The Jain tattvas, or principles, are the single most important subject of Jain philosophy.  It deals with the theory of karma, which provides the basis for the path of liberation.  Jain literature explains nine fundamental tattvas.  Without the proper knowledge of these tattvas, a person can not progress spiritually.  The proper understanding of this subject brings about right faith (samyak‑darshana), right knowledge (samyak‑jnana), and right conduct to an individual.

Jiva or Soul is the only substance, which in pure state possesses infinite knowledge, vision, power, and bliss.  The pure soul is a liberated soul.  The worldly soul is covered by karma particles.  The karma subdues the natural qualities of the soul.  The qualities of the impure soul are as follows:

The ultimate goal of human life is to remove all karma particles, which are attached to the soul.  Then the soul will become pure and liberated.

Asrava is the cause, which leads to the influx of good and evil karma which lead to the bondage of the soul.

Asrava may be described as attraction in the soul toward sense objects.  The following are causes of Asrava or influx of good and evil karma:

Mithyatva     -Ignorance

Avirati          -Lack of self restraint

Pramada*    -Unawareness or unmindfulness

Kasaya       -Passions like anger, conceit, deceit, and lust

Yoga          -Activities of mind, speech, and body

* Some Jain literatures mention only four causes of Asrava.  They include Pramad in the category of Kasaya. 

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 soul's 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 attaches to the soul, its bondage to the soul is explained in the following four forms:

Prakriti bandha                         Type of karma

Sthiti bandha                             Duration of attachment of karma

Anubhava bandha                    Intensity of attachment of karma

Pradesa bandha                       Quantity of karma

Prakriti Bandha (Type of karma):

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.  This is 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.

Mohniya karma

It generates delusion in the soul in regard to its own true nature.  The soul identifies itself with other

external substances and relationships.

Antaraya karma

It obstructs the natural quality or energy of the soul such as charity and will power.  This prevents the

soul from attaining liberation.  It also prevents a living being from doing something good and

enjoyable.

Vedniya karma

It obscures the blissful nature of the soul, and thereby produces pleasure and pain.

Nama karma

It obscures the non corporeal existence of the soul, and produces the body with its limitations,

qualities, faculties, etc.

Gotra karma

It obscures the soul's characteristics of equanimity, and determines the caste, family, social

standing, and personality.

Ayu karma

It determines the span of life in one birth, thus obscuring soul's nature of eternal existence.

The above eight karmas are also categorized into two groups, known as ghati karma which subdues the qualities of the soul, and aghati karma which relates to physical body of the living beings.

Ghati Karma (Dangerous karma)

Jnana varaniya, Darasna‑varaniya, Mohaniya, and Antaraya karmas are called ghati karmas

(dangerous karmas) because they obscure the true nature of the soul, which is, perfect knowledge,

power, vision and bliss.

Aghati Karma (Nondangerous karma)

Ayu, Nama, Gotra, and Vedniya karmas are called aghati karmas.  They do not obscure the

original nature of the soul.  However, they associate with the physical body of the soul. 

When a person destroys all of his ghati karmas, he attains keval jnana (absolute knowledge).  At that time he is known as Arihant.  However, he continues to live his human life until all his aghati karmas are

destroyed.  He attains liberation only after his death.

Some Arihants establishes the religious order of Monks, Nuns, Sravaka, (male layperson), and Sravika

(female layperson).  These Arihants are called Tirthankaras and the religious order is known as four fold

Jain order.

Other Arihantas who do not establish religious order but remain as a part of the existing order are known

as simple Kevali.  After nirvana (death) both Tirthankaras and simple Kevali (all Arihantas)

become Siddhas.

All Siddhas are unique individuals, they all possess perfect knowledge, vision, power, and bliss,

and no physical body.  Hence from the qualities and attributes point of view all Siddhas are same.

When karmic matter attaches to the soul it remains attached for certain duration before it produces the result.  The duration of the attachment is determined according to the intensity or dullness of the soul's passions or actions when the karma is being attached to the soul.  After producing the result, karma will separate from the soul.

What fruits the karmic matter will produce are determined at the time of attachment by varying degrees of soul's passions.

The intensity or dullness of the soul's action determines the quantum of karmic matter that is drawn towards the soul for attachment.

The influx of karmic matter due to good activities of the mind, body, and speech with the potential of producing pleasant sensations is called punya or virtue.  Activities such as offering food, drink, shelter, purifying thought, physical and mental happiness result in producing punya karma.

The influx of karmic matter due to evil activities of the mind, body, and speech with the potential of producing unpleasant sensations is called pap or sin.  Activities such as violence, untruth, theft, unchastity, attachment to objects, anger, conceit, deceit, and lust result in producing papa karma.

The method that stops fresh karma from attaching into the soul is called samvara.  This process is a reverse process of asrava.  It can be accomplished by constant practice of:

Right belief

Observance of vows

Awareness

Passionlessness

Peacefulness of vibratory activities

Jain literature explains 57 practical ways, a person can stop the influx of karma.

5          Samitis             Carefulness

3          Guptis               Preservation

10        Yati Dharma     Religious Virtues

12        Bhavna             Reflections or Thoughts

22        Parishaha        Subduing of Suffering

5         Charitra             Conduct

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Five Samitis (Carefulness):              Samitis purify the actions

Irya Samiti                                   Proper care in walking

Bhasha Samiti                            Proper care in speaking

Eshna Samiti                              Proper care in begging

Adana Nikshepa Samiti            Proper care in taking and keeping

Utsarga Samiti                           Proper care in disposing waste

Three Guptis (Preservations):   Guptis prohibits sinful activities

Mano Gupti                           Proper control over Mind

Vachan Gupti                        Proper control over Speech

Kaya Gupti                            Proper control over Body

Ten Yati Dharma (Religious Virtues):

Kshama                                  Forbearance, Forgiveness

Mardava                                 Modesty, Humility

Aarjava                                   Straightforwardness, Candor

Saucha                                   Contentment

Satya                                       Truthfulness

Samyam                                 Self-restraint, Control of Senses

Tapa                                        Austerity, Penance

Tyaga                                      Renunciation

Akinchanya                             Non-attachment

Brahmacharya                        Celibacy, Chastity

Twelve Reflections (Thoughts, Bhavna, or Anupreksa):

Anitya Bhavna                 Impermanence of the world

Asarana Bhavna             No one provides protection

Samsara Bhavna            No permanent relationships in the universe

Ekatva Bhavna                Solitude of the soul

Anyatva Bhavna             Separateness

Asuci Bhavna                  Impurity of the body

Asrava Bhavna               Influx of karma

Samvara Bhavna            Stoppage of influx of karma

Nirjara Bhavna                Shedding of karma

Loka Bhavna                   Transitoriness of the universe

Bodhi-durlabha Bhavna Unattainability of the right faith, knowledge, and conduct

Dharma Bhavna              Unattainability of true preceptor, scriptures, and religion

Reflections on Universal Friendship  (additional reflections):

Maitri                                Amity

Pramoda                          Appreciation

Karuna                              Compassion

Madhyastha                      Equanimity

The attached karma exhaust themselves by producing their results when it is time for them to do so.  At that time new karma attach to the soul.

Unless the attached karma are exhausted before they start producing the results, it becomes difficult for the soul to be free. 

Therefore, it is necessary to exhaust all karmas before their maturity.  This is done by rigorous austerities and penance.  This process is called nirjara. 

There are twelve types of nirjara defined in the Jain scriptures.  They are divided into two groups; external nirjara which disciplines the human body against passions and desires and internal nirjara which purifies the soul.  The internal nirjara is the true austerities because it exhausts the attached karma before their maturity from the soul.

External Nirjara:

Anasan           

            Complete abstinence of eating any food and drinking liquid for certain time

Alpahara or Unodary         

            Reduction in the quantity of food one normally eats

Ichhanirodha or Vritti_sankshep

            Limiting the number of food items to eat and material things for use

Rasatyaga     

Complete abstinence of eating or drinking juicy and tasty foods such as honey, alcohol, butter, milk, tea, sweets, juice etc. (no attachments to the taste of the foods)

Kayaklesa     

Live and travel on a bare foot in a severe heat and cold whether condition.  Remove hair with the hand.

Samlinata       

Sitting in a lonely place in due postures with senses and mind withdrawn inwardly.

Internal Nirjara:

Prayaschita    

Repentance for the breach of vows for spiritual purification

Vinaya           

Politeness (appropriate behavior) towards teachers and elders

Vaiyavrata     

Rendering selfless service to the suffering and deserving

Svadhyaya     

Studying and listening of religious scriptures

Dhyana          

Religious meditation

Kayotsarg or Bhutsarga      

The ultimate internal austerity, where the activities of body, speech and mind are withdrawn.  The body is fixed without movement, the speech is fixed by means of silence, and the mind is fixed by means of sublime meditation.  This nirjara destroys all karmas.

Moksha is the liberation of the soul after complete exhaustion or elimination of all karmas.

A liberated soul regains totally its original attributes of perfect knowledge, vision, power, and bliss.  It climbs to the top of Lokakas and remains their forever in its blissful and unconditional existence.

It never returns again into the cycles of birth, life, and death.

This state of the soul is the liberated or perfect state, and this is called "Nirvana."