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Ep. 127
In this lecture, we explore Patañjali’s Yoga-Sūtra — one of the most rigorous philosophies of mind ever produced in the ancient world. What you’ll discover:
• Why modern yoga bears almost no resemblance to what Patañjali actually wrote • The shocking truth: only 3 out of 196 aphorisms address physical postures • The core formula: citta-vṛtti-nirodha — yoga as cessation, not exercise • The Sāṃkhya dualism beneath everything: puruṣa (consciousness) vs. prakṛti (matter) • How liberation (kaivalya) means standing alone — not union, not bliss • One person or two? The scholarly puzzle behind the name Patañjali • Why ethical practice precedes meditation — and why you can’t shortcut the path
This isn’t wellness advice. It’s metaphysics about the nature of self, suffering, and what it means to be genuinely free. Questions Western philosophy didn’t seriously tackle until the twentieth century — and in some respects, still hasn’t answered as precisely.
Whether you’re studying Indian philosophy, comparative religion, consciousness studies, or just wondering what got lost when yoga went global, this lecture gives you the text on its own terms.
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#Philosophy #YogaSutra #Patanjali #IndianPhilosophy #Consciousness #Metaphysics #EasternPhilosophy #Stoicism #Meditation