Answer

Yes. In Jain Dharma, karma is understood as a real, subtle material substance — not merely a psychological idea, metaphor, or divine reward-and-punishment system.

Explanation

According to Jain philosophy, the soul is naturally pure, conscious, blissful, and full of knowledge. But due to passions and activities such as anger, pride, deceit, greed, attachment, and aversion, very subtle karmic particles get attracted to the soul and bind with it.

This is called karma bandha — bondage of karma.

So in Jainism:

• Karma is pudgala — a form of matter.
• It is extremely subtle and cannot be seen by ordinary senses.
• It attaches to the soul because of passions and activities.
• It obscures the soul’s natural qualities such as infinite knowledge, perception, bliss, and energy.

This is different from many common uses of the word “karma,” where karma is understood simply as “what goes around comes around.” Jainism gives a much more precise explanation: karma is a subtle material bondage affecting the soul.

Spiritual Understanding

This teaching is important because Jain Dharma shows that liberation is not granted from outside. The soul becomes free by stopping new karmic inflow and shedding previously bound karma.

Two key processes are:

• Samvara — stopping the inflow of new karma.
• Nirjara — shedding existing karma.

Through right faith, right knowledge, right conduct, self-restraint, meditation, repentance, and tapasya, the soul gradually becomes free from karmic matter.

Takeaway

In Jainism, karma is indeed considered physical in a subtle material sense. It is karmic matter that binds to the soul and keeps it in worldly existence until it is completely removed.