Philosophy In Jain Agams: Cause of Karmic Bondage: Non-restraint

One, who renounces the sinful deeds, does not get bound with karmas. Those who are non-restraint in nature, bind the karmas, even if they do not get involved in sinful deeds because the capacity to bind the karmas exists in them due to non-restraint. It is a general opinion that in the absence of sinful mental, verbal and physical activities, inauspicious karmas are not bound, but, from the spiritual view-point, the only cause of inauspicious karmic bondage is non-restraint. Because of this, continuous karmic bondage goes on. Sinful deeds are just the expression of that non-restraint. Sinful deeds are performed occasionally. So, a spiritualist must concentrate towards transformation of consciousness of non-restraint into restraint conscious. If this happens, sinful deeds automatically come to an end.^[1] As the degree of restraint goes up, the degree of karmic bondage comes down. With the depletion of cause, depletion of effect is inevitable. The gradual stoppage of āśrava, is the prime cause of stoppage of karmic bondage.