International Seminar on Yoga Traditions of India

Dec 7-8-9, 2006

Yoga is one of the most popular ways and means for achievement of, physical, mental and spiritual health and a peaceful means of living and achieves harmony, which it undoubtedly is. This Seminar is meant to enlighten the world at large and the intelligentsia in particular that traditions of yoga have been known to India since several millennia before Christ. The objective is to highlight the unity in diversity and their inevitable complimentarily and supplementary both in the physical as well as the spiritual world.

The importance of Yoga in our life cannot be overemphasized. It is already shaping the physical, mental and spiritual behaviour of intelligentsia around the globe as an essential part of their life and culture. Hence, it is natural and also imperative that an International Seminar is organized to explore and discuss threadbare the various aspects of the rich traditions of Yoga especially in India, namely, its history, method, philosophy, spirituality, sociology and ethics.

The origin of Yoga is Pre-Vedic and the spiritual and cultural tradition of India, since its inception, despite its conflicting worldview with others, shares the Yoga method with the rest and has developed its own philosophy of Yoga. Thus, we have a variety of Yoga traditions, which through mutual dialogue have enriched and accommodated themselves with others.

The application of Yoga is everywhere, whether it is pravrttimarga, nivrttimarga, bhaktimarga, or the synthesis of the three.
Buddhist traditions of yoga have been popular right since the age of the Buddha (6th cent. B.C) and are vibrant with life and activity all over the East and the West.

The terms 'Yoga' and 'Yogin' are popularly used though in the Prakrit canonical and Sanskrit classical Jain literature and the Jains have a very rich variety of literature on Yoga, but still the terms 'Jain Yoga' and 'Jain Yogin' are not well known among the intellectuals.

The reason may be the concept and presumptions of an ideal Jain monk are absolute non-violence and unquestionable purity of his physical, vocal, mental and spiritual conduct. Jain monks are rarely known as Yogis. They are commonly identified as Munis in the tradition as well as among the others.

This seminar will endeavour to highlight the concept and practices of Jain - Yoga, an integral part of the Jain way of life, both for monks as well as householders; which synthesize different systems of Yoga; as a way to a happy, healthy and peaceful life free from crime, violence and disharmony.

The focus of the seminar remains centred on the comparative study of any two or more yoga traditions along with their exposition based on the original sources preserved in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Apabhramsa, and other regional dialects. Writers may choose their suitable themes from the given list of relevant areas. The list is not exhaustive. They can select and formulate their topics in any manner they like.

International Seminar on (Dec 7-8-9, 2006)
Yoga Traditions of India
(A Dialogue among the Vedic, Jain, Buddhist and other traditions)
Section wise list of Topics Proposed

1. Vedic Traditions:
1.1. Origins of Yoga in the Vedic tradition through the Sanhitas, Dharmashastras and the Upanishads
1.2. Patanjali's Yoga Tradition.
1.3. The old and ever-fresh tradition of Bhakti Yoga.
1.4. Gyan Yoga, Karma Yoga and Raj Yoga
1.5. The Tantra School
1.6. The great contribution of M.M. Gopinath Kaviraj to the Tantra Yoga tradition
1.7. Yantra the school of cosmic unity
1.8. The Nath Panth, Siddha Yoga, Sahaja Yoga
1.9. The Kriya Yoga of Lahiri Mahashay and his disciples
1.10. The integral Yoga of Maharshi Aurobindo & other contemporary Traditions of Yoga.
2. AJIVAKA TRADITION:
2.1. AJIVAKAS AND EARLY YOGA TRADITIONS
3. JAIN TRADITIONS:
3.1. JAIN YOGA CANONICAL ORIGINS AND ALLIED LITERATURE IN PRAKRIT AND SANSKRIT
3.2. The concept, parameters and ideal of a Jain Yogi
3.3. Acharya Kundakunda and the long tradition of the Jain spiritualist mystic saints
3.4. Acharya Haribhadra on Yoga
3.5. Acharya Hemachandra on Yoga
3.6. Acharya Shubhachandra on Yoga
3.7. Upadhyaya Yashovijayji on Yoga
3.8. Shrimad Rajchandra on the threefold Yoga of spirituality
3.9. Other great saints of the tradition of Jain Yoga
3.10. Preksha Meditation : the living system of Jain Yoga
4. Buddhist Traditions:
4.1. Origin and growth of Yoga in the Buddhist traditions
4.2. Hinayana school of Yoga
4.3. Mahayana school of Yoga
4.4. The Vajrayana and Tantrayana schools of Yoga
4.5. Vipassana system of meditation
4.6. The Zen systems of Buddhist meditation in South Asian countries
4.7. Buddhist meditation practices in the eastern and western countries
5. Comparative Studies:
5.1. The deep inter-connectedness of the Patanjali, Jain and Buddhist Yoga: Theories and practices.
5.2. Patanjali: adaptation of his Yogasutra's by Acharya Haribhadra
5.3. Adaptation of : Tantra Yoga by Acharya Shubhachandra
5.4. Patanjali: adoptation of his Yogasutra and contribution to the Yoga way of Patanjali by Acharya Hemachandra
5.5. Patanjali: as interpreted by Upadhyaya Yashovijayji in his works on Yoga
5.6. Spiritualism of Shrimad Rajchandra
5.7. Comparative study of different systems, forms and stages of Samadhi
5.8. Efficacy and relevance of Jain Yoga to the contemporary society.
5.9. Upadhyaya Yasovijayaji's commentary on the Yogasutra's of Patanjali. 

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Contact: Bhogilal Leherchand Institute of Indology
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Tel: 91-11-27202065 , Fax: 91-11-27206630
E-Mail : blinstitute@yahoo.com      www.geocities.com/blinstitute/indology
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