Samsāra Skt., lit. “journeying.” The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, to which every human being is subject so long as we live in ignorance and do not know our identity with brahman.
The “cycle of existences,” a succession of rebirths that a being goes through within the various modes of existence (gati) until it has attained liberation and entered nirvāna. Imprisonment in samsāra is conditioned by the three “unwholesome roots” (akushala): hatred (dvesha), desire or craving (trishnā), and delusion (avidyā). The type of rebirth within samsāra is determined by the karma of the being. In the Mahāyāna, samsāra refers to the phenomenal world and is considered to be essentially identical with nirvāna.
The essential unity of samsāra and nirvāna is based on the view that everything is a mental representation, and thus samsāra and nirvāna are nothing other than labels without real substance, i.e., they are empty (shūnyatā). To the extent that one does not relate to the phenomenal aspect of the world but rather its true nature, samsāra and nirvāna are not different from one another.
The chain of existences is without a knowable beginning. The Buddha never indulged in speculations concerning the beginning of samsāra, since he did not regard this as helpful for the attainment of liberation. Departure from samsāra through entry into nirvāna is only possible during rebirth as a human being. In all other forms of existence, beings cannot end the cyclical process because they cannot recognize desire and ignorance as the driving forces of samsāra and thus overcome them.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Samsāra documents
Books on Samsāra
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