Sanskara
Encyclopedia
In Hinduism
sanskaras (singular: sanskara) (Sanskrit for impression; under the impulse of previous impressions) are the imprints left on the subconscious mind by experience in this or previous lives, which then color all of life, one's nature, responses, states of mind, etc.
). Extensive writing on the impressional sanskara has been done by the India
n author Meher Baba
, who discusses the concept in depth in his books God Speaks
and Discourses
. According to him sanskaras are imprints left on the subconscious by experiences in past lives, or the present life, and which determine and condition one’s desires and actions. They are not entities with substance or shape, nor are they forces, but are understood in psychological terms only. In Discourses Meher Baba writes:
Sanskaras, once acquired and accumulated, form what can be compared to a lens through which the subjective aspects of our experience arise. Thus when we perceive (either thoughts or external objects) we apperceive
those objects through the lens of past experience. We perceive through the imprint or conditioning of past impressions or sanskaras.
According to Meher Baba, in the course of evolution
sanskaras play a vital role in that they aid in the formation of conscious experience, and thus eventually bring about self-awareness in the human form, but then serve no further purpose. According to Baba they are actually a hindrance once full consciousness is achieved in the human form because they slant our experience of things as they are. The goal for the human being then is to be rid of them by "unwinding" them or through "shakings" caused by progressive variously opposite life experiences over many human lives in reincarnation, thereby eventually unveiling and revealing the true nature of reality and the true identity of the self. According to Meher Baba the ridding of sanskaras can be quickened by the help or guidance of a perfected master or satguru
.
The idea of the sanskara holds implications for metaphysics
, psychology
, and process philosophy
by offering a verb-like or dynamic way to account for experience rather than a purely substance or entity-based model. In this view the 'what' of the object of perception is the result of the 'how' of the act of perceiving. What one sees is determined by the condition of one's mind influencing how one is seeing. In this view experience supervenes to produce objects; objects do not supervene to produce experience - the current western view. See physicalism
.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
sanskaras (singular: sanskara) (Sanskrit for impression; under the impulse of previous impressions) are the imprints left on the subconscious mind by experience in this or previous lives, which then color all of life, one's nature, responses, states of mind, etc.
Overview
Sanskaras are impressions derived from past experiences that form desires that influence future responses and behavior (karmaKarma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
). Extensive writing on the impressional sanskara has been done by the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n author Meher Baba
Meher Baba
Meher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
, who discusses the concept in depth in his books God Speaks
God Speaks
God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose is the principal book by Meher Baba, and the most significant religious text used by his followers. It covers Meher Baba's view of the process of Creation and its purpose and has been in print continuously since 1955.-Overview:God Speaks is Meher...
and Discourses
Discourses (Meher Baba)
Discourses is a book by Meher Baba that has received seven editions since 1939 and is still in print. Besides God Speaks it is considered the second most important of Meher Baba's books by followers of Meher Baba.- Overview:...
. According to him sanskaras are imprints left on the subconscious by experiences in past lives, or the present life, and which determine and condition one’s desires and actions. They are not entities with substance or shape, nor are they forces, but are understood in psychological terms only. In Discourses Meher Baba writes:
The mental processes are partly dependent upon the immediately given objective situation, and partly dependent upon the functioning of accumulated sanskaras or impressions of previous experience... From the psychogenetic point of view, human actions are based upon the operation of the impressions stored in the mind through previous experience.
Sanskaras, once acquired and accumulated, form what can be compared to a lens through which the subjective aspects of our experience arise. Thus when we perceive (either thoughts or external objects) we apperceive
Apperception
Apperception is any of several aspects of perception and consciousness in such fields as psychology, philosophy and epistemology.-Meaning in psychology:...
those objects through the lens of past experience. We perceive through the imprint or conditioning of past impressions or sanskaras.
According to Meher Baba, in the course of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
sanskaras play a vital role in that they aid in the formation of conscious experience, and thus eventually bring about self-awareness in the human form, but then serve no further purpose. According to Baba they are actually a hindrance once full consciousness is achieved in the human form because they slant our experience of things as they are. The goal for the human being then is to be rid of them by "unwinding" them or through "shakings" caused by progressive variously opposite life experiences over many human lives in reincarnation, thereby eventually unveiling and revealing the true nature of reality and the true identity of the self. According to Meher Baba the ridding of sanskaras can be quickened by the help or guidance of a perfected master or satguru
Satguru
Satguru does not merely mean true guru. The term is distinguished from other forms of gurus, such as musical instructors, scriptural teachers, parents, and so on...
.
The idea of the sanskara holds implications for metaphysics
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and process philosophy
Process philosophy
Process philosophy identifies metaphysical reality with change and dynamism. Since the time of Plato and Aristotle, philosophers have posited true reality as "timeless", based on permanent substances, whilst processes are denied or subordinated to timeless substances...
by offering a verb-like or dynamic way to account for experience rather than a purely substance or entity-based model. In this view the 'what' of the object of perception is the result of the 'how' of the act of perceiving. What one sees is determined by the condition of one's mind influencing how one is seeing. In this view experience supervenes to produce objects; objects do not supervene to produce experience - the current western view. See physicalism
Physicalism
Physicalism is a philosophical position holding that everything which exists is no more extensive than its physical properties; that is, that there are no kinds of things other than physical things...
.
See also
- SaṅkhāraSankhara' or ' is a term figuring prominently in the teaching of the Buddha. The word means "that which has been put together" and "that which puts together". In the first sense, refers to conditioned phenomena generally but specifically to all mental "dispositions"...
(Buddhist concept) - SaṃskāraSamskaraSamskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
(Hindu rites of passage) - Samskara (ayurvedic)Samskara (Ayurvedic)A samskara is a process in ayurvedic medicine claimed to detoxify heavy metals and toxic herbs.In ayurveda, toxic ingredients, which sometimes include heavy metals such as mercury, are claimed to be purified using a process of prayer and pharmacy...
(Ayurvedic medicinal process)