samsara

The term, which translates literally to 'wandering,' refers to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth maintained by karma in Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Liberation (moksha, nirvana, kaivalya) from this process of transmigration is conceived as going beyond samsara or as realizing that it is an illusion. Although the origin of the concept of samsara is a contentious subject, it is, like karma, probably of non-Vedic or heterodox origin.