Jain Study Center NC Raleigh 1997 11 YJA Regional Convention

Author(s): Jain Study Center NC Raleigh
Publisher: USA Jain Study Center NC Raleigh

Page 34

In addition to the above causes, the five great sins: violence, untruth, stealing, sensual indulgence, and attachment to worldly objects are also the cause of the influx of karmas.
4. Bandha (Bondage of karma):
Bandha is the attachment of karmic matter (karma pudgala) to the soul. The soul has had this karmic matter bondage from eternity because of its own ignorance. This karmic body is known as the karmana body or causal body or karma.
Karmic matter is a particular type of matter which is attracted to the soul because of its ignorance, lack of self restraint, passions, unmindfulness, activities of body, mind, and speech.
The soul, which is covered by karmic matter, continues acquiring new karma from the universe and exhausting old karma into the universe through the above mentioned actions at every moment.
Because of this continual process of acquiring and exhausting karma particles, the soul has to pass through the cycles of births and deaths, and experiencing pleasure and pain. So under normal circumstances the soul can not attain freedom from karma, and hence liberation.
When karma (karmic matter) attaches to the soul, it assumes four forms:
Prakriti bandha Sthiti bandha Anubhava bandha Pradesa bandha
- Type of karma - Duration of attachment of karma - Intensity of attachment of karma - Quantity of karma
Prakriti Bandha:
When karmic matter attaches to the soul, it will obscure soul's essential nature of perfect knowledge, perfect vision, bliss, perfect power, eternal existence, non-corporeal, and equanimity.
The different types of karma obscures different quality or attributes of soul in known as Prakriti bandha.
Prakriti bandha is classified into eight categories, according to the particular attribute of the soul that it obscures.
Jnana-varaniya karma It covers the soul's power of perfect knowledge.
Darasna-varaniya karma It covers the soul's power of perfect visions.
Vedniya karma It obscures the blissful nature of the soul, and thereby produces pleasure and pain.
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