37. Patañjali: Yogasūtra
A Sourcebook in Global Philosophy - Mohammed Rustom
Christopher Key Chapple [+]
Loyola Marymount University
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Description
The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali consists of four chapters that describe the principles and practices of Yoga. It begins with a definition of Yoga: calming the fluctuations of mind. Through Yoga practices such as devotion, recitation of mantra, and reflection on dreams, one can train the mind to become focused and unruffled. Five difficulties or karmic afflictions vitiate the human condition: ignorance of one’s true self, egotism, attraction, repulsion, and craving for experience. By stepping away from identification with these, one can enter a state of stability and stillness. Patañjali prescribes an eightfold Yoga path. The first phase requires the cultivation of nonviolence, truth, honesty, appropriate sexual conduct, and minimization of possessions. The second phase brings about purity, happiness, self-control, studiousness, and devotion. One masters the ability to sit comfortably for a long period of time in the third phase and control over breathing process in the fourth phase, leading one into a state of inwardness, the fifth stage of Yoga. The inner limbs of Yoga include concentration, meditation, and a rarefied, unified state of mind known as samādhi. Mastery of Yoga brings many benefits, including strength, beauty, and freedom. Yoga philosophy and practices can be found in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.