Everything about yoga, from the broad and fascinating world of yoga

Takeshi Ito, a Japanese yoga researcher who has dedicated his life to studying and practicing yoga, introduces everything about 'Indian yoga.'
Since his early twenties, the author has traveled throughout India and neighboring countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, conducting field research and delving into related literature and academic research to explore all aspects of yoga.
The results of such exploration were published in books, each divided into fields such as mythology, marma, chakras, mandalas, food culture, martial arts, and temples.
This book is the result of the author's lifelong research and exploration, and is a condensed version of everything about yoga, complete with interesting and unique illustrations and charts drawn by the author himself.

The term 'Hatha Yoga' first appears in Buddhist literature.
It was probably Buddhism that introduced the concept of 'chakra'.
Hatha yoga is a type of yoga that grew out of Buddhist Tantra, the so-called later Esoteric Buddhism.
The person who compiled the Hatha Yoga that was passed down from Buddhism was Goraksha, who appeared around the 12th century.
He was both a Hindu and a Buddhist.
As mentioned earlier, there is a sect called Gorakshanati (Gorak?an?th?, Natapa), which means 'followers of Goraksha'.
There are numerous Hindu texts on Hatha Yoga, but none of the extant ones go back further than the Goraksha Hundred Hymns (Gorakāṇaṇataka) written by Goraksha.
--- From "Entering"

This is completely different from the usage of Swatmarama, who calls Raja Yoga the 'highest yoga'.
'Easy yoga even for a king'
Come to think of it, there are many legends in India about a king who was not only very busy but also obsessed with the senses, but who received enlightenment from a traveling sadhu (Fig.
(Quoted from the previous book, 84 Esoteric Buddhist Practitioners, by Kankana Jeon).
In any case, the idea of ​​connecting Raja Yoga with the Yoga Sutras did not yet exist during Apte's time in the late 19th century.
So-called Raja Yoga, like Dynamic Yoga or Hot Yoga, is probably a new wave that was created in the 20th century.
--- 「14.
From "Yoga Sutra"

Although the Yoga Sutras show Buddhist influence throughout, Chapter 4 is particularly strongly influenced by Vasubandhu's Yogacara theory.
Vasubandhu was a contemporary of Kumarajiva (about 400 years ago).
Therefore, the Yoga Sutra was established in its current form after that.
--- 「17.
From "Chitta"

The Vijñāṇa idea that 'phenomena do not have substance' is in sharp contrast to the Yoga Sutra (especially Chapter 4, 'The Sovereign'), but this idea was inherited by later Vedanta philosophy.
However, in Vedanta, all things are illusions or delusions (maya) without substance, but only Brahman is real.
In this way, the philosophies of Brahmanism and Buddhism developed while influencing each other, as if playing catch.

--- 「18.
From "Sanskara"

By comparing the original texts of the Heart Sutra and the Yoga Sutra, we can see that there was close interaction between Buddhism, Brahmanism, and Hinduism in 4th and 5th century India.
The skill of the compiler of the Yoga Sutras is by no means praiseworthy, but thanks to him, the Heart Sutra became easier to understand, and furthermore, the various aspects of yoga at that time, which were not given much importance in the 'Eight Branches' system, are now being handed down to the present.
This text also teaches that yoga, which was considered a collateral branch, became mainstream during the Esoteric Buddhism period (6th to 12th centuries).

--- 「23.
From "Mantra"

In esoteric Buddhism, the unity of the macrocosm and the microcosm is considered to be 'enlightenment.'
In that case, it can be said that the universe itself is expressed as a personification of the Mahavairocana Buddha or a stylized mandala, and that it is achieved (siddha) (i.e., enlightened) by manipulating the image and becoming one with the Mahavairocana Buddha or the mandala through rituals.
Above all, these ideas did not suddenly spring up from the Diamond Sutra.
It was formed gradually over a long period of time, and its origin is the Heart Sutra.
The Yoga Sutras were established a little later than the Heart Sutra.
This text made a declaration that influenced the direction of subsequent Indian thought.
Yoga is the nirodha of the vritti of the chitta.

This definition of yoga was accepted by all schools of India, regardless of whether they were Brahmanical or Buddhist.
But no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to stop all the thoughts bubbling up from the depths of the vast unconscious.
So what if we say that we use images to stop our minds?
This is how the Diamond Sutra appeared.

--- 「24.
From "Tantra"

This body is a temple that serves Purusha, the universal being.
Like many traditional temples, this body of water temple has a garden, a river, a main hall or front building, and a gate.
The same goes for the ‘five elements’ of earth, water, fire, wind, and air that make up the universe.
Although we will explain in detail later which part of the body each of these corresponds to, observing one's own body as a temple is a yogic secret recorded in many tantric texts.
(…) Chakras are a concept unique to Tantra Yoga.
And in Tantra, chakras do not 'exist' in the human body from the beginning.
It is of this nature that it ‘builds up’.

--- 「36.
From "Kushdra Anda"

Hatha yoga developed in a non-Aryan matriarchal culture, which was completely different from the Brahmin culture that gave birth to the Yoga Sutras.
For this reason, the reality of this yoga is hardly known even in India.
The great sages of Hatha Yoga, Matsyendra and Goraksha, were originally practitioners of the later Esoteric School.
In that sense, Hatha Yoga is called a descendant of Kukai Esoteric Buddhism (middle Esoteric Buddhism), and from the texts they recorded, such as “The Wisdom of Goraksha,” we can see that Hatha Yoga inherited the ideas and practices of later Esoteric Buddhism.
Later esoteric Buddhism began when sexual yoga was introduced into middle esoteric Buddhism.
Therefore, sexual yoga and later esoteric Buddhism become the keys to a correct understanding of Hatha Yoga.
--- 「Chapter 4.
From “The Yoga View of the Body”

In other words, Hatha Yoga is based on the ‘emptiness’ concept of Mahayana Buddhism.
In Buddhism, 'wisdom (prajn?)' and 'expedient means (up?ya)' are also placed at opposite poles.
The two melt into one at the lowest part of the body, becoming 'bodhicitta' and rising towards emptiness.
This process is the ten steps of Bodhisattva (→ 22.
It is comparable to Tara.
However, since contemplation alone does not provide a significant sense of accomplishment, physical techniques for manipulating prana are added.
--- 「40.
From "Hatha Yoga"

In Hatha Yoga, asanas are sometimes deliberately called 'pitta'.
It has multiple meanings.
One is to distinguish it from ‘asana as asceticism’ as we saw in the previous chapter.
Also, the pedestal of Shiva Linga as the body of God, that is, Yoni, is called 'Pita'. In other words, it is Pita because it is an asana to make my body into a pedestal for the manifestation of God Shiva.
And another thing, in Hatha Yoga, the practice of asana and the meditation of traveling the great path (nadi) within the body to the holy place (marma) are performed simultaneously.
That's why it's pita.
(…)
The important thing is to breathe slowly through your nose.
And then we focus our consciousness on one point of the body, namely the blood vessels, marma, or chakra.
I want you to think of the focus as the main thing, and the pose as something that comes with it.
For example, the 'tree pose' described earlier. It looks simple, but it is surprisingly difficult.
It is rather difficult to remain upright for even a few seconds.
As soon as I close my eyes, I feel uneasy and feel like I might collapse at any moment.
But if you focus your consciousness on the Talahridaya Marma, which is located at the exact center of the sole of your foot, you will miraculously become stable.
In other words, the tree pose is thought to be a pose done to focus consciousness on the marma on the soles of the feet.

--- 「87.
From "Pita"

The method of contemplation is the foundation of yoga meditation.
It is the level of yoga that has been passed down from the ancient Vedas to the medieval Tantra.
The ideal state that the Yoga Sutras aim for is one of no thoughts or feelings, but it is impossible to suddenly not think or have thoughts.
Rather, on the contrary, it fills the mind with thoughts and ideas.
Even so, it is not about randomly chasing after the thoughts that come to mind.
By setting the order and following the steps, you first roughly outline the shape and then gradually focus on it and vividly observe the details.
In other words, it means creating an illusion with one's own will.
By observing, the mind finally becomes one.
A state of focused thought, called Dhyana in the Yoga Sutras.
There, the subject of the self-concept disappears.
There is only the act of observing.
(…)

However, (…) the observation is quite difficult at first.
In yoga, it is practiced using a technique called tr??aka.
It is a technique of staring.
Any object will do, but a candle is easy to practice with at first.
Sit in the yoga position, calm your mind, and focus your gaze.
I don't think about anything.
Just stare.
(…) just stare… .
There is no self there.
There is only the act of staring.
This creates a welcome.
It allows you to control the flames at any time, with your eyes open or closed, at your own will.

--- 「104.
From "Diyana"