Samsaric

Samsaric is an adjective relating to samsara, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth found in several Indian religions. It describes worldly, conditioned, and often suffering-filled existence as opposed to liberation from that cycle.

The term derives from Sanskrit saṃsāra and is widely used in scholarly and doctrinal contexts to label phenomena or states shaped by karma, ignorance, and dependent origination. It can modify nouns such as “samsaric existence,” “samsaric cravings,” or “samsaric rebirth,” signaling that these are part of the ongoing worldly process rather than final or transcendent realities.

In Buddhism, samsaric existence refers to the ongoing cycle of birth and death that beings undergo until they realize enlightenment. It is characterized by dukkha (suffering) and conditioned experience, sustained by craving, ignorance, and karmic action. Liberation from samsara is the attainment of nirvana. In Hinduism and Jainism, samsara similarly denotes the cycle of birth and return, with liberation achieved through various paths and practices particular to each tradition (moksha in Hinduism; kevala jnana and other attainments in Jainism). The term samsaric therefore signals worldly, conditioned, or ordinary aspects of existence that remain subject to change and rebirth.

In modern usage, samsaric can also describe worldly concerns or experiences in contrast to spiritual or transcendent aims, reflecting its broader sense as the realm of ordinary becoming.