā (shedding), - and new, pure saṁvara.

• This usually takes many lives, not just one decision.

So:

• You should not struggle with:

- “Why am I like this? I must forcibly become something else right now.”

• Instead, focus on:

- “Whatever my current tendencies, I will: - reduce passion, - avoid himsā, - practice dharma, - increase inner purity.”

As passions reduce, the soul becomes less identified with any sexual role. In the final state (moksha) there is no male, female, or third gender – only pure, blissful jīva.

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8. How to see this topic spiritually, in summary

1. Cause:

- Not “being gay/lesbian”. - The cause is past passionate misuse of sexuality (of any kind), which created veda‑nāma‑karma.

1. Uday (fruition):

- At birth, those karmas mature and give a particular: - body, - mental attraction, - life situation.

1. Right Attitude:

- No hatred, no disgust, no insult – neither towards self nor others. - See all beings as souls covered by different karmas.

1. Removal:

- Same path for everyone: - Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct. - Ahimsa, aparigraha, brahmacharya according to one’s stage. - Pratikraman, tapas, svādhyāy, dhyān.

1. Goal:

- Not to become “perfectly straight” or “perfectly this or that”. - The Jain goal is to become perfectly free from all karmas, where no label of gender or orientation remains.

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If you want, you can next ask about:

• the detailed list of sexual‑related karmas in Jain texts, or
• how to do a simple daily pratikraman specifically for sexual passions.