Samskara (Indian philosophy)

In Hindu Philosophy and some Indian religions, samskaras or sanskaras (Sanskrit: संस्कार) are mental impressions, recollections, or psychological imprints that colour one's thoughts and actions, and form the basis for the development of karma theory.

According to various schools of Indian philosophy, every action, intent or preparation by an individual leaves a samskara (impression, impact, imprint) in the deeper structure of the person's mind. In ancient Indian texts, the theory of Samskara explains how and why human beings remember things, and the effect that memories have on people's suffering, happiness and contentment.

The first use of the term, which relies primarily on its first definition, refers to Hindu rites of passage.

The second definition presents saṃskāra as a form of disposition, impression, or behavioral inclination. In this sense, it is used as a psychological concept in some Indian philosophies, such as Yoga.

Context

Samskara, or Sankhara, is a significant concept across major schools of Hindu philosophy as well as Buddhism and Jainism.

Das states that the Samskara rites of passage is a subset of actions in a human being's life, where going through the rite within the traditions of Hinduism, affects the individual internally as well as externally in how society perceives the person. This occurs in the form of impressions and imprint within, that is samskara.

Hinduism

The Hindu schools differ in the details, but all posit that samskara are formed in every individual by a number of ways. This includes perceptions (what one sees, hears, touches, tastes, smells), chitta cognition (what one feels and thinks), willful actions, and also intentions before and during the action. The Hindu schools rely on samskara theory as one of the pillars for their epistemology (pramana), wherein they explain how and why man knows anything, remembers anything, expects anything, feels fulfillment, feels frustration, feels freedom and joy, or feels suffering and pain.

Actions, studies, diligent preparation and inner resolutions trigger Samskaras – hidden impressions or dispositions – in the psyche of an individual, and these influence how the individual acts, perceives self and the manner in which the individual responds or accepts the karmic circumstances and the future.

Samkhya-Yoga

In Samkhya and other Indian Yoga schools, Sankhara, also spelled as Samskara, are impressions or residues that affect an individual's Gunas (behavior attributes). Vyasa, Patanjali and other ancient Indian scholars refer to these as karmic residues (karmasaya). Personality, states Patanjali, is the sum total combination of all these impressions and subtle traces (samskaras). Individuals tend to do what they did in the past, man forms habit and often returns to those habits, and behaviors tend to repeat because of these samskaras, according to these Yoga scholars.

Nyaya and Vaiśeṣika

In Nyaya school of Hinduism, Bhavana (Sanskrit: भावना) is synonymous with Samskara, a property that manifests as impressions or traces on the soul. The concept is intimately related to Nyaya's search and reason-driven explanation of causes behind what happens in living and non-living world, and why. All voluntary actions, state Nyayayikas, have a cause, and these are guided by Samskara. For example, a newborn child voluntarily and instinctively acts to reach for the mother's breast. That is an example of Samskara, assert the Nyaya and Vaiśeṣika scholars. Some simply manifest as memories, premises or beliefs shaped "from a prior experience".

Buddhism

Saṃskāra or Saṅkhāra in Buddhism refers to mental "dispositions". These result from past volitions, and are causes of future volitions. Saṅkhāra also refers to that faculty within a person wherein these dispositions are formed. Buddhism emphasizes the need to purify dispositions (Saṅkhāra) rather than eliminate them.

Jainism

The activities of mind, speech and body, according to Jain philosophy, lead to Asrava, that is, the influx and imprint of karmic residues to the jiva (soul) of the living being. These residues bind (bandha), forming karma sarira, which can be stopped (saṃvara) and released (nirjara). rather karma bandha to the soul.

References

External links

Mimi.hu - definitions of samskara