The Philosophy of Classical Yoga (Georg Fuerstein)
A Worthwhile Read for Serious Students of Patanjali
[My 4-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Philosophy of Classical Yoga” by Georg Fuerstein.]
This book is a worthwhile read for serious and cerebral students of classical yoga, meaning the sutras of Patanjali. Renowned yoga scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-1986) properly described it as “one of the most profound and original contributions to the understanding of classical yoga.” Author Georg Fuerstein (1947-2012), arguably the foremost authority on yoga in modern history, wrote dozens of texts on yoga, and this one, unlike many of his others, was aimed at serious scholars rather than the general public. Hence, unless you’re already very familiar with Patanjali and looking to deepenr your understanding of classical yoga, this probably isn’t a book you should get.
Fuerstein in this book offers multiple takes that refute the conventional wisdom regarding Patanjali. First and foremost, he insists “that Patanjali’s system cannot be subsumed under the heading of Samkhya.” Secondly, he devotes considerable effort to, in his words, “combatting the overpowering influence exercised by Vyasa’s scholium.” Vyasa’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras is considered canonical, but Fuerstein finds much fault with it. Most interesting to me, Fuerstein refutes the entrenched POV that Patanjali subscribed to the doctrine of plurality, meaning the existence of multiple Selves rather than a single universal, transcendental Self.
The chapter in this book I most looked forward to reading was Practice Concepts, because I was most interested in seeing how effectively Fuerstein described dhyana and the various samadhis associated with classical yoga. Alas, I was disappointed, as Fuerstein revealed himself as limited in his understanding of the spiritual “mechanics” of en-Light-enment. Fuerstein employs the term “enstasy” to describe states of samadhi, while criticizing the use of the more popular term “ecstasy.” Interestingly enough, not long after this book was first published (1979), Fuerstein’s guru at the time, Adi Da Samraj (a.k.a. Bubba/Da Free John), began to use the term “ecstasy” to describe the samadhic state of self-transcendence. Not surprisingly, a few years later when Fuerstein left Da, he cited philosophical differences among his complaints against the guru.
In summary, this book is must reading for scholarly students of Patanjali, but not a recommended read for casual students of yoga.
[My 4-star Amazon review (NDA) of “The Philosophy of Classical Yoga” by Georg Fuerstein.]
This book is a worthwhile read for serious and cerebral students of classical yoga, meaning the sutras of Patanjali. Renowned yoga scholar Mircea Eliade (1907-1986) properly described it as “one of the most profound and original contributions to the understanding of classical yoga.” Author Georg Fuerstein (1947-2012), arguably the foremost authority on yoga in modern history, wrote dozens of texts on yoga, and this one, unlike many of his others, was aimed at serious scholars rather than the general public. Hence, unless you’re already very familiar with Patanjali and looking to deepenr your understanding of classical yoga, this probably isn’t a book you should get.
Fuerstein in this book offers multiple takes that refute the conventional wisdom regarding Patanjali. First and foremost, he insists “that Patanjali’s system cannot be subsumed under the heading of Samkhya.” Secondly, he devotes considerable effort to, in his words, “combatting the overpowering influence exercised by Vyasa’s scholium.” Vyasa’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras is considered canonical, but Fuerstein finds much fault with it. Most interesting to me, Fuerstein refutes the entrenched POV that Patanjali subscribed to the doctrine of plurality, meaning the existence of multiple Selves rather than a single universal, transcendental Self.
The chapter in this book I most looked forward to reading was Practice Concepts, because I was most interested in seeing how effectively Fuerstein described dhyana and the various samadhis associated with classical yoga. Alas, I was disappointed, as Fuerstein revealed himself as limited in his understanding of the spiritual “mechanics” of en-Light-enment. Fuerstein employs the term “enstasy” to describe states of samadhi, while criticizing the use of the more popular term “ecstasy.” Interestingly enough, not long after this book was first published (1979), Fuerstein’s guru at the time, Adi Da Samraj (a.k.a. Bubba/Da Free John), began to use the term “ecstasy” to describe the samadhic state of self-transcendence. Not surprisingly, a few years later when Fuerstein left Da, he cited philosophical differences among his complaints against the guru.
In summary, this book is must reading for scholarly students of Patanjali, but not a recommended read for casual students of yoga.
