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

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-consciou ...

by the

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

Svetambara philosopher Acharya Haribhadrasuri yakini putra (

floruit ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

8th century). It is a particularly informative work of

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

which analyzes the various philosophical views (''drishtis'') and practices of post-

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by sev ...

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 religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following: * Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or coun ...

perennialism The perennial philosophy ( la, philosophia perennis), also referred to as perennialism and perennial wisdom, is a perspective in philosophy and spirituality that views all of the world's religious traditions as sharing a single, metaphysical trut ...

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'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriologic ...

nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

, 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'' 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 ...

to develop his system of

Jain meditation Jain meditation (''dhyāna'') has been the central practice of spirituality in Jainism along with the Three Jewels. Jainism holds that emancipation can only be achieved through meditation or Shukla Dhyana.' According to Sagarmal Jain, it aim ...

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 The Niyamas ( sa, नियम, translit=Niyama) are positive duties or observances. In Indian traditions, particularly Yoga, niyamas and their complement, Yamas, are recommended activities and habits for healthy living, spiritual enlightenmen ...

*Power (Balā) – Control of posture and passions or

asana An asana 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 later extended in hatha yoga ...

*Shining (Dīprā) – Control of breath –

pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''s ...

*Firm (Sthirā) – Inwardness –

pratyahara Pratyahara () or the 'gathering towards' is the fifth element among the Eight stages of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga, as mentioned in his classical work, '' Yoga Sutras of Patanjali'' composed in the 2nd century BCE. It is also the first stage of t ...

*Pleasing (Kāntā) – Concentration – dharana *Radiant (Prabhā) – Meditative absorption – dhyana *Highest (Parā) –

Samadhi ''Samadhi'' ( Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yo ...

, ''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 An illustration of the Gunasthanas (Sanskrit: "levels of virtue") are the fourteen stages of spiritual development and growth through which a soul gradually passes before it attains ''moksha'' (liberation). According to Jainism, it is a state ...

. 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 refers to the ancient Indian philosophical system found in Jainism. One of the main features of Jain philosophy is its dualistic metaphysics, which holds that there are two distinct categories of existence, the living, consciou ...

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 (; 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 India ...

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

Notes

{{Indian Philosophy Ancient Indian literature Jain texts Ancient yoga texts 4th-century books

See also

Notes