Georg Feuerstein (27 May 1947 – 25 August 2012) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Indologist Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

specializing in the philosophy and practice of

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

. Feuerstein authored over 30 books on

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...

, Yoga,

Tantra Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...

, and

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. He translated, among other traditional texts, the ''

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali The ''Yoga Sutras of Patañjali'' is a collection of Sanskrit sutras ( aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga – 195 sutras (according to Vyāsa and Krishnamacharya) and 196 sutras (according to others, including BKS Iyengar). The ...

'' and the '' Bhagavad Gita''.

Biography

Feuerstein was born in

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

, Germany. He moved to England to do his postgraduate research at Durham University and subsequently lived for 23 years in the United States. In 2004, Georg and his wife and spiritual partner, Brenda L Feuerstein, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada and in 2012 he became a citizen of Canada, where he died 25 August 2012 due to complications from

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

. He was an early Life member of the Indian Academy of Yoga at

Benares Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU) IAST: kāśī hindū viśvavidyālaya IPA: /kaːʃiː hɪnd̪uː ʋɪʃwəʋid̪jaːləj/), is a collegiate, central, and research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and founded in 1916. ...

Reception

Historian of religions

Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade (; – April 22, 1986) was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religiou ...

called Feuerstein's ''The Philosophy of Classical Yoga'', "one of the most profound and original contributions to the understanding of classical yoga". His books ''Tantra: Path of Ecstasy'' and ''The Deeper Dimension of Yoga'' have each been cited academically over 200 times. ''

Yoga Journal ''Yoga Journal'' is a website and digital journal, formerly a print magazine, on yoga as exercise founded in California in 1975 with the goal of combining the essence of traditional yoga with scientific understanding. It has produced live events ...

'' described him as "one of the most highly regarded scholars on Hinduism in the West". One of its journalists, Holly Hammond, added that as well as being one of the most prolific of yoga scholars, he was "no dry academic; his scholarship is directly relevant to spiritual practice".

Bibliography

* 1971 ''Yoga and beyond: Essays in Indian philosophy'' * 1974 ''Essence of Yoga: A Contribution to the

Psychohistory Psychohistory is an amalgam of psychology, history, and related social sciences and the humanities. Its proponents claim to examine the "why" of history, especially the difference between stated intention and actual behavior. Psychobiography, chil ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n Civilization'' (Coauthored with Jeanine Miller) * 1975 ''Textbook of Yoga'' * 1984 ''Humor Suddenly Returns: Essays on the Spiritual Teaching of Master Da Free John: A Scholarly Tribute'' (Editor) * 1989 ''

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

: An Outline of Its Teachings and Schools'' with Hans Wolfgang Schumann, (Georg Feuerstein, Translator) * 1989 ''

Jean Gebser Jean Gebser (; August 20, 1905 as Hans Karl Hermann Rudolph Gebser – May 14, 1973) was a Swiss philosopher, linguist, and poet who described the structures of human consciousness. Biography Born Hans Karl Hermann Rudolph Gebser in Posen in Im ...

: What Color Is Your Consciousness'' * 1989 ''The Yoga-Sûtra of Patañjali: A New Translation and Commentary'' * 1990 ''Encyclopedic Dictionary of Yoga'' * 1990 ''Yoga: the Technology of Ecstasy'' * 1991 ''Holy Madness: The Shock Tactics and Radical Teachings of Crazy-Wise Adepts, Holy Fools, and Rascal

Gurus Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverenti ...

'' * 1993 ''Voices on the Threshold of Tomorrow: 145 Views of the New Millennium'' (Coedited with Trisha Lamb Feuerstein) * 1995 '' In Search of the Cradle of Civilization: New Light on Ancient India'' (Coauthored with

Subhash Kak Subhash Kak is an Indian-American computer scientist and historical revisionist. He is the Regents Professor of Computer Science Department at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, an honorary visiting professor of engineering at Jawaharlal N ...

and

David Frawley David Frawley (born 1950) is an American author, astrologer, teacher (''acharya'') and a proponent of Hindutva. He has written numerous books on topics spanning the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology. His works have been popula ...

) * 1996 ''Philosophy of Classical Yoga'' * 1997 ''Lucid Waking: Mindfulness and the Spiritual Potential of Humanity'' * 1997 ''The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga'' * 1998 ''

: The Path of Ecstasy'' * 2001 ''Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice'' * 2002 ''Yoga Gems: A Treasury of Practical and Spiritual Wisdom from Ancient and Modern Masters'' (Editor) * 2003 ''Deeper Dimension of Yoga'' * 2003 ''Lost Teachings of Yoga'' (Audio CD) * 2003 ''Sacred Sexuality: The Erotic Spirit in the World's Great Religions'' * 2003 ''Yoga for Dummies'' * 2007 ''Green Yoga'' (Coauthored with Brenda Feuerstein) * 2007 ''Yoga Morality'' * 2011 ''The Encyclopedia of Yoga and Tantra'' (Revised edition). * 2011 ''The Bhagavad-Gita: A New Translation'' * 2012 ''Mystery of Light: Life and Teaching of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov'' * 2013 ''The Psychology of Yoga'' * 2014 ''Matrix of Yoga'' * 2014 ''Psychology of Yoga''

References

External links

Online Center for Traditional Yoga Studies
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20160827121750/http://www.wie.org/j10/feuerstein.asp The Divine Mother: A Philosophical and Personal Questbr>Theory into Practice
an interview with ascent magazine. {{DEFAULTSORT:Feuerstein, Georg 1947 births 2012 deaths German expatriates in Canada German expatriates in the United States German Indologists Integral thought German yogis 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians German male non-fiction writers Yoga scholars Durham University Graduate Society alumni