Dharma–Adharma

Summary

“Dharma–Adharma” by Suzuko Ohira explores two of the six fundamental substances (dravya) in Jain philosophy: dharma and adharma. In the Tattvārthasūtra, dharma is described as the substance that conditions motion, while adharma conditions stoppage; both pervade the universe and are eternal. Although motion is inherent in the soul (jīva) and matter (pudgala), Jain authors nevertheless posit dharma‑dravya and adharma‑dravya as cosmic principles that make movement and rest possible. The article examines early Jain scriptures such as the Bhagavatīsūtra, which lists synonyms of dharma and identifies dharma as meritorious conduct and adharma as demeritorious conduct. Ohira surveys how later thinkers reconciled these ethical meanings with the cosmological functions of dharma and adharma. She argues that the concepts evolved to solve a theological problem: why liberated souls (siddhas) reside at the top of the cosmos and do not descend into the lower worlds. By treating dharma as the cosmic force that enables upward movement and adharma as the force that prevents motion beyond the loka, Jain philosophers could explain why souls ascend to liberation and then remain there. The article concludes that dharma and adharma are not moral qualities but metaphysical categories that developed in response to cosmological questions.