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Understanding and Control of Kashäyäs (Toxic Emotions)
Introduction
Jainism has identified the control of Kashäyäsi (emotions of anger, arrogance, deception, and greed), Nokshäyäs (other related passions), and base impulses as the main determinant of one's spiritual progress.
In fact, it regards the erasing of these intertwined emotions all the way down to the micro-level from one's character as essential for achieving one's highest potential--i.e., Moksha (liberation).
It places so much importance on this topic that hardly any Jain ritual, prayer or worship is devoid of a plea to Tirthankaras to provide continual guidance and insight to overcome these emotions. Jain seers and sages have labeled them as highly destructive and advised their followers repeatedly to be constantly aware of them and direct their efforts initially at reducing their intensity and eventually eliminating them altogether.
Jainism's recognition of the vicious role played by Kashäyäs, the benefits derived by lessening or eliminating them, and their inverse relationship with peace, harmony, and spiritual ascendance could comprise a major contribution of Jainism to mankind.
Spiritually speaking, the Jain religion links Kashäyäs with the generation of new karmic particles and resulting bondage. The karmas in turn are characterized as the major cause of the cycle of birth and death and the bodily forms that a worldly soul goes through.
Its core teaching states that the damage caused by the Kashäyäs has an immense impact not only on the present life but also on future lives as well. The less the intensity of these destructive emotions, the better the quality of life, lighter the karmic burden and faster the rise on the spiritual ladder.
(The word Kashäya is made up of two words, Kash & Aya. Kash means Samsar or worldly life. Aya means gain. The literal meaning of Kashäyä is to gain samsar again & again, meaning as long as we have Kashäyäs, the cycle of birth and death will continue. Anger, arrogance, deception, and greed plunge us in samsar. Therefore, they are called Kashäyäs.)
