Karma advaita

 

 

In the Advaita system of Śaṅkara

In the non-dualistic (Advaita) school of Vedanta, the creator God (Ishvara) is not the ultimate reality, instead the formless Brahman is the supreme truth. As such, the teaching of karma is part of Maya, or the relative and ultimately illusory reality. Nevertheless, Advaita also shares the general concepts of karma and rebirth with other Indian religions, with some

differences.[23]

In a commentary to Brahma Sutras (III, 2, 38, and 41), a Vedantic text, Adi Sankara, an Indian philosopher who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, a sub-school of Vedanta, argues that the original karmic actions themselves cannot bring about the proper results at some future time; neither can super sensuous, non-intelligent qualities like adrsta —an unseen force being the metaphysical link between work and its result—by themselves mediate the appropriate, justly deserved pleasure and pain. The fruits, according to him, then, must be administered through the action of a conscious agent, namely, a supreme being

(Ishvara).[24]

Shankara (8th century) comments as follows:

Karma is insentient and short-lived, and cannot therefore be expected to bestow the fruits of actions at a future time according to one’s deserts. We do not see any insentient thing bestow fruits on those who worship it. Therefore it is only from

the Lord, who is worshipped through actions, that their results proceed.[5]

A human's karmic acts result in merits and demerits. Since unconscious things generally do not move except when caused by an agent (for example, the axe moves only when swung by an agent), and since the law of karma is an unintelligent and unconscious law, Sankara argues there must be a conscious God who knows the merits and demerits which persons have earned by their actions, and who functions as an instrumental cause [a "judge and

police-force" working for "the law"] in helping individuals reap their appropriate fruits.[25]

Thus, God affects the person's environment, even to its atoms, and for those souls who reincarnate, produces the appropriate rebirth body, all in order that the person might have

the karmically appropriate experiences.[25] Since a data-system (or computer) is needed to discern different "just" consequences for actions, there is suggested to be a sentient theistic administrator or supervisor for karma (Ishvara).