''Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya'' ("Compendium of Yoga views") is a 228-verse Sanskrit work on

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

by the Jain

Śvetāmbara The Śvetāmbara (; also spelled Shwetambara, Shvetambara, Svetambara or Swetambara) is one of the two main branches of Jainism, the other being the Digambara. ''Śvetāmbara'' in Sanskrit means "white-clad", and refers to its ascetics' practi ...

philosopher Acharya Haribhadrasuri yakini putra ( 5th century CE). It is a particularly informative work of comparative religion which analyzes the various philosophical views (''drishtis'') and practices of post-

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

Buddhists, Hindus and Jains on Yoga and draws on them to present a uniquely Jaina form of Yoga, with an eightfold division. While retaining his Jain identity, Acharya Haribhadra also promotes a form of

religious pluralism Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religion, religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and Religious tolerance, tolerating the religio ...

, perennialism and a respect for different religious traditions. He writes that though they have different names, the teachings of those who have achieved liberation (

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

, kevala) are grounded on a common truth. For Haribhadra: "''Perhaps the teaching is one, but there are various people who hear it.'' ''On account of the inconceivable merit it bestows, it shines forth in various ways.''" (YDS 136) He also writes that "There could never be a single road to different cities". (YDS 114) Haribhadra uses the

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' (IAST: Patañjali yoga-sūtra) is a compilation "from a variety of sources" of Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyasa, Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sut ...

to develop his system of Jain meditation and Yoga. He compares Patanjali's system of eightfold yoga with three other systems, a Buddhist Yoga attributed to a certain Bhadanta Bhāskara, Vedanta Yoga system attributed to Bandhu Bhagavaddatta, and Haribhadra's own Jain Yoga system. The eightfold Yoga system promoted by Haribhadra has the following eight yogas: *Friendly (Mitrā) – Respect for and emulation of the wise – yamas *Protector (Tārā) – Performing service – niyama *Power (Balā) – Control of posture and passions or

asana An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...

*Shining (Dīprā) – Control of breath –

pranayama Pranayama (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम, "Prāṇāyāma") is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In classical yoga, the breath is associated with '' prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the ''prana-shakti'', or life en ...

*Firm (Sthirā) – Inwardness – pratyahara *Pleasing (Kāntā) – Concentration – dharana *Radiant (Prabhā) – Meditative absorption – dhyana *Highest (Parā) – Samadhi, ''ayoga kevala'', "highest

" Haribhadra compares and correlates these eight facets of his Jain yoga with the three other systems. He also attempts to map them into the older Jain system of stages of spiritual growth and development – the gunasthana. The first yoga for example, is seen as encompassing the fourth through the seventh gunasthana. While Acharya Haribhadra is liberal with his overview of various Yoga traditions, he remains committed to the

Jain philosophy Jain philosophy or Jaina philosophy refers to the Ancient India, ancient Indian Indian philosophy, philosophical system of the Jainism, Jain religion. It comprises all the Philosophy, philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that dev ...

and criticizes other Yoga systems for not being complete or for being false. He equally critiques Buddhist theories of momentariness and Hindu monism. He also engages against particular Yoga practices he considers misguided, such as

Tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ...

and elaborate sacrifices, which he argues offer little spiritual advancement.Chapple, Christopher; ''Reconciling Yogas: Haribhadra's Collection of Views on Yoga'', 2003, page 18

Bibliography

*Haribhadra. ''Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya'', ed. and trans. K. K. Dixit, Ahmedabad, 1970.

Notes

External links

Yogadrstisamuccaya of Haribhadra Suri (Study)
by Riddhi J. Shah (2014) {{Indian Philosophy Ancient Indian literature Jain texts Ancient yoga texts 4th-century books

See also

Bibliography

Notes

External links