Saṅkhāra
| Translations of saṅkhāra | |
|---|---|
| English | formations volitional formations volitional activities |
| Sanskrit | संस्कार (saṃskāra) |
| Pali | संखार (saṅkhāra) |
| Bengali | সংস্কার |
| Burmese | သင်္ခါရ (MLCTS: θɪ̀ɰ̃kʰàja̰) |
| Chinese | 行 (Pinyin: xíng) |
| Japanese | 行 (Rōmaji: gyō) |
| Khmer | សង្ខារ (UNGEGN: Sângkhar; ALA-LC: Sangkhār) |
| Korean | 행 (RR: haeng) |
| Sinhala | සංස්කාර (saṃskāra) |
| Tibetan | འདུ་བྱེད་ ('du.byed) |
| Tagalog | ᜐᜅ᜔ᜃᜎ (sankhala) |
| Thai | สังขาร (RTGS: sangkhan) |
| Vietnamese | 行 (hành) tạo tác |
| Glossary of Buddhism | |
Saṅkhāra (Pali; संखार; Sanskrit: संस्कार or saṃskāra) is a term figuring prominently in Buddhism. The word means 'formations'[1] or 'that which has been put together' and 'that which puts together'.
In the first (passive) sense, saṅkhāra refers to conditioned phenomena generally but specifically to all mental "dispositions".[2] These are called 'volitional formations' both because they are formed as a result of volition and because they are causes for the arising of future volitional actions.[3] English translations for saṅkhāra in the first sense of the word include 'conditioned things,'[4] 'determinations,'[5] 'fabrications'[6] and 'formations' (or, particularly when referring to mental processes, 'volitional formations').[7]
In the second (active) sense of the word, saṅkhāra refers to karma (sankhara-khandha) that leads to conditioned arising, dependent origination.[8][9]
According to the Vijnanavada school,[1] there are 51 samskaras or mental factors.[10]
- ^ a b Thich Nhat Hahn (2015). The Heart of Buddha's Teaching. New York: Harmony. pp. 73–74.
- ^ David Kalupahana, "A History of Buddhist Philosophy." University of Hawaii Press, 1992, page 71.
- ^ "The word saṅkhatam is explained in various ways. But in short it means something that is made up, prepared, or concocted by way of intention." Katukurunde Ñāṇānanda, in "The Mind Stilled: 33 Lectures on Nibbāna," p. 42, online at http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net.
- ^ See Piyadassi (1999). This is also suggested, for instance, by Bodhi (2000), p. 46, who in writing about one sense of saṅkhāra states: 'In the widest sense, saṅkhāra comprises all conditioned things, everything arisen from a combination of conditions.'
- ^ According to Bodhi (2000), p. 44, 'determinations' was used by Ven. Ñāṇamoli in his Majjhima Nikaya manuscripts that ultimately were edited by Bodhi. (In the published volume, Bodhi changed Ñāṇamoli's word choice to "formations.")
- ^ See, for instance, Thanissaro (1997b).
- ^ See the extended discussion at Bodhi (2000), pp. 44-47. Other translations considered by but ultimately rejected by Bodhi include 'constructions' (p. 45) and 'activities' (p. 45, especially to highlight the kammic aspect of saṅkhāra).
- ^ William S Waldron (2003). The Buddhist Unconscious: The Alaya-vijñana in the Context of Indian Buddhist Thought. Routledge. pp. 102–112. ISBN 978-1-134-42886-1.
- ^ See, for instance, Bodhi (2000), p. 45:
- Saṅkhāra is derived from the prefix saṃ (=con), "together," and the verb karoti, "to make." The noun straddles both sides of the active-passive divide. Thus saṅkhāras are both things which put together, construct and compound other things, and the things that are put together, constructed, and compounded.
- ^ "51 Mental Formations". Plum Village. 2013-11-23. Retrieved 2019-06-30.