The Origins of Yoga and Tantra

The Origins of Yoga and Tantra PDF Author: Geoffrey Samuel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139470213
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.

The Origins of Yoga and Tantra

The Origins of Yoga and Tantra PDF Author: Geoffrey Samuel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139470213
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
Yoga, tantra and other forms of Asian meditation are practised in modernized forms throughout the world today, but most introductions to Hinduism or Buddhism tell only part of the story of how they developed. This book is an interpretation of the history of Indic religions up to around 1200 CE, with particular focus on the development of yogic and tantric traditions. It assesses how much we really know about this period, and asks what sense we can make of the evolution of yogic and tantric practices, which were to become such central and important features of the Indic religious scene. Its originality lies in seeking to understand these traditions in terms of the total social and religious context of South Asian society during this period, including the religious practices of the general population with their close engagement with family, gender, economic life and other pragmatic concerns.

Yoga Spandakarika

Yoga Spandakarika PDF Author: Daniel Odier
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1620554410
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 171

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Book Description
Translation and commentary of one of the most important texts of the Kashmirian Shivaism tradition of Tantra • Author was a student of the late Kalu Rinpoche • Explores the transmission of Mahamudra, the Great Cosmic Gesture • Includes the Vijnanabhaïrava Tantra, which contains the totality of the oldest source text on Yoga The Spandakarika, the "Tantric Song of the Divine Pulsation," is said to have been transmitted directly to the sage Vasugupta from the hands of Shiva on Mount Kailas. In his commentary on these fifty-two stanzas, the sage Ksemaraja described them as the heart of the Mahamudra. The oldest masters of Spandakarika viewed everything in the universe, including matter, as consciousness and created a yoga practice in accordance with this realization. The sacred dance of Yoga Spandakarika, Tandava, is extremely subtle and difficult, requiring thousands of hours of practice to master, yet it surpasses any other physical practice, allowing the practitioner to touch the divine inner pulse. Once its third stage has been mastered, the yogi or yogini is able to manifest the dance of Shiva in space, a tradition visible in the statuary of Tantric temples in India and Tibet. Energy is no longer contracted by the perception of duality, and the mind and body become unbounded, forming a sphere that contains all that was formerly outside. In Yoga Spandakarika Daniel Odier passes on these vanishing teachings as he received them from his Tibetan master, Kalu Rinpoche, and Kashmiri yogi Lalita Devi.

The Encyclopedia of Yoga and Tantra

The Encyclopedia of Yoga and Tantra PDF Author: Georg Feuerstein
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611801850
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 473

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Book Description
The ever-increasing popularity of Yoga and related practices makes a desktop reference like this indispensible. With over twenty-five hundred entries and extensive illustrations, it combines comprehensiveness with accessibility. The book is arranged and written in a manner that will inform rather than overwhelm the lay reader, while at the same time offering valuable references for the professional researcher and the historian of religion. This new edition includes information about contemporary Yoga teachers. It also provides fuller descriptions and illustrations of Yoga poses, and features additional cross references.

A Brief History of Yoga

A Brief History of Yoga PDF Author: Ramesh Bjonnes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781881717638
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 152

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Book Description
Yoga is growing in popularity all over the world today, yet misconceptions about its original purpose and ancient roots abound. In this refreshing tale of the history of yoga, the author unveils the true heart of the tradition. A Brief History of Yoga is essential reading for all those who care about the past and future evolution of yoga.

A Genealogy of Devotion

A Genealogy of Devotion PDF Author: Patton E. Burchett
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231548834
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 468

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Book Description
In this book, Patton E. Burchett offers a path-breaking genealogical study of devotional (bhakti) Hinduism that traces its understudied historical relationships with tantra, yoga, and Sufism. Beginning in India’s early medieval “Tantric Age” and reaching to the present day, Burchett focuses his analysis on the crucial shifts of the early modern period, when the rise of bhakti communities in North India transformed the religious landscape in ways that would profoundly affect the shape of modern-day Hinduism. A Genealogy of Devotion illuminates the complex historical factors at play in the growth of bhakti in Sultanate and Mughal India through its pivotal interactions with Indic and Persianate traditions of asceticism, monasticism, politics, and literature. Shedding new light on the importance of Persian culture and popular Sufism in the history of devotional Hinduism, Burchett’s work explores the cultural encounters that reshaped early modern North Indian communities. Focusing on the Rāmānandī bhakti community and the tantric Nāth yogīs, Burchett describes the emergence of a new and Sufi-inflected devotional sensibility—an ethical, emotional, and aesthetic disposition—that was often critical of tantric and yogic religiosity. Early modern North Indian devotional critiques of tantric religiosity, he shows, prefigured colonial-era Orientalist depictions of bhakti as “religion” and tantra as “magic.” Providing a broad historical view of bhakti, tantra, and yoga while simultaneously challenging dominant scholarly conceptions of them, A Genealogy of Devotion offers a bold new narrative of the history of religion in India.

Tantra Yoga

Tantra Yoga PDF Author: Nik Douglas
Publisher: New Delhi : Munshiram Manoharlal
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description
Illustrations: Numerous Colour Illustrations Description: Tantra Yoga is a way of life...a practice based upon the philosophy of Human Experience, by means of which the Wisdom of Reality can become a part of one's innermost Nature. The Tantra is the way of the Yogi-Mystic of the East, who, through practice of this Yoga, is able to transmute the normal Mortal-Consciousness into Cosmic-Consciousness , and so experience the Blissful Joys of Reality. This book summarizes the tradition of Tantra Yoga from its origin and development in the earliest times to the present. The spread of tantrism...Animist, Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sufic...from the original centres to Tibet, and thence to the West, is discussed, and the influence of this special esoteric teaching on both science and religion, is indicated. The philosophical, psychological and practical aspects of Tantra Yoga are presented, with detailed chapters on the Tantric Cosmology, Theory of Evolution, Concept of Vibration, Alchemy, Symbolism, Ritual, Rite and Sadhana (Yoga practice). Light is shed on the problems and joys which underlie the experience of life, and practical methods are indicated for overcoming the obscuring factors and for attaining the Tantric Realization. The symbolism and esoteric language is indicated and explained through the medium of sixty six beautiful colour plates, and the explanations are clarified and supported by quotations from relevant authoritative texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Tibetan Book of the Dead, Hevajra Tantra, Mahanirvana Tantra and original texts, as also from the works of leading scholars. This book is a concise guide through the inner principles and outer practices of Tantra Yoga.

A History of Modern Yoga

A History of Modern Yoga PDF Author: Elizabeth De Michelis
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0826487726
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
Please note: We can't take UK web orders at this time, but further information can be obtained by emailing [email protected]. US web orders are available now.

Mind, Body and Culture

Mind, Body and Culture PDF Author: Geoffrey Samuel
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521374111
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
The author draws on his background in physics to suggest a scientific approach to aspects of human behaviour which have been traditionally described as cultural or social.

Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth

Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth PDF Author: Stephen Phillips
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231144857
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
For serious yoga practitioners curious to know the ancient origins of the art, Phillips lays out the philosophy of action, knowledge, and devotion, as well as the processes of meditation, reasoning, and self-analysis, that formed the basis of yoga in ancient and classical India.

The Sacred Tradition of Yoga

The Sacred Tradition of Yoga PDF Author: Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 1611801729
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
A guide to personal discipline and social ethics from a classical Sanskrit scholar, designed for the modern yoga practitioner. In today’s complex world, how is it possible to truly live as a yogi? Traditional yoga theory offers fresh, insightful solutions to today’s practical lifestyle concerns, ranging from environmentalism to personal health and wellness. Tuning into classic yoga philosophy and teachings can bring to light our greatest strengths while showing us how to maintain a healthy body and clear mind while attaining inner happiness. Drawing from his personal experiences of yoga and insight into ancient Sanskrit texts, Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois connects yogic philosophy to how we approach food, work, education, relationships, and other conscious lifestyle choices to support our deepest longings for happiness, peace, and balance. Practical and insightful, The Sacred Tradition of Yoga begins with a clear and deep inquiry into the human condition, reminding us of true purpose of Yoga. The second half of the book focuses on the yamas and niyamas, the personal disciplines and social ethics of yoga. Throughout, Dr. Jois’ teachings honor ancient traditions and underscore the benefits we can gain from adopting a yogic way of life in the modern world.