365bet娱乐

Eliade discusses 鈥榬itual interiorization鈥� tracing tapas in vedic cosmogony and the 鈥榠nner sacrifice鈥� in which physiological functions replace libations and ritual objects (1954:111鈥�14). Heesterman too analyses the internalisation of the Vedic sacrifice (1985:26鈥�44). Flood identifies ascetic traditions as cosmological traditions that emphasise interior cosmology, 鈥榓n interiority that interfaces with the structure of the hierarchical cosmos鈥� (Flood 2002:9). White articulates the subtle or yogic body as a mesocosm: in relation to tantric initiation processes he identifies as 鈥榗rucial鈥�, 鈥榯he notion that within the gross body of the human microcosm or protocosm there is a subtle, yogic body that is the mesocosmic replica of the divine, universal macrocosm or metacosm鈥� (White 2000:14). Chapple in Living Landscapes examines the ancient elemental nature of the cosmos to craft an environmental and ecological ethics. His work is part of a burgeoning literature recovering a narrative of ecological concern in Indian Religions.^[1] Chapple argues that 鈥榳e live in landscapes and landscapes live in us鈥� (Chapple 2020:xix). While I do not go so far as to see an ethic of nature veneration or ecological activism in the 丑补峁环补 sources, I do want to test the basis of the relationship between body and cosmos in the 丑补峁环补 corpus. The bifurcations identified by Eliade, Heesterman, Flood and White do not quite characterise the 丑补峁环补 sources. The macrocosm seems a priori the microcosm, and the yogic or esoteric body is not somehow separate from the body.

As we have seen, in the 础尘峁泃补蝉颈诲诲丑颈 the body is more than the cosmos (础尘峁泃补蝉颈诲诲丑颈 1.19), and a partial echo of this verse appears in the 艢颈惫补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 (艢颈惫补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 2.1-4). It is not clear what additional element or elements (tattvas) are considered to be in the body in the 础尘峁泃补蝉颈诲诲丑颈. While the body is of the same nature as the cosmos this move asserts the human form as somehow greater than the cosmos. In the 碍丑别肠补谤墨惫颈诲测腻 the practitioner sees in his body the entire universe as not different from himself (碍丑别肠补谤墨惫颈诲测腻 1.64^[2]). As already discussed the later recension of the 痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 identifies esoteric aspects of the body and the three worlds within the practitioner鈥檚 body. It questions whether those who do not recognise the six cakras, sixteen supports, three worlds and five voids in their own bodies can become perfected yogis (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 long recension 13-14). These sources site the cosmos within the body of the practitioner.

Examples of macrocosmic interiorisation include the 碍丑别肠补谤墨惫颈诲测腻鈥檚 descent of the 驳补峁単腻 within the body: the very cold ethereal (腻办腻艣补) 驳补峁単腻 flows from the place of brahman drinking which the practitioner gets a diamond body (惫补箩谤补办腻测补) in one month (碍丑别肠补谤墨惫颈诲测腻 2.116) and, as well as divine speech, divine sight, divine intellect, and divine hearing, he gets a divine body (divyadeha) (碍丑别肠补谤墨惫颈诲测腻 2.117). Thus, we have a downward flow of divine liquid in the body that in this example has a macrocosmic correlate, the River 驳补峁単腻, whose descent to earth via 艢颈惫补鈥檚 head is told in the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补, 搁腻尘腻测腻峁嘺 and various 笔耻谤腻峁嘺s. This liquid is an ambrosia, an elixir and as such associated with semen. The 艢颈惫补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 too describes the descent of 驳补峁単腻 through the channel 墨岣嵞� to nourish the body (艢颈惫补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 2.7). Another way in which the body and cosmos are simultaneously and correlatively mapped is through pilgrimage sites (迟墨谤迟丑补s) that correspond to specific locations in the cosmos and in the body. For example, in the 础尘峁泃补蝉颈诲诲丑颈 bindu resides in 办腻尘补谤奴辫补 in the cave of 办奴峁�膩g补谤补, from where it descends via the central path because of sexual pleasure (础尘峁泃补蝉颈诲诲丑颈 7.10). Kragh has traced such macrocosmic homologues in sacred pilgrimage sites in 艣补颈惫补 and 惫补箩谤补测腻苍补 tantric traditions (2018). In addition, there appear to be similarities with Daoist subtle body maps (Bokenkamp 1997:283). Again, the 丑补峁环补 corpus simply asserts such sites within the body rather than deconstructs whether and how the body acquires such designations. This is an a priori association or identity of these sites in the body. In an example of micro-macrocosmic analogy that does not go so far as asserting identity the 痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 describes the subsidiary 苍腻岣嵞�s as like the leaf of a fig tree (痴补蝉颈峁ａ弓丑补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 2.41). This simple illustration of the relationship between body and cosmos is not suggestive of a material identity. Yet where metaphor is used the relationship between body and cosmos appears to be a priori, suggesting a similarity in materiality.

A different type of relationship is at play in the 痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补. The principle of interiorisation is used as an analogy to explain the practice of withdrawal (辫谤补迟测腻丑腻谤补). 笔谤补迟测腻丑腻谤补 is the act of withdrawing sight and other senses as they move among their fields of operation (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 103). Two analogies are given to explain 辫谤补迟测腻丑腻谤补. In the first there is the appearance of withdrawing material, as the sun drawing in shadow (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 104), but not an actual withdrawing of substance. In the second there is the material withdrawal of the limbs of the tortoise into its shell (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 105). Yet whether these analogies involve material transfer, they are but analogies. The 痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 then goes through all the faculties to instruct the practitioner that whatever sense object he hears with his ears, good or bad, the knower of yoga should recognise it as his self and withdraw (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 106). This instruction is repeated for the eyes, skin, tongue and nose (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 107-110). The identity of the self and the objects of the senses is clearly stated, and thus we have a specific example of micro-macrocosmic identity. This passage concludes with two verses describing the consumption of nectar. The first describes the sun consuming the stream of lunar nectar (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 111) and in the second the stream is anthropomorphised into a woman consumed by the two channels (痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 112). These examples shift the register from ontology to affect.

This 痴颈惫别办补尘腻谤迟补峁囜笉补 passage is likely the basis of a similar passage in the 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补测辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补. Here the practitioner should recognise as the self (腻迟尘补苍) whatever he experiences with his organs of sense, such that anything he sees with his eyes he should understand to be the self, and on through smell, taste and touch (顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补测辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补 95-96). For the 顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补测辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补 蝉补尘腻诲丑颈 is the state of identity of individual (j墨v腻迟尘补苍) and higher selves (param腻迟尘补苍 (顿补迟迟腻迟谤别测补测辞驳补艣腻蝉迟谤补 126), similar to but not quite the same as a realisation of the identity of macro-and microcosm.

The 丑补峁环补 corpus offers various analyses of the relationship between body and cosmos, the root of which appears to be identity. The relationship between cosmos and body may be like that identified by Robertson in his work on the identity of person and world in 颁补谤补办补蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 4.5: 鈥榗ontrary to the usual interpretation, early Ayurveda does not consider the person to be a microcosmic replication of the macrocosmos. Instead, early Ayurveda asserts that personhood is worldhood, and thus the person is non-different from the phenomenal totality (spatial and temporal) of his existence鈥� (2017:838). The non-difference of body and cosmos, and the spatial and temporal synchronicity spelt out by Robertson in relation to 腻测耻谤惫别诲补 can, when read across to 丑补峁环补 yoga, help explain how the manipulation of the body delivers sovereignty not only over the structures of the body but the cosmos as well.

While I have suggested the relationship between body and cosmos is a priori identity it is not possible to make a definitive statement based on the materials available. The sources are not metaphysical treatises oriented towards clarifying such claims. There are however important functional implications in relation to those correlations in terms of how yoga is thought to work. Similar to this apparent a priori identity of body and cosmos is the principle of depletion and death to which I now turn.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

Cf. Miller (2023), Javanaud (2020), Kent (2013), Jain (2011), Narayan and Kumar (2003), Kaza and Kraft (2000) and Nelson (2000).

[2]:

Mallinson (2007 208n255) notes the similarities with Amanaskayoga 1.95ab and 碍补耻濒补箩帽腻苍补苍颈谤峁嘺测补 14.62鈥�65.