What is "kashaya"

n. (context Jainism English) passion; Strong feelings produced by a person's soul out of worldly attachments.

Kashaya has several meanings, see:

• Kāṣāya, the traditional monastic robes of Buddhist monks and nuns.
• Kashaya language, a distinct Pomo language on the Sonoma County Coastline, California
• The subgroup of Pomo people who spoke this language
• Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria
• Kashaya (Jainism), a word and concept in Jainism that roughly translates to "passion"

In Jainism, Kashaya (loose translation: Passion) are aspects of a person that can be gained during his or her worldly life. According to the Jaina religion as long as a person has Kashayas, they will not escape the cycle of life and death. There are four different kind of Kashayas, each being able to gain their own kinds of intensity.