Answer

In Jainism, our future is shaped by both:

• Past karmas — karmas bound in previous lives and earlier in this life.
• Present karmas — karmas we are creating right now through our thoughts, words, and actions.

No God, deity, or outside power “writes” our karma. In Jain Dharma, we ourselves bind our karma through our own inner passions and activities.

Explanation

Jainism teaches that karma is a subtle matter that attaches to the soul due to:

• Mithyatva — wrong belief
• Avirati — lack of self-restraint
• Pramād — carelessness
• Kaṣāya — passions like anger, ego, deceit, greed
• Yoga — activity of mind, speech, and body

So karma is not written like a punishment or reward by someone else. It is a natural law: when the soul acts with attachment, hatred, anger, greed, or ignorance, karma is attracted and bound.

Our present situation may be the result of past karmas, but our response in the present creates new karma. That means Jainism does not teach helpless fate. It teaches responsibility and spiritual effort.

Spiritual Understanding

Past karma may give us certain circumstances, such as birth, body, family, health, comfort, difficulty, lifespan, and experiences of pleasure or pain.

But present awareness can change our spiritual direction. If we practice:

• Right faith
• Right knowledge
• Right conduct
• Ahimsa
• Forgiveness
• Self-control
• Tapasya
• Equanimity

then we reduce new bondage and begin destroying old karmas.

Takeaway

In Jainism, karma is self-created, not written by God. Our past karmas influence our present and future, but our present choices are very powerful. By living with awareness, non-violence, restraint, and purity, the soul can become free from karma and attain moksha.