samskaras

Samskara, from the Sanskrit samskāra, broadly means “making perfect” or “refinement.” In Indian thought the term has two principal senses that are related but distinct: as mental impressions formed by past actions, and as rites of passage marking key life stages in Hindu practice.

In philosophy and psychology, samskara refers to vasanas or latent mental impressions stored in the subtle mind that condition current thoughts, desires, and behavior. These impressions arise from actions, influence character, shape future choices, and help determine karma and even rebirth. They can be positive or negative and are said to be transformed or diminished through ethical conduct, self-knowledge, meditation, and spiritual discipline.

In Hinduism, samskaras also designate rites of passage, ritual sacraments that sanctify stages of life and align a person with dharma. Traditional lists enumerate various rites—often cited as sixteen major rites—such as ceremonies marking conception, naming, the first solid food, initiation, marriage, and funeral rites. The exact number and naming vary by lineage and text, but the general aim is to purify, nurture duty, and integrate the individual into social and spiritual order.

The term thus embodies a dual idea: the enduring imprints of actions that shape inner life, and the outward ceremonies that sanctify and organize a person’s life within a religious and social framework. In Buddhist contexts, sankhara denotes mental formations, another related usage of the broader concept.