DEFINITION AND PROPERTIES OF DHYĀNA IN THE YOGA SŪTRAS OF PATAÑJALI (YS 1.39, 2.11, 3.2, 4.6)
Abstract
This article provides the characteristics of “dhyāna” term found in Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. Here mentions of dhyāna in the text of Patañjali are studied. The article shows that the notion of dhyāna in Yoga Sūtras has for the first time been given a philosophical underpinning in which the cognitive element of the term plays the key role. Despite a long history of study of Yoga Sūtras the notion of dhyāna and its qualities receives little attention so this fact determines the actuality of the study. The article reveals the content of the sūtras of Patañjali explaining the qualities of dhyāna: thorough analysis of the place of dhyāna and its hierarchic position, and its relationships with other notions. It has been established that Yoga Sūtras do not only include the definition of dhyāna but also describe its function in relation to consciousness (tolerance against distraction) determining the meaning of dhyāna as a practice of “bringing the consciousness together”. As a result of the analysis of the sūtras the two key qualities of dhyāna in relation to consciousness have been revealed: “integrating” and “transcending”. Dhyāna helps to gather consciousness which is an integrating quality as a practice of counteraction to distraction of mind. It is demonstrated that dhyāna, as an instrument of counteraction to splitting of consciousness, shows its transcending quality contributing to sophistication of consciousness. In the comments on Yoga Sūtras by Vyāsa the first example of “somatization of dhyāna” has been emphasized, thus revealing a semantic transition from a mentally oriented understanding of dhyāna to a body oriented “somatic” concept where the focus of attention in yoga has been displaced from cognition to corporeality.
Downloads
References
/References
Āgāśe, K. Ś. (Ed.). (1904). Pātañjali Yoga Sūtra. Pune: Ānandāśrama. Retrieved from http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/6_sastra/3_phil/yoga/patyog_u.htm.
Danilov, D. A. (2016). Dhyana: transformation of the understanding of meditation from the Rigveda to the Upanishads. Mul’tyversum. Filosofs’kyy̆ al’manakh – The Multiverse. Philosophical Almanac, 7–8(155–156), 6–85. (In Ukrainian).
Danylov, D. A. (2017). Specificity of dhyana in the Mokshadharma of the Mahabharata. Współpraca europejska – European cooperation, 11(30), 57–72. (In Russian).
Dasgupta, S. N. (2012). A History of Indian Philosophy (Vol. I). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Deussen, P. (1920). Allgemeine Geschichte der Philosophie, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Religionen (Band 1, Abteilung 3: Die nachvedische Philosophie der Inder, nebst einem Anhang über die Philosophie der Chinesen und Japaner). Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus. (In German).
Eliade, M. (2004). Yoga: Immortality and Freedom. (S. V. Pakhomov, Trans.). St. Petersburg: Publishing house of St. Petersburg State University. (Original work published 1954). (In Russian).
Frauwallner, E. (2008). History of Indian philosophy (Vol. I). Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass.
Hauer, J. W. (1958). Der Yoga, Ein indischer Weg zum Selbst, Kritisch-positive Darstellung nach den maßgeblichen Quellen mit einer Übersetzung der maßgeblichen Quellen. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer Verlag. (In German).
Classical Yoga (The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali and Vyasa Bhashya). (1992). (Ye. P. Ostrovskaya & V. I. Rudoy, Trans.). Moscow: Nauka. (In Russian).
Larsen, G. & Bhattaracharya, R. S. (Eds.). (2011). Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies (Vol. XII. Yoga: India’s Philosophy of Meditation). Dehli: Motilal Banarsidass.
Larson, G. J. (1989). An Old Problem Revisited: The Relation between Sämkhya, Yoga and Buddhism. Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik, 15, 129–146.
Maas, Ph. (2014). Der Yogi und sein Heilsweg im Yoga des Patañjali. [Preprint]. In K. Steiner (Ed.), Wege zum Heil(igen): Sakralität und Sakralisierung in hinduistischen Traditionen? Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/7054657/Der_Yogi_und_sein_Heilsweg_im_Yoga_des_Patañjali. (In German).
Mahabharata. Mokshadharma (Book XII, Ch. 174–367, Part 1). (2012). (B. L. Smirnova, Trans.). Moscow: Drevneye i Sovremennoye. (In Russian).
Mallinson, J. & Singleton, M. (2017). Roots of yoga. London: Penguin Books.
Safronov, A. G. (2018, April 19). Yoga Sutra. Deconstruction of the text. Andrey Safronov [Video Web log]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/v7miI5FceqM?t=5s. (In Russian).
Safronov, A. G. (2015, June 28). Sutras 1.29.–1.30. “Obstacles to yoga” and the defense mechanisms of the psyche [Web log message]. Yoga Sutra. Commentary of modern practitioner. Retrieved from http://www.yoga-sutra.org/2015/06/blog-post.html. (In Russian).
Sastry, A. M. (Ed.). (1977). The Bhagavad Gita with the commentary of Sri Sankaracharya. Madras: Samata Books.
Vallee-Poussin, L. (1936–1937). Le Bouddhisme et le Yoga de Patanjali. Mélanges Chinois et Bouddhiques, 5, 223–242. (In French).
White, D. G. (2014). The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press.
Wujastyk, D. (2017). Some Problematic Yoga Sutras and their Buddhist Background. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/25517181/Some_Problematic_Yoga_Sutras_and_their_Buddhist_Background.
Данілов Д. А. Дг’яна: трансформація розуміння медитації від «Рігведи» до упанішад. Мультиверсум. Філософський альманах. 2016. № 7–8 (155–156). С. 76–85.
Данилов Д. А. Специфика дхьяны в «Мокшадхарме» «Махабхараты». Współpraca europejska / European cooperation. 2017. Т. 11 (30). С. 57–72.
Классическая йога («Йога-сутры» Патанджали и «Вьяса-бхашья») / пер. с санскрита Е. П. Островской и В. И. Рудого. М.: Наука (ГРВЛ), 1992. 264 с.
Махабхарата. Мокшадхарма (кн. XII, гл. 174–367): в 2 ч. / пер. с санскр., конспект, оглавление, вводные статьи, примечания, толковый словарь Б. Л. Смирнова. М.: Древнее и Современное, 2012. Ч. 1. 1664 с.
Сафронов А. Г. Відеозапис лекції про деконструкцію тексту Йоґа-сутр Патанджалі на засіданні Сходознавчого гуртка Київо-Могилянської академії (19.04.2018 р.) [Електронний ресурс]. URL: https://youtu.be/v7miI5FceqM?t=5s.
Сафронов А. Г. Сутры 1.29–1.30. «Препятствия к йоге» и защитные механизмы психики [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.yoga-sutra.org/2015/06/blog-post.html.
Элиаде М. Йога: бессмертие и свобода / пер. с англ., вст. статья и прим. С. В. Пахомова. СПб.: Изд-во С.-Петерб. ун-та, 2004. 512 с.
Āgāśe K. Ś. Pātañjali Yoga Sūtra [Electronic resource]. Pune: Ānandāśrama (Ānandāśrama Sanskrit Series, 47), 1904. URL: http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/6_sastra/3_phil/yoga/patyog_u.htm.
Dasgupta S. N. A History of Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal B., 2012. Volume I. 528 p.
Deussen P. Allgemeine Geschichte der Philosophie, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Religionen. Leipzig: F. A. Brockhaus, 1920. Band 1, Abteilung 3: Die nachvedische Philosophie der Inder, nebst einem Anhang über die Philosophie der Chinesen und Japaner. 528 s.
Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies / Edited by G. Larsen and R. S. Bhattaracharya. Dehli: Motilal B., 2011. Volume XII. Yoga: India’s Philosophy of Meditation. 784 p.
Frauwallner E. History of Indian philosophy. Dehli: Motilal B., 2008. Vol. I. 344 p.
Hauer J. W. Der Yoga, Ein indischer Weg zum Selbst, Kritisch-positive Darstellung nach den maßgeblichen Quellen mit einer Übersetzung der maßgeblichen Quellen. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer Verlag, 1958. 487 s.
Larson G. J. An Old Problem Revisited: The Relation between Sämkhya, Yoga and Buddhism. Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik. 1989. Vol. 15. pp. 129–146.
Maas Ph. Der Yogi und sein Heilsweg im Yoga des Patañjali [Electronic resource]. URL: https://www.academia.edu/7054657/Der_Yogi_und_sein_Heilsweg_im_Yoga_des_Patañjali.
Mallinson J., Singleton M. Roots of yoga. London: Penguin Books, 2017. 592 p.
Shankaracharya S. The Bhagavad Gita with the commentary of Sri Sankaracharya / Edited by A. M. Sastry. Madras: Samata Books, 1977. 533 p.
Vallee-Poussin L. Le Bouddhisme et le Yoga de Patanjali. Mélanges Chinois et Bouddhiques. Bruxelles. 1936–37. Vol. 5. pp. 223–242.
White D. G. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2014. 296 p.
Wujastyk D. Some Problematic Yoga Sutras and their Buddhist Background [Electronic resource]. URL: https://www.academia.edu/25517181/Some_Problematic_Yoga_Sutras_and_their_Buddhist_Background.
Citations
DHYĀNA: SOTERIOLOGICAL GNOSIOLOGY IN THE TEXTS OF HAṬHAYOGA
Danylov D. (2018) Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Philosophy
Crossref
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication of this work under the terms of a license Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
3.gif){kind=logo}
