Samskaras are tendencies inherited from previous births which form a person's propensities in this life.

In Hinduism, the samskaras are the purificatory rites to be performed by a person during rites of passage.

In Buddhism, samskaras depend on ignorance and are the condition of the consciousness, vijnana. See Pratitya Samutpada. In early Buddhism the pali term sankhara is used, denoting a complex causal structure involved in kamma and dependent arising. Saṃskāra Hành (Phật giáo)