What karma does a soul do in its previous birth/births which results in it being born as Gay/lesbian. How does it come into uday. How does a soul get rid of it? In detail
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) –
- Three sexual drives (veda) –
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:
- Āyu karma – type of birth (human, animal, heaven, hell).
- Nāma karma – physical body, gender, beauty, strength, etc.
- Gotra karma – family, status, environment.
- 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.:
Very important:
- This applies equally for:
- Jainism does not say “only gay/lesbian is bad and straight is pure”.
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:
- 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.
- In between lives
- Karma stays attached in a subtle, invisible way. - It has a fixed “maturity time” (udaya‑samaya).
- 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).
- 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)
- New karma is bound when we:
Therefore:
- A person with same‑sex orientation, living with restraint, honesty, and ahimsa,
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:
- Every jīva has passed through all types of bodies & mentalities in endless past lives.
- Today’s human birth (whatever orientation) is a rare and precious chance for spiritual progress.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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:
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:
- This usually takes many lives, not just one decision.
So:
- You should not struggle with:
- Instead, focus on:
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
- Cause:
- Not “being gay/lesbian”. - The cause is past passionate misuse of sexuality (of any kind), which created veda‑nāma‑karma.
- Uday (fruition):
- At birth, those karmas mature and give a particular: - body, - mental attraction, - life situation.
- Right Attitude:
- No hatred, no disgust, no insult – neither towards self nor others. - See all beings as souls covered by different karmas.
- Removal:
- Same path for everyone: - Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct. - Ahimsa, aparigraha, brahmacharya according to one’s stage. - Pratikraman, tapas, svādhyāy, dhyān.
- 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.