$JES 901 Jainism and Spiritual Awakening E9

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 45

06-NINE TATTVAS AND KARMA PHILOSOPHY
seven (or five) tattvas explain the relationships between the soul and karma.
Äsrava (Causes of Bondage of Karma)
The primary causes of the attachment or bondage of karma to the soul (known as Äsrava) are as follows:
Mithyätva
A person's illusion, which includes wrong conviction and wrong knowledge of reality
Lack of self-restraint or Vowlessness
Spiritual laziness or unawareness
Passions like anger, ego, deceit, greed, and lust
Activities of body, speech, and mind
These causes convert the karma particles or karma Varganä into karma attaching to the soul. Äsrava is in fact defined as any vibration in the soul caused by the activities of body, speech, and thought which bind karma particles to the soul.
Avirati
Pramäda
Kashaya
Yoga
The soul has had this karmic matter attached to it from eternity. This karmic matter is known as the Kärman body, causal body, or karma. The soul, which is covered by karmic matter, continues to acquire new karma from the universe through the above-mentioned causes at every moment. Also, the old karma, after producing their result, leave the soul when it is time for them to do so.
Because of this continuous process of binding and exhausting karma particles, the soul passes through the cycles of birth and death and experiences pleasure and pain. Therefore, under normal circumstances, the soul cannot attain freedom from karma and hence cannot attain liberation.
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Bandha (Characteristics of Bondage of Karma)
Äsrava causes karma particles to attach to the soul. When karma particles attach to the soul, caused by Äsrava, its quality of bondage (Bandha) to the soul is explained in the following four forms. These forms are determined at the time of the bondage:
JAINISM AND SPIRITUAL AWAKENING