Samskara

An Indian philosophy, samskara, can simply be described as the psychological imprints each of us have based on genetic or life-conditioning habits or traits we possess.  Rebirth is an expectation in the Hindu tradition, this endless cycle of birth, death, re-birth, re-death is the premise of samskara. Karma drives this cycle depending on the causal nature of a person’s actions during life.

Throughout our lives, we can examine our samskaras and work to exclude or enhance the behaviors we demonstrate from these mental impressions.  Since samskaras reside in the unconscious, it is only by intentional awareness and self-reflection with emotional mindfulness, that we can work on these. Samskaras can be either maladaptive or adaptive, and subconsciously guide behavior (Park, 2022).

These impressions are the influence of genetic and evolutionary memory, from past lives to the current. It is believed that we should distance ourselves from these memories to move into rebirth with a higher likelihood of leaving maladaptive patterns behind.  This is a tradition in India and the process of performing a samskara is an attempt to clean the memory for the past three generations. The term samskara is used both for the mental impressions and the ritual that is performed by the individual such as yoga practices during life, or a death ritual performed by loved ones after the person’s death (n.d., Sadhguru, 2018).  The practice of yoga to remove samskaras includes meditation, breathing exercises, certain yoga poses, and chanting.

In Hindu tradition, when a loved one is dying the family members attempt to create a spiritual environment for this person to give them a chance in their final moments to focus on their faith. These rituals provide comfort both for the dying and the family who understand the end of one life and the beginnings of a new life based on the results of prior karmas (Chaitanya, 2007). Karma is an action or intent people choose and this leaves a samskara, or imprint, in the human mind.

The mourning period is typically observed for thirteen days.  Each day has a specific ritual that is performed culminating in the final day when it is believed the soul is departed fully to continue the journey to the next life.  After the thirteenth day, there are other rituals performed for a period of one year to observe customs consistent with bereavement, but in a less intense manner (Chaitanya, 2007). The family avoids gaiety and functions such as weddings or social gatherings.

As a society in the United States, we tend to fall into the rut of wanting more, needing more, working harder, and forgetting what is truly important which is our limited time on earth and the learning process. Falling into the pull of destructive samskaras is too easy but we can also struggle just trying to create a healthier lifestyle by trying too hard (Forbes, 2021). Focused intention is the first step in the journey to look inward and outward at our own samskaras to determine negative patterns and behaviors and work towards transforming them into positive patterns and behaviors. Although we do not practice the Hindu death rituals, we can learn from the traditions and philosophies to change our inner resources for positive changes. Letting go of maladaptive patterns in this life and changing our mental imprints can benefit us in this life and into the next.

References

Chaitanya, S.D. (2007). Bereavement and Final Samskara (Antyesti) in Hindu Tradition.  Retrieved from https://samhin.org/wp-content/uploads/Bereavement-and-Final-Samskara-in-Hindu-Tradition.pdf

Forbes, B. (2021). Stuck in a Rut? Retrieved from: https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/balance/stuck-rut/

n.d. Sadhguru (2018). Dispelling the Shadow of the Dead. Retrieved from: https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/wisdom/article/dispelling-shadow-dead

Park, T. (2022). Samskaras: Unveiling Our Hidden Habit Patterns.  Retrieved from: https://www.yogabasics.com/connect/yoga-blog/samskaras-unraveling-the-conditioned-self/