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Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Mystical Life And Altered Consciousness: Comparing The Subtle Paths And Trance States Of St. Teresa And Patañjali, Dana Tarasavage
Mystical Life And Altered Consciousness: Comparing The Subtle Paths And Trance States Of St. Teresa And Patañjali, Dana Tarasavage
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
The study of mysticism is said to be the study of the ineffable, and thus by its nature, difficult to define. Yet the structured paths and trance states described by St. Teresa of Ávila in Interior Castle and Patañjali in the Yoga Sūtra demonstrate meticulous and thoughtful explanation of mystical practices and phenomena. This paper situates these texts, mystic guidebooks in their respective traditions, in conversation, examining and comparing the path towards, experience within, and the effect of mystical trances. It employs a balanced approach to essentialism and highlights the shared features of mystical life as a vantage point from …
How Release Informs Practice: Nonattachment As A Key To The Yogic Techniques Of Patañjali’S Yoga Sūtra, Dana Tarasavage
How Release Informs Practice: Nonattachment As A Key To The Yogic Techniques Of Patañjali’S Yoga Sūtra, Dana Tarasavage
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
This paper explores the relationship between practice and nonattachment in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra (YS). I examine these concepts in their original context and then view them through a modern lens, arguing that the application of nonattachment alongside yogic practices holds the key to fruitful spiritual exploration. My research shows that nonattachment is more than a secondary consideration to the main element of practice; instead, the intentionally paradoxical pairing offers nuance and grounding for a holistic Yoga practice. I begin by establishing the goal of the YS, explore the context of practice and nonattachment within it, consider how …
Cease & Desist Or A Doorway To The Soul: Sensing Your Way To Spirituality, Christine Gabaly
Cease & Desist Or A Doorway To The Soul: Sensing Your Way To Spirituality, Christine Gabaly
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
This paper will argue that yoga is not just a mind-body practice, but a spiritual practice that is experienced through the body and the senses, including sight, sound and physical sensation. This is of importance because most of the emphasis within yoga scholarship is on the mind as the doorway to spiritual practice and not the sensory experience as the key to opening the door. We will look at two important passages within The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali and The Bhagavad Gītā, and compare how they differ. We will also analyze two spiritual doorways: the mind and the …
Yoga And Brahmavihārā: Expanding The Concept Of Self To Include Others”, John Paul Gauer
Yoga And Brahmavihārā: Expanding The Concept Of Self To Include Others”, John Paul Gauer
Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies
Yoga is a method that practitioners use to expand their sense of self. According to Stuart Ray Sarbacker, yoga has been used to attempt two types of goals: the numinous which bestows special powers upon the practitioner, and the cessative which brings the process of saṃsāra, the endless cycle of rebirth, to an end. Both of these are goals that are focused on an individual self. In modern American yoga, a commodified practice has served to solidify the sense of individualized self by focusing solely on the body-based practices such as āsana. But yoga has a history of …