THE SANSKARA
What is a sanskara? Where did the sanskara comes from? What came before the beginning of the first sankara?
Broadcast Infinite The First Sanskara
The Buddha's Wheel:
In dependence upon such spiritual ignorance, the sanskaras, 'karma formations', arise. This is illustrated by the potter throwing pots on a wheel. These 'karma formations' are our deeply-rooted habits. According to the Buddha, avidya, the state of spiritual ignorance, is akin to drunkenness. The sanskaras are like the actions we perform in that state. They are our unenlightened propensities. Under their sway we do, say, and think all kinds of things that we may even consider to be wise but we have seen drunks who think they are wise.
The sanskaras are the energetic forces that create the well-worn tracks down which our lives precede; they form the paths of least resistance that we tend unconsciously to follow. Looking back over time, we can recognize the habitual unfolding patterns that mark out the general drift and tendency of our lives. These are the signs that point to our deep underlying sanskaras - the whole mass of our unconscious habits.