Sankhatas means mental creations in the Pali

Páli

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 language. As explained by the dependent origination concept (see:Twelve Nidanas

Twelve Nidanas

The Twelve Nidānas are the best-known application of the Buddhist concept of pratītyasamutpāda , identifying the origins of dukkha to be in tanha and avijja...

), sankhatas condition the consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...

 (vijnana

Vijnana

Vijñāna or viññāa is translated as "consciousness," "life force," "mind," or "discernment."...

 in Pali) and are conditioned by ignorance

Ignorance

Ignorance is a state of being uninformed . The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult...

 (avidyā

Avidya (Buddhism)

Avidyā or avijjā means "ignorance" or "delusion" and is the opposite of 'vidyā' and 'rig pa'...

 in Pali). Sankhatas are part of the name and form (see:Namarupa

Namarupa

Nāmarūpa is a dvandva compound in Sanskrit and Pali meaning "name and form ".-Nāmarūpa in Hinduism:The term nāmarūpa is used in Hindu thought, nāma describing the spiritual or essential properties of an object or being, and rūpa the physical presence that it manifests...

) and so are one of the five aggregates (see:skandhas).

Creations list

Sankhatas can be either pernicious, neutral or positive - associated with similar consciousness.