1. The Yoga-Sutra I Asian Religions Berger

2. Origins and Development of Yoga  Origins and Influences of Yoga Practice  Possible origins in pre-Aryan India (2000 BCE)  Early Upanisads, Jainism, Buddhism (500-400 BCE)  Yoga-sutra compiled by Patanjali (200 BCE-200 CE)  Development of hatha and tantra yoga (600-1500)  “yoga” = connection of consciousness to self

3. Eight “Limbs” of Yoga Practice  Restraint from practices harmful to self/others  Virtues of moral character  Posture  Breath-control  Restraint of the senses  Concentration  Meditative absorption  Perfect Knowledge

4. Yoga-Sutra, Book I  Stopping the mind’s fluctuations (p. 60)  Mind as a material organ, having natural qualities  Illumination, activity and inertia  Virtue or ultimate wisdom effects of yoga  Distinguishing mind from consciousness (p. 60)  Object-filled mind mistakes self for consciousness  Consciousness as light that illuminates mind

5. Yoga-Sutra, Book I  Five kinds of mental modifications (p. 61)  Knowledge, illusion, delusion are object-directed  Deep sleep and recollection not caused by objects, but self/other  The relation of knowledge to release (p. 62)  Detachment leads to fulfillment  Detachment leads to release of self from bodily existence  Devotion to God as “eternally liberated one” (pp. 63-64)  God as object of “one-pointed” meditation  God as being who was never trapped in bodily existence

6. Yoga-Sutra, Book I  Impure and Pure Engrossment (pp. 65-66)  Stable, reflective mind colored by proximate objects  Gross object-directed mind limited by object  Subtle (word) object directed mind limited by words  Pure mind directed toward no objects  Meditation, direct experience, not scripture (pp. 67-68)

7. Reading for Next Class  Gandhi (pp. 156-165)