Philosophy

Sutra is a Sanskrit word meaning “string” or “thread” and refers to an aphoristic style of writing found in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist texts of the Ancient and Medieval period. Literacy at this time was virtually nonexistent and printing technology barely inchoate. These ancient practitioners thus took great pains to string each Sanskrit character onto proto-paper made from the leaves of the tala tree. These leaves were then strung together with a thread.

Igor is an Advaita Tantrik teacher.

There are Five Samskaras of a Yogi: five ways to engage the practice based on our past karmas and mental impressions. Each of these brings with it a particular desired outcome, which informs the appropriate practice. For example, am I yoking or unyoking? Am I finding God as an aspect of myself, or am I in relationship to God as separate from myself? Is this my duty or my desire? As a result, each type of yogi will endorse or focus on particular aspects of the primary philosophical texts du jour, the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita.

To help address the mental challenges so many people face today, I categorized the basic tenets of yoga psychology into five broad principles.

Hari-kirtana is a yoga philosophy teacher and author.

The word “enlightenment” is a translation of the German aufklärung, literally “up-clearing.”  For scholars, these words (both German and English) are effectively synonymous with the 18th Century, the “Age of Reason.” The metaphor of clarification or aufklärung was used by intellectuals of that time to describe their own project, of clearing away superstition to make room for scientific liberal democracy.

Richard is the author of “The Dice Game of Shiva.”

Avidya—ignorance—is a deep habit of consciousness, but its one we can shift with intention, practice, and a lot of help from the universe.