Samskara

Latent impressions recorded in citta by every experience. They function as mental grooves that condition future perceptions, reactions, and tendencies.

Every action leaves a samskara; samskaras generate vrttis (thoughts); vrttis produce actions — creating a cycle that perpetuates behavioral patterns. This mechanism explains habits, karmic tendencies, and the sense of a stable personality.

Meditative practice not only quiets surface vrttis, but gradually dissolves deep samskaras, freeing consciousness from its conditioning.