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If the 驰辞驳补产墨箩补 sets up the body as material and earthy, to what extent does the technique of baking the body undo or attenuate that materiality? We cannot understand the baking process as only purifying emotions or faults and thereby eradicating karma; it also impacts the structures of the body. As I demonstrated in chapter one the material and emotional are not discrete鈥攖he emotional creates and constitutes the body in 蝉补峁僺腻谤补. The baking process also impacts the elements and constituents that comprise the body.

My core argument is that the sa峁僺膩ric body of yoga is always already material and the physicality of the 丑补峁环补 techniques are just so, physical, because they leverage the matter of the body. The resultant liberation can be an embodied rather than transcendent state. The validity of this argument does, to an extent, turn on the impact the baking paradigm has on the materiality of the body and any change in status. As we have seen the body of the 驰辞驳补产墨箩补 is elemental and material yet also complex and enigmatic: more subtle than 腻办腻艣补 (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 48) yet mighty (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 47). Turning to the recurring metaphor of burnt camphor does this image illustrate an ethereal, perhaps evanescent, but nonetheless material ontology of the body? Does camphor give form to space (腻办腻艣补) enabling it to be seen and to demarcate a structure within the triple world, or does its fading into space indicate the ultimate status of the body as beyond materiality, as of the nature of brahman (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 142).

A recurring metaphor expresses the result of burning the body鈥檚 constituents. The 驰辞驳补产墨箩补鈥檚 conception of the body liberated through burning is that of burnt camphor (办补辫奴谤补).^[1]

The passage 驰辞驳补产墨箩补 66-68 is an important statement of this:

Due to the union of 辫谤腻峁嘺 and 补辫腻苍补 the moon and the sun unite, and the body consisting of the seven constituents is surely digested by the fire of yoga (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 66). His diseases, cuts and wounds etc. are destroyed and the body becomes the form of highest ether (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 67). What鈥檚 the point of saying lots more? He does not die. He is perceived in the world as if embodied, like burnt camphor (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 68).

In this passage the process of burning destroys diseases, as is also set out in 驰辞驳补产墨箩补 40. Here, the disappearance of disease is attributed to the disappearance of ego (补丑补峁僰腻谤补). In addition, the yogi will not suffer pain from water, fire or the stroke of a sword. This suggests freedom from injury by the elements (here water and fire), and freedom from injury by other people. Freedom from injury by the elements is a key feature of the yogi鈥檚 sovereignty over the cosmos, and freedom from injury by other people鈥攚ielding swords鈥攕uggests a social sovereignty. I seek to build on these themes of sovereignty throughout the thesis and return to this specific argument in the final conclusion.

The camphor metaphor appears again in 驰辞驳补产墨箩补 126 in a passage (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 122-127) that describes the empowerment of the body:

As a result of the practice first desires and then 箩腻岣峺补 born of the body are destroyed (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 122). Then the nectarine^[2] moon continuously streams and the fire completely consumes the constituents with the breath (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 123). Great internal sounds arise and bodily weakness goes; a person becomes able to move in the air having conquered the 箩腻岣峺补 that is earthy etc. (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 124). He becomes omniscient, can assume any shape and is as quick as the wind, he plays in the three worlds and all powers arise (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 125). When camphor is dissolving what hardness can be found in it? Likewise, when the ego is dissolved what hardness (办补峁环颈苍补迟腻) can be found in the body (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 126)? Without doubt the great yogi is liberated while alive, becomes a god, the creator of all, autonomous and able to take all forms (驰辞驳补产墨箩补 127).

The materiality of the body is challenged by becoming as ethereal as burnt camphor. The description of cooking the body centres both the importance of the body鈥攁s gnosis is not possible without a body, and also attenuates the materiality of the body such that it is barely material anymore. However, it is clear the liberation described in the 驰辞驳补产墨箩补 involves some form of body in its articulation of liberation while alive (箩墨惫补苍尘耻办迟颈) rather than a bodiless liberation (videhamukti).

The camphor image troubles the materiality of the body as both material and ethereal. This imbrication of materiality and ethereality is accompanied by an imbrication of materiality and affect.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The Hevajratantra identifies a hidden meaning (蝉补苍诲丑测腻产丑腻峁Ｄ�) of semen (艣耻办谤补) and rakta (blood) as camphor (办补谤辫奴谤补) and frankincense (silhaka) (Hevajra 2.3.59). This links the paradigms I have identified as baking and embryology. The 丑补峁环补 corpus does not make this connection explicitly. Hevajratantra 2.3.59 驳奴迟丑补峁� 肠补迟耻岣�s补尘补峁� 辫谤辞办迟补峁� 尘奴迟谤补峁� 办补蝉迟耻谤颈办腻 sm峁泃膩 | 蝉惫补测补峁僢丑耻 蝉颈濒丑补办补峁� 箩帽别测补峁� 艣耻办谤补峁� 办补谤辫奴谤补ka峁� 尘补迟补峁� ||

[2]:

厂补尘补谤补蝉墨 suggests nectar or liquid that has undergone an alchemical process to become assimilated or equalised.