Samsara

Samsara

संसार, saṃsāra

Samsara (sansara) is one of the fundamental concepts in dharmic religions, it means the cycle of rebirth in the worlds constrained by maya, and is closely related to the concept of karma.

The term comes from the root saṃsṛ "to walk in a circle", "to wander through", "to go to something", "to go through a certain sequence of states". The concept of samsara develops in the early Upanishads, although the prerequisites for the formation of this concept can be found in the Vedas. One of the earliest mentions of the word samsara can be found in “Katha Upanishad” (1.3.7):

yastvavijñānavānbhavatyamanaskaḥ sadā'śuciḥ । 
na sa tatpadamāpnoti sam̐ sāraṃ cādhigacchati ॥ 7 ॥

But one who is always impure, since his mind has no discernment and the mind is not under control, does not achieve the purpose (Supreme Brahman), but moves in samsara.

Samsara arises from avidya caused by maya, is ignorance of the highest nature of one's self and identification with ahamkara, as a result of which the manifested illusory world is perceived by the jiva as true. The Jiva, constrained by avidya, strives for sense gratification and tries to avoid suffering, for which he performs actions (karma). The consequences of this karma are the fetters that keep jiva living in samsara, since all the fruits of past actions have to be worked out by the jiva in the future.

The fruits of karma can manifest themselves both in the current incarnation and in subsequent ones. Thus, the actions performed in the current and past incarnations determine the position in which the jiva finds himself in the next incarnation.

In the circle of samsara, jivas naturally go through stages of development through various forms of life, ranging from the mineral kingdom through the kingdom of microorganisms, plants and animals to the human species, so it takes a very large number of incarnations. The incarnation of jiva in human form is of key importance on this path. The continuous cycle of reincarnation in samsara is invariably associated with suffering, which the jiva so wants to avoid, while sensual pleasures, in turn, do not bring permanent happiness, which the jiva strives for, because they are temporary, like everything in the manifested dual reality.

Incarnation in human form is considered very favorable, since a person, having gained some experience from past lives, has a sufficiently developed consciousness to realize that his need for happiness cannot be satisfied by sensual means, and he cannot prevent a series of sufferings by his actions. Jiva begins to notice the connection between his past actions and their fruits, and the search for satisfaction gradually moves from the material sphere to the spiritual one.

Jiva, having gained sufficient experience of being in samsara, at some point comes across a teaching that sheds light on the true nature of his "I" – Atman. From this moment on, the jiva can consciously make efforts to achieve the only truth of need – the unity of the individual and the absolute – Jivatma and Paramatma.

Guru plays a key role in this process. Being a manifestation of the absolute spiritual reality, Guru serves as a spiritual guide in the ocean of samsara, an ideal for students. Guru regulates and directs the practice, by his grace the disciple gradually becomes purer, the fruits of his karma are incrementally burned, and thanks to the right course of action, new karma is created less and less. By Guru’s grace, the jiva, following the highest guidelines and making efforts in sadhana, can eventually exhaust the accumulated karma for all incarnations, purify himself from malas (impurities), and, through realization the identity of Jivatma and Paramatma, achieve moksha.