Why Practice Yoga?

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Why Practice Yoga? 6/9/16 Indian Philosophy (Darshanas) What is Yoga? What are the main traditions? What are the main ‘styles’? Why practice yoga? 1 6/9/16 Where do we find the roots of Modern Yoga? Is Yoga Hindu? Shiva: the world’s first yogi According to the yogic lore, over fifteen thousand years ago, Shiva attained enlightenment and abandoned himself in an intense ecstatic dance upon the Himalayas. When his ecstasy allowed him some movement, he danced wildly. When it became beyond movement, he became utterly still. His students to be observed him and later became ‘Saptarishis’ – the Patriarc hs of the Vedic Religion. 2 6/9/16 Hinduism • One of the world’s oldest major religions • More than 720 million Hindus • Ancestors were the Aryas • No known founder • Consequently evolved greatly • Spiritual texts are the basis • Hindu texts are classified into Sruti (revealed) and Smriti (remembered) FOUR GOALS OF LIFE • Kama – satisfying the desire for sense pleasure (urge common to human & animal) • Artha – acquisition of worldly possessions or money (humans) • Dharma – prescribes the "eternal" duties all Hindus have to follow, regardless of class, caste, or sect, such as honesty, purity, and self- restraint • Moksha – liberation achieved through God realisation (divinity equally present in all but not equally manifest) Hindu Beliefs: GOD • Originally Polytheistic: worshipped earth, water, fire, wind, sky, sun, dawn, night, thunderstorm. • Pure Consciousness / Spirit: from which the whole world evolved, Brahman. 3 6/9/16 Nirguna Brahma “God without attributes” • Beyond time and space • Limitless (therefore no personality) • Words & language are limited so God can not be explained in words Saguna Brahman “The absolute with Qualities” Many Names & Faces of God • Brahma (impersonal) • Worship of personal Gods – Ishvara / Saguna Brahman • When we think of the infinite with our finite mind we project our limitations onto Nirguna Brahma and then God appears finite or personified. • Nirguna Brahma gains a personality not unlike human personality • Ishvara / Gods are simple Nirguna Brahma perceived through the lense of a particular time 4 6/9/16 “"One ought to know the Supreme Spirit who is the ruler of all, subtler than subtlest, of resplendent glory, and capable of being realized only by the meditation of pure minded ones. Some call him Agni (fire); others call him Manu (thinker); and others Prajaapati (Lord of creations). Some again call him Indra (the glorious); others Praana (the vital life forces, Pancha praanas); and still others Brahma (the Great)" says Manu. Prakriti & Purusha • All gods are an instance of purusha • Purusha = Self, Consciousness, and Universal principle, purusha is eternal, indestructible, without form and all pervasive. Interchangeable with Brahman (in the Upanishads) • Prakriti: means ‘nature’. Goddesses are often a manifestation of prakriti. Prakriti composed of the three gunas. Gunas & Doshas • Three gunas are the (sattva rajas tamas) are the fundamental 'tendencies' of prakriti. • As they pertain to the body in Ayurveda they are called doshas. • The balance or imbalance of these doshas defines the prakriti or nature of one's body 5 6/9/16 Karmavada • Doctrine of cause and effect • ‘Karma’ means action (eg; Karma Yoga) • Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering. Now as a man is like this or like that, according as he acts and according as he behaves, so will he be; a man of good acts will become good, a man of bad acts, bad; he becomes pure by pure deeds, bad by bad deeds; And here they say that a person consists of desires, and as is his desire, so is his will; and as is his will, so is his deed; and whatever deed he does, that he will reap. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Rebirth / Reincarnation • Related to Karma • Samsara: Repeating cycle of birth life and death • Stuck in the cycle due to ignorance (avidya) of one’s true self • Because of the desire (kama) arises • Keeps us stuck in the cycle of samsara • Many ways out of this cycle…. 6 6/9/16 • The images in the hub of the wheel represent the three poisons of ignorance, attachment and aversion. • The second layer represents karma • The third layer represents the six realms of samsara • The fourth layer represents the twelve links of dependent origination • The fierce figure holding the wheel represents impermanence • The moon above the wheel represents liberation from samsara or cyclic existence. • The Buddha pointing to the moon indicates that liberation is possible. Moksha (vimoksha, vimukti and mukti) Emancipation, liberation, release from Samsara 7 6/9/16 Break (end of Workshop 1) Darshanas Refers to several schools of philosophical thought originating (but not confined to) India. Similarities Include: Te a c h i n g s o n Dh a r ma & Ways to attain emancipation (moksha) & Many Indian philosophers would begin of preface their work, or their commentaries in regards to how the philosophy benefits humanity A Brief History • Vedas (‘knowledge’)(pre 1500 BCE) • Upanishads (pre 500 BCE) • Buddha & Mahvira - Jainism (about 500 BCE) • Epics (pre 500 CE) • Yoga Sut ras (100-500 CE Gavin Flood, 2nd century - Ramakrishna) • Ta n t r a s (began to be compiled in 800 CE) • Hatha Yoga Pradipika (15th century) 8 6/9/16 Ways in which we can understand the development of Indian Philosophy • Formative Period (2500-800BCE) • The Speculative Period (800-400 BCE) • The Epic & Classical Period (400BCE-600 CE • The Medieval Period (600-1800 CE) • The Modern Period (1800-present) Formative Period (2500-800BCE) -Indus Valley Civilisation -Aryan Invasion? -Vedas (vionairies - rishis, drank soma) -Agni - transmits the offerings to the gods in the ritual fires during pujas Vedas (Means ‘knowledge’) The Vedas are thought to have three main stages or groups of texts: -the four Saṃhitās which praise varying deities; -the Brahmāṇas, which are concerned with ritual and ceremonies; and -the Arayakas and Upaniṣads which are largely philosophical and my stical treatises. 9 6/9/16 Samhitas • Rig Veda • Yajur Veda • Sama Veda • Athara Veda Rig Veda • Oldest of the four Vedas • Consists of 10,600 verses (collected into 10 books) of hymns and mantras used by the priests. • Hymns focus on pleasing the principal gods Indra (war, wind and rain), Agni (the sacrificial fire), Surga (the sun) and Varuna (the cosmic order) through ritual sacrifices. • Gods govern rain, wind, fire and war, and forgive wrongdoing (5.85.7) and mete out justice in the afterlife (1.97.1). Yajur Veda and Sama Veda • Yajur Veda - "Wisdom of the Sacrifical Formulas” • Sama Veda "Wisdom of the Chants” • Both are liturgical & consist primarily of selections from the Rig Veda. • Yajur Veda was used by priests & contains brief prose to accompany ritual acts. • Sama Veda chanted in fixed melodies by the priests. • Each contains about 2,000 verses. 10 6/9/16 Atharva Veda • Consists of 20 books of hymns and prose, reflecting the religious concerns of everyday life. • Set the Arharva Veda apart from the other Vedas, which focus on adoring the gods and performing the liturgy of sacrifice. • Prayers for long life, prosperity, curses, kingship, love (books 1-8). • Books 8-12 - cosmological hymns, marking a transition to the loftier philosophy of the Upanishads. The remainder of the books consist of magical and ritual formulas, including marriage and funeral practices. Brahmanas (Commentaries on the Vedas) • Explains the mythology and significance behind the Vedic rituals of the Samhitas. • Some detail regarding performance of rituals, but primarily concerned with the meanings of the rituals. • Presents worldview in which sacrifice is central to human life, religious goals, and even the continuation of the cosmos. • The Brahmanas hold the view that, if executed with shraddhaa (belief), the rituals will not fail. • Brahmanas - infallible power of correctly pronouncing the mantras • Some Brahmanas contain sections that are Upanishads in their own right. The Aranyakas • Meaning – “Forrest/Wilderness Books” or "belonging to the wilderness" • Discuss rites deemed not suitable for the village (thus the name “wilderness"). • They also prominently feature the word brahmana, here meaning the creative power behind of the rituals, and by extension, the cosmic order. 11 6/9/16 Upanishads An extension / rejection / critique of Vedas. (will discuss further in a moment) Role of the Vedas • Rituals are central to Hindu life • Vedas outline rituals for birth, death, marriage, thread ceremony etc. • Through enacting these rituals Brahmins are concerned with “the stability and welfare of the world” Sruti (revealed) not Smriti (remembered) Vedic Chanting Gayatri Mantra is a popular example of a Vedic Chant. 12 6/9/16 Speculative Period (800-400BCE) Philosophical & Metaphysical teachings of the Upanishads Everything is Brahman which is eternally present in the atman (god within us - or we are are (all) God) More than 200 Upanishads No fixed list as continually being composed (up until approx 1947) Upanishads “The Upaniṣads mark a significant turning point in Hindu philosophy because they question the rituals of the Ve d as and mark a move towards a more individual pursuit for liberation. The central philosophical tenet of the Upaniṣads is monism - that the underlying reality of all existence is thought to be brahman, the One, which is said to manifest in all people in the form of the ātman (our self/soul).” *Picture of Shankara - co mmentato r o n th e Upanishadsand founder of Advaita Vedanta • Brahman is "the infinite Spirit Source and fabric and core and destiny of all existence, both manifested and unmanifested and the formless infinite substratum and from whom the universe has grown". Brahman is the ultimate, both transcendent and immanent, the absolute infinite existence, the sum total of all that ever is, was, or shall be.
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