Samskara

Samskara names the subtle impression left in the mind by an action, thought, or experience, particularly when repeated, forming a groove that makes the same thought or action easier to repeat the next time.

This is close to what contemporary language might call a habit or a neural pathway, though the classical concept extends further, treating samskaras as accumulated across a lifetime, or across lives, shaping tendency and temperament well before conscious choice enters the picture.

The practical significance is straightforward even without accepting the full metaphysics: what is repeated, in thought or action, becomes easier, and what is avoided becomes harder. Practice, in this light, is largely the deliberate cultivation of certain samskaras and the deliberate starving of others.

From the Editors' Desk, Shastra Digest.