Part of a series on Hindu philosophy

Schools Samkhya · Yoga · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Purva Mimamsa · Vedanta (Advaita · Vishishtadvaita · Dvaita · Achintya Bheda Abheda)

Persons Ancient Valmiki · Kapila · Patañjali · Gotama · Kanada · Jaimini · Vyasa · Markandeya Medieval Adi Shankara · Ramanuja · Madhva · Nimbarka  · Swaminarayan · Vallabha · Madhusudana · Namdeva  · Tukaram · Tulsidas · Kabir · Vasugupta · Chaitanya Modern Ramana Maharshi · Vivekananda · Narayana Guru · Gandhi · Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan · Aurobindo · Nisargadatta Maharaj · Sivananda · Coomaraswamy · Pandurang Shastri Athavale · Prabhupada · Asaramji Bapu

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In Hinduism sanskaras (singular: sanskara) (Sanskrit: 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. Hindu philosophy is divided into six Sanskrit ''{{IAST|āstika}}'') schools of thought or darshanas (literally "views" Sankhya Sankhya, also Samkhya, ( सांख्य, IAST: sānkhya - 'enumeration' is one of the six schools of classical Indian philosophy. Rāja Yoga ("royal Yoga " "royal union" also known as Classical Yoga or simply Yoga) is one of the six orthodox ( Astika) Nyāya ( Sanskrit ni-āyá, literally "recursion" used in the sense of " Syllogism, inference" is the name given to one of the six orthodox Vaisheshika, or Vaiśeṣika, (Sanskrit वैशॆषिक) is one of the six Hindu schools of Philosophy (orthodox Vedic systems Mīmāṃsā, a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" (compare Greek ἱστορία) is the name of an Astika ("orthodox" school Vedanta ( Devanagari: sa वेदान्त Vedānta) is a spiritual tradition explained in the Upanishads that is concerned with the Self-realisation Advaita Vedanta ( IAST Advaita Vedānta; Sanskrit अद्वैत वेदान्त əd̪vait̪ə veːd̪ɑːnt̪ə is a sub-school of the VishishtAdvaita Vedanta ( IAST Viśishṭādvaita Vedanta; Sanskrit: विशिष्टाद्वैत is a sub-school of the Vedānta Dvaita ( Kannada: ದ್ವೈತ Devanagari:द्बैत is a dualist school of Vedanta Hindu philosophy. Achintya-Bheda-Abheda ( acintya bhedābheda in IAST) is a school of Vedanta representing the philosophy of inconceivable one-ness and difference Valmiki ( Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि vālmīki) (ca 400 BCE northern India is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature Patañjali ( Devanāgarī पतञ्जलि (fl 150 BCE or 2nd c For other uses see Gotama Gautama Maharishi ( Hindi: गौतम महर्षि is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Kanada ( Sanskrit: कणाद; also transliterated as Canada as well as other forms was a Hindu sage who founded the philosophical Jaimini was an ancient rishi (sage who was a great philosopher of the Mimansa school of Indian philosophy Vyāsa ( Devanāgarī: व्यास is a central and revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions Markandeya ( Sanskrit: मार्कण्‍डेय is an ancient Rishi (sage from the Hindu tradition born in the clan of Brigu Rishi Adi Shankara ( Malayalam: ആദി ശങ്കരന്‍ Devanāgarī: आदि शङ्कर Ādi Śaṅkara, aːd̪i ɕaŋkərə (see below Ramanuja ( traditionally 1017&ndash1137 also known as Ramanujacharya, was a Theologian, Philosopher, and Scriptural Exegete. For Madhavacharya the Advaita saint see Madhava Vidyaranya. Shri Madhvacharya (ಶ್ರೀ ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯರು Nimbarka ( Sanskrit: श्री निम्बार्काचार्य Śrī Nimbārkācārya) is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology Sri Vallabhacharya (1479 &ndash 1531 was a devotional Philosopher, who founded the Pushti sect in India, following the philosophy of Shuddha Madhusūdana Sarasvatī (c1540&ndash1640 was an Indian philosopher in the Advaita Vedānta tradition Nāmdev ( Nām Dev or Sant Nāmdev) (c1270-c1350 CE was a prominent religious poet of Maharashtra, India in the Hindu tradition Tukārām was a prominent Marathi Sant and religious poet in the Hindu tradition in India. Gosvāmī Tulsīdās (1532-1623 Devanāgarī: तुलसीदास may be written as Tulasī Dāsa depending on if the name is transcribed Al-Kabir "the Great" is also one of the 99 names of God in Islam Vasugupta (860&ndash925 was the author of the famous Shiva Sutras of Vasugupta. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (also transliterated Caitanya, IAST caitanya mahāprabhu) ( Bengali চৈতন্য মহাপ্রভূ (1486 - Sri Ramana Maharshi ( December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950) born Venkataraman Iyer, was an Indian sage Swami Vivekananda (স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ Shami Bibekānondo; स्वामी विवेकानन्द Svāmi Vivekānanda) ( Nārāyana Guru (नारायण गुरुനാരായണ ഗുരു (1855 - 1928 also known as Sree Nārāyana Guru Swami was a Saint, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી moɦən̪d̪äs kəɾəmʧən̪d̪ gän̪d̪ʱi (2 October 1869 – 30 January Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, OM ( Telugu:సర్వేపల్లి రాధాకృష్ణ Tamil:சர்வேபள்ளி Sri Aurobindo (শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo) ( August 15, 1872 – December 5, 1950) was an Indian Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (birth name Maruti Shivrampant Kambli ( April 17, 1897 – September 8, 1981) was an Indian Swami Sivananda Saraswati ( Sep 8, 1887 — Jul 14, 1963) was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a well known Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy (ஆனந்த குமாரசுவாமி 22 August, 1877, Colombo - 9 September, 1947, Pandurang Shastri Vaijnath Athavale (પાંડુરંગ શાસ્ત્રી આઠવલે पांडुरंग शास्त्री आठवले ( October Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ( Sanskrit:, abhaya-caraṇāravinda bhakti-vedānta svāmī prabhupāda, Bangla: অভয়চরনাবিন্দ Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical ^[1]

In Buddhism, similarly sanskaras are considered to be the source of conditioned mind and the product of ignorance. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices In early Buddhism the Pāli term Saṅkhāra is used, denoting a complex causal structure involved in karma and dependent arising. Pali ( ISO 15919 / ALA-LC: Pāḷi is a Middle Indo-Aryan language or Prakrit of India. Saṅkhāra ( Pali; Devanagari: सङ्खार or saṃskāra ( Sanskrit; Devanagari संस्कार is a term figuring prominently Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्मन karman, Pāli: कमा Kamma) means "action" or "doing" whatever The doctrine of pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit paticcasamuppāda; rten

Overview

Sanskaras are impressions derived from past experiences that form desires that influence future responses and behavior (karma). Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action" Extensive writing on the impressional sanskara has been done by the Indian author Meher Baba, who discusses the concept in depth in his books God Speaks and Discourses. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Meher Baba ( Devanāgarī: मेहेर बाबा) (February 25 1894 Merwan Sheriar Irani – January 31 1969 was an Indian mystic and spiritual God Speaks The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose (ISBN 978-0-915828-02-9 is the principal book by Meher Baba and the most significant Religious text Discourses (ISBN 1-880619-09-1 is a book by Meher Baba that has received seven editions since 1939 and is still in print 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. ^[2] 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. ^[3]

Sanskaras, once acquired and accumulated, form what can be compared to a lens through which the subjective aspects of our experience arise. ^[4] Thus when we perceive (either thoughts or external objects) we apperceive those objects through the lens of past experience. Apperception (Latin ad + percipere, to perceive has the following meanings In Epistemology, it is "the introspective or reflective 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. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 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 or Sadguru means true Guru. (सदगुरू The term satguru distinguishes itself from other forms of gurus such as musical instructors ^[5]

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. Metaphysics is the branch of Philosophy investigating principles of reality transcending those of any particular science Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Process philosophy (or Ontology of Becoming) identifies metaphysical Reality with Change and Dynamism. 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)

See also

• Saṅkhāra (Buddhist concept)
• Saṃskāra (Hindu rites of passage)
• Samskara (Ayurvedic) (Ayurvedic medicinal process)
• Apperception

References

External links

• Meher Baba and Sanskaras
• Hinduism Dictionary
• Dictionary of Sanskrit Terms
• Mimi.hu - definitions of sanskara