ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the fortunes of Jamali in respect to the manner in which he is portrayed in the canonical and commentarial sources and his transformation into a flawed ethical type and exemplar of hostility towards one’s teacher. The only extended source for Jamali in the scriptural canon is provided by Bhagavati Sutra, although there is evidence that a narrative relating to him occurred elsewhere within a now lost version. The chapter draws attention to the dispute which developed during the sixteenth and seventeeth centuries concerning the karmic consequences set up by Jamali’s actions and the nature of the rebirths which he experienced after his solitary and unrepentant death. Rebirth amongst humans and gods certainly relates to the five-sensed category, but rebirth amongst animals, Dharmasagara claims by applying the term to lower forms of life, involves all nine categories and is ‘endless’ for those expressing contempt towards the Jinas and their teachings.
