samsara

[suhm-sahr-uh]

noun

1. Buddhism.,  the process of coming into existence as a differentiated, mortal creature.

2. Hinduism.,  the endless series of births, deaths, and rebirths to which all beings are subject.

samsara

/ səmˈsɑːrə /

noun

1. Hinduism the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth

2. Buddhism the transmigration or rebirth of a person

Word History and Origins

Origin of samsara¹

First recorded in 1885–90, samsara is from the Sanskrit word samsāra literally, running together

Word History and Origins

Origin of samsara¹

Sanskrit, literally: a passing through, from sam altogether + sarati it runs

Example Sentences

Extending this irony, the affluence of the TED crowd is a good part of what the Buddha meant by samsara, the world of craving, grasping, clinging, and consequent suffering.

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And not only like humans: In the cycle of life known as samsara, your consciousness, or that of a loved one, might have once been born in animal form.

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In short, human beings dwell, as the Buddhists say, in the realm of samsara, bound to a repeated cycle of desire and suffering.

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Buddhists believe that as part of the samsara life and death cycle, dogs and cats – as well as elephants and horses – can potentially be reincarnated as humans.

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Jesus simplified it so that we can be “reborn” in this lifetime and, if we live right afterwards, escape samsara by entering “Heaven”.

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