Discerning dharma from kharma or bhakti from
shakti is key—whether you are a beginner or a long-time yogi.
Abhyasa:
practice; cf. vairagya
Acarya
(sometimes spelled Acharya in English): a preceptor, instructor; cf. guru
Advaita
("nonduality"): the truth and teaching that there is only One Reality
(Atman, Brahman), especially as found in the Upanishads; see also Vedanta
Ahamkara
("I-maker"): the individuation principle, or ego, which must be
transcended; cf. asmita; see also buddhi, manas
Ahimsa
("nonharming"): the single most important moral discipline (yama)
Akasha
("ether/space"): the first of the five material elements of which the
physical universe is composed; also used to designate "inner" space,
that is, the space of consciousness (called cid-akasha)
Amrita
("immortal/immortality"): a designation of the deathless Spirit
(atman, purusha); also the nectar of immortality that oozes from the
psychoenergetic center at the crown of the head (see sahasrara-cakra) when it
is activated and transforms the body into a "divine body"
(divya-deha)
Ananda
("bliss"): the condition of utter joy, which is an essential quality
of the ultimate Reality (tattva)
Anga
("limb"): a fundamental category of the yogic path, such as asana,
dharana, dhyana, niyama, pranayama, pratyahara, samadhi, yama; also the body
(deha, sharira)
Arjuna
("White"): one of the five Pandava princes who fought in the great
war depicted in the Mahabharata, disciple of the God-man Krishna whose
teachings can be found in the Bhagavad Gita
Asana
("seat"): a physical posture (see also anga, mudra); the third limb
(anga) of Patanjali's eightfold path (astha-anga-yoga); originally this meant
only meditation posture, but subsequently, in hatha yoga, this aspect of the
yogic path was greatly developed
Ashrama
("that where effort is made"): a hermitage; also a stage of life,
such as brahmacharya, householder, forest dweller, and complete renouncer
(samnyasin)
Ashta-anga-yoga,
ashtanga-yoga ("eight-limbed union"): the eightfold yoga of
Patanjali, consisting of moral discipline (yama), self-restraint (niyama),
posture (asana), breath control (pranayama), sensory inhibition (pratyahara),
concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana), and ecstasy (samadhi), leading to
liberation (kaivalya)
Asmita
("I-am-ness"): a concept of Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga, roughly
synonymous with ahamkara
Atman ("self"):
the transcendental Self, or Spirit, which is eternal and superconscious; our
true nature or identity; sometimes a distinction is made between the atman as
the individual self and the parama-atman as the transcendental Self; see also
purusha; cf. brahman
Avadhuta ("he
who has shed [everything]"): a radical type of renouncer (samnyasin) who
often engages in unconventional behavior
Avidya
("ignorance"): the root cause of suffering (duhkha); also called
ajnana; cf. vidya
Ayurveda,
Ayur-veda ("life science"): one of India's traditional systems of
medicine, the other being South India's Siddha medicine
Bandha
("bond/bondage"): the fact that human beings are typically bound by
ignorance (avidya), which causes them to lead a life governed by karmic habit
rather than inner freedom generated through wisdom (vidya, jnana)
Bhagavad Gita
("Lord's Song"): the oldest full-fledged yoga book found embedded in
the Mahabharata and containing the teachings on karma yoga (the path of
self-transcending action), samkhya yoga (the path of discerning the principles
of existence correctly), and bhakti yoga (the path of devotion), as given by
the God-man Krishna to Prince Arjuna on the battlefield 3,500 years or more ago
Bhagavata-Purana
("Ancient [Tradition] of the Bhagavatas"): a voluminous tenth-century
scripture held sacred by the devotees of the Divine in the form of Vishnu,
especially in his incarnate form as Krishna; also called Shrimad-Bhagavata
Bhakta
("devotee"): a disciple practicing bhakti yoga
Bhakti ("devotion/love"):
the love of the bhakta toward the Divine or the guru as a manifestation of the
Divine; also the love of the Divine toward the devotee
Bhakti-Sutra
("Aphorisms on Devotion"): an aphoristic work on devotional yoga
authored by Sage Narada; another text by the same title is ascribed to Sage
Shandilya
Bhakti Yoga
("Yoga of devotion"): a major branch of the yoga tradition, utilizing
the feeling capacity to connect with the ultimate Reality conceived as a
supreme Person (uttama-purusha)
Bindu ("seed/point"):
the creative potency of anything where all energies are focused; the dot (also
called tilaka) worn on the forehead as indicative of the third eye
Bodhi
("enlightenment"): the state of the awakened master, or Buddha Bodhisattva
("enlightenment being"): in Mahayana Buddhist yoga, the individual
who, motivated by compassion (karuna), is committed to achieving enlightenment
for the sake of all other beings
Brahma
("he who has grown expansive"): the Creator of the universe, the
first principle (tattva) to emerge out of the ultimate Reality (brahman)
Brahmacharya
(from brahma and acarya "brahmic conduct"): the discipline of
chastity, which produces ojas
Brahman
("that which has grown expansive"): the ultimate Reality (cf. atman,
purusha)
Brahmana:
a brahmin, a member of the highest social class of traditional Indian society;
also an early type of ritual text explicating the rituals and mythology of the
four Vedas; cf. Aranyaka, Upanishad, Veda
Buddha
("awakened"): a designation of the person who has attained
enlightenment (bodhi) and therefore inner freedom; honorific title of Gautama,
the founder of Buddhism, who lived in the sixth century B.C.E.
Buddhi
("she who is conscious, awake"): the higher mind, which is the seat
of wisdom (vidya, jnana); cf. manas
Cakra or Chakra
("wheel"): literally, the wheel of a wagon; metaphorically, one of
the psycho-energetic centers of the subtle body (sukshma-sharira); in Buddhist
yoga, five such centers are known, while in Hindu yoga often seven or more such
centers are mentioned: mula-adhara-cakra (muladhara-cakra) at the base of the
spine, svadhishthana-cakra at the genitals, manipura-cakra at the navel,
anahata-cakra at the heart, vishuddha-cakra or vishuddhi-cakra at the throat,
ajna-cakra in the middle of the head, and sahasrara-cakra at the top of the
head
Cin-mudra
("consciousness seal"): a common hand gesture (mudra) in meditation
(dhyana), which is formed by bringing the tips of the index finger and the
thumb together, while the remaining fingers are kept straight
Cit ("consciousness"):
the superconscious ultimate Reality (see atman, brahman)
Citta
("that which is conscious"): ordinary consciousness, the mind, as
opposed to cit
Darshana
("seeing"): vision in the literal and metaphorical sense; a system of
philosophy, such as the yoga-darshana of Patanjali; cf. drishti
Deva
("he who is shining"): a male deity, such as Shiva, Vishnu, or
Krishna, either in the sense of the ultimate Reality or a high angelic being
Devi
("she who is shining"): a female deity such as Parvati, Lakshmi, or
Radha, either in the sense of the ultimate Reality (in its feminine pole) or a
high angelic being
Dharana
("holding"): concentration, the sixth limb (anga) of Patanjali's
eight-limbed yoga
Dharma
("bearer"): a term of numerous meanings; often used in the sense of
"law," "lawfulness," "virtue,"
"righteousness," "norm"
Dhyana
("ideating"): meditation, the seventh limb (anga) of Patanjali's
eight-limbed yoga
Diksha
("initiation"): the act and condition of induction into the hidden
aspects of yoga or a particular lineage of teachers; all traditional yoga is
initiatory
Drishti ("view/sight"):
yogic gazing, such as at the tip of the nose or the spot between the eyebrows;
cf. darshana
Duhkha
("bad axle space"): suffering, a fundamental fact of life, caused by
ignorance (avidya) of our true nature (i.e., the Self or atman)
Gayatri-mantra:
a famous Vedic mantra recited particularly at sunrise: tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayat
Gheranda-Samhita
("[Sage] Gheranda's Compendium"): one of three major manuals of
classical hatha yoga, composed in the seventeenth century; cf.
Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika, Shiva-Samhita
Goraksha
("Cow Protector"): traditionally said to be the founding adept of
hatha yoga, a disciple of Matsyendra
Granthi ("knot"):
any one of three common blockages in the central pathway (sushumna-nadi)
preventing the full ascent of the serpent power (kundalini-shakti); the three
knots are known as brahma-granthi (at the lowest psychoenergetic center of the
subtle body), the vishnu-granthi (at the heart), and the rudra-granthi (at the
eyebrow center)
Guna
("quality"): a term that has numerous meanings, including
"virtue"; often refers to any of the three primary
"qualities" or constituents of nature (prakriti): tamas (the
principle of inertia), rajas (the dynamic principle), and sattva (the principle
of lucidity)
Guru
("he who is heavy, weighty"): a spiritual teacher; cf. acarya
Guru-bhakti
("teacher devotion"): a disciple's self-transcending devotion to the
guru; see also bhakti
Guru-Gita
("Guru's Song"): a text in praise of the guru, often chanted in
ashramas
Guru-Yoga
("Yoga [relating to] the teacher"): a yogic approach that makes the
guru the fulcrum of a disciple's practice; all traditional forms of yoga
contain a strong element of guru-yoga
Hamsa
("swan/gander"): apart from the literal meaning, this term also
refers to the breath (prana) as it moves within the body; the individuated consciousness
(jiva) propelled by the breath; see jiva-atman; see also parama-hamsa and
kala-hamsa
Hatha Yoga
("Forceful Yoga"): a major branch of yoga, developed by Goraksha and
other adepts c. 1000 C.E., and emphasizing the physical aspects of the
transformative path, notably postures (asana) and cleansing techniques
(shodhana), but also breath control (pranayama)
Hatha-Yoga-Pradipika
("Light on Hatha Yoga"): one of three classical manuals on hatha
yoga, authored by Svatmarama Yogendra in the fourteenth century
Hiranyagarbha
("Golden Germ"): the mythical founder of yoga; the first cosmological
principle (tattva) to emerge out of the infinite Reality; also called Brahma
Ida-nadi
("pale conduit"): the prana current or arc ascending on the left side
of the central channel (sushumna nadi) associated with the parasympathetic
nervous system and having a cooling or calming effect on the mind when
activated; cf. pingala-nadi
Ishvara ("ruler"):
the Lord; referring either to the Creator (see Brahma) or, in Patanjali's yoga-darshana,
to a special transcendental Self (purusha)
Ishvara-pranidhana
("dedication to the Lord"): in Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga one of
the practices of self-restraint (niyama); see also bhakti yoga
Jaina (sometimes
Jain): pertaining to the jinas ("conquerors"), the liberated adepts
of Jainism; a member of Jainism, the spiritual tradition founded by Vardhamana
Mahavira, a contemporary of Gautama the Buddha
Japa
("muttering"): the recitation of mantras
Jiva-atman,
jivatman ("individual self"): the individuated consciousness, as
opposed to the ultimate Self (parama-atman)
Jivan-mukta
("he who is liberated while alive"): an adept who, while still
embodied, has attained liberation (moksha)
Jivan-mukti
("living liberation"): the state of liberation while being embodied;
cf. videha-mukti
Jnana
("knowledge/wisdom"): both worldly knowledge or world-transcending
wisdom, depending on the context; see also prajna; cf. avidya
Jnana-Yoga
("Yoga of wisdom"): the path to liberation based on wisdom, or the
direct intuition of the transcendental Self (atman) through the steady
application of discernment between the Real and the unreal and renunciation of
what has been identified as unreal (or inconsequential to the achievement of
liberation)
Kaivalya ("isolation"):
the state of absolute freedom from conditioned existence, as explained in
ashta-anga-yoga; in the nondualistic (advaita) traditions of India, this is
usually called moksha or mukti (meaning "release" from the fetters of
ignorance, or avidya)
Kali: a
Goddess embodying the fierce (dissolving) aspect of the Divine
Kali-yuga:
the dark age of spiritual and moral decline, said to be current now; kali does
not refer to the Goddess Kali but to the losing throw of a die
Kama
("desire"): the appetite for sensual pleasure blocking the path to
true bliss (ananda); the only desire conducive to freedom is the impulse toward
liberation, called mumukshutva
Kapila
("He who is red"): a great sage, the quasi-mythical founder of the
Samkhya tradition, who is said to have composed the Samkhya-Sutra (which,
however, appears to be of a much later date)
Karman, karma
("action"): activity of any kind, including ritual acts; said to be
binding only so long as engaged in a self-centered way; the "karmic"
consequence of one's actions; destiny
Karma Yoga
("Yoga of action"): the liberating path of self-transcending action
Karuna
("compassion"): universal sympathy; in Buddhist yoga the complement
of wisdom (prajna)
Khecari-mudra
("space-walking seal"): the Tantric practice of curling the tongue
back against the upper palate in order to seal the life energy (prana); see
also mudra
Kosha
("casing"): any one of five "envelopes" surrounding the
transcendental Self (atman) and thus blocking its light: anna-maya-kosha
("envelope made of food," the physical body), prana-maya-kosha
("envelope made of life force"), mano-maya-kosha ("envelope made
of mind"), vijnana-maya-kosha ("envelope made of
consciousness"), and ananda-maya-kosha ("envelope made of
bliss"); some older traditions regard the last kosha as identical with the
Self (atman)
Krishna
("Puller"): an incarnation of God Vishnu, the God-man whose teachings
can be found in the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata-Purana
Kumbhaka
("potlike"): breath retention; cf. puraka, recaka
Kundalini-shakti
("coiled power"): according to Tantra and hatha yoga, the serpent
power or spiritual energy, which exists in potential form at the lowest
psycho-energetic center of the body (i.e., the mula-adhara-chakra) and which
must be awakened and guided to the center at the crown (i.e., the sahasrara-chakra)
for full enlightenment to occur
Kundalini-Yoga:
the yogic path focusing on the kundalini process as a means of liberation
Laya Yoga
("Yoga of dissolution"): an advanced form or process of Tantric yoga
by which the energies associated with the various psycho-energetic centers
(cakra) of the subtle body are gradually dissolved through the ascent of the
serpent power (kundalini-shakti)
Linga
("mark"): the phallus as a principle of creativity; a symbol of God
Shiva; cf. yoni
Mahabharata
("Great Bharata"): one of India's two great ancient epics telling of
the great war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas and serving as a repository
for many spiritual and moral teachings
Mahatma
(from maha-atman, "great self"): an honorific title (meaning
something like "a great soul") bestowed on particularly meritorious
individuals, such as Gandhi
Maithuna
("twinning"): the Tantric sexual ritual in which the participants
view each other as Shiva and Shakti respectively
Manas
("mind"): the lower mind, which is bound to the senses and yields
information (vijnana) rather than wisdom (jnana, vidya); cf. buddhi
Mandala
("circle"): a circular design symbolizing the cosmos and specific to
a deity
Mantra
(from the verbal root man "to think"): a sacred sound or phrase, such
as om, hum, or om namah shivaya, that has a transformative effect on the mind
of the individual reciting it; to be ultimately effective, a mantra needs to be
given in an initiatory context (diksha)
Mantra-Yoga:
the yogic path utilizing mantras as the primary means of liberation
Marman
("lethal [spot]"): in Ayurveda and yoga, a vital spot on the physical
body where energy is concentrated or blocked; cf. granthi
Matsyendra
("Lord of Fish"): an early Tantric master who founded the
Yogini-Kaula school and is remembered as a teacher of Goraksha
Maya
("she who measures"): the deluding or illusive power of the world;
illusion by which the world is seen as separate from the ultimate singular
Reality (atman)
Moksha
("release"): the condition of freedom from ignorance (avidya) and the
binding effect of karma; also called mukti, kaivalya
Mudra
("seal"): a hand gesture (such as cin-mudra) or whole-body gesture
(such as viparita-karani-mudra); also a designation of the feminine partner in
the Tantric sexual ritual
Muni
("he who is silent"): a sage
Nada
("sound"): the inner sound, as it can be heard through the practice
of nada yoga or kundalini yoga
Nada-Yoga
("Yoga of the [inner] sound"): the yoga or process of producing and
intently listening to the inner sound as a means of concentration and ecstatic
self-transcendence
Nadi ("conduit"):
one of 72,000 or more subtle channels along or through which the life force
(prana) circulates, of which the three most important ones are the ida-nadi,
pingala-nadi, and sushumna-nadi
Nadi-shodhana
("channel cleansing"): the practice of purifying the conduits,
especially by means of breath control (pranayama)
Narada:
a great sage associated with music, who taught bhakti yoga and is attributed
with the authorship of one of two Bhakti-Sutras
Natha
("lord"): appellation of many North Indian masters of yoga, in
particular adepts of the Kanphata ("Split-ear") school allegedly
founded by Goraksha
Neti-neti
("not thus, not thus"): an Upanishadic expression meant to convey
that the ultimate Reality is neither this nor that, that is, is beyond all
description
Nirodha
("restriction"): in Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga, the very basis of
the process of concentration, meditation, and ecstasy; in the first instance,
the restriction of the "whirls of the mind" (citta-vritti)
Niyama
("[self-]restraint"): the second limb of Patanjali's eightfold path,
which consists of purity (saucha), contentment (samtosha), austerity (tapas),
study (svadhyaya), and dedication to the Lord (ishvara-pranidhana)
Nyasa
("placing"): the Tantric practice of infusing various body parts with
life force (prana) by touching or thinking of the respective physical area
Ojas ("vitality"):
the subtle energy produced through practice, especially the discipline of
chastity (brahmacharya)
Om:
the original mantra symbolizing the ultimate Reality, which is prefixed to many
mantric utterances
Parama-atman
or paramatman ("supreme self"): the transcendental Self, which is
singular, as opposed to the individuated self (jiva-atman) that exists in
countless numbers in the form of living beings
Parama-hamsa,
paramahansa ("supreme swan"): an honorific title given to great
adepts, such as Ramakrishna and Yogananda
See also
Patanjali:
compiler of the Yoga Sutra, who lived c. 150 C.E.
Pingala-nadi
("reddish conduit"): the prana current or arc ascending on the right
side of the central channel (sushumna-nadi) and associated with the sympathetic
nervous system and having an energizing effect on the mind when activated; cf.
ida-nadi
Prajna
("wisdom"): the opposite of spiritual ignorance (ajnana, avidya); one
of two means of liberation in Buddhist yoga, the other being skillful means
(upaya), i.e., compassion (karuna)
Prakriti
("creatrix"): nature, which is multilevel and, according to
Patanjali's yoga-darshana, consists of an eternal dimension (called pradhana or
"foundation"), levels of subtle existence (called sukshma-parvan),
and the physical or coarse realm (called sthula-parvan); all of nature is
deemed unconscious (acit), and therefore it is viewed as being in opposition to
the transcendental Self or Spirit (purusha)
Prakriti-laya
("merging into Nature"): a high-level state of existence that falls
short of actual liberation (kaivalya); the being who has attained that state
Prana
("life/breath"): life in general; the life force sustaining the body;
the breath as an external manifestation of the subtle life force
Pranayama (from
prana and ayama, "life/breath extension"): breath control, the fourth
limb (anga) of Patanjali's eigthfold path, consisting of conscious inhalation
(puraka) retention (kumbhaka) and exhalation (recaka); at an advanced state,
breath retention occurs spontaneously for longer periods of time
Prasada
("grace/clarity"): divine grace; mental clarity
Pratyahara
("withdrawal"): sensory inhibition, the fifth limb (anga) of
Patanjali's eightfold path
Puja
("worship"): ritual worship, which is an important aspect of many
forms of yoga, notably bhakti yoga and Tantra
Puraka
("filling in"): inhalation, an aspect of breath control (pranayama)
Purana
("Ancient [History]"): a type of popular encyclopedia dealing with
royal genealogy, cosmology, philosophy, and ritual; there are eighteen major
and many more minor works of this nature
Purusha
("male"): the transcendental Self (atman) or Spirit, a designation
that is mostly used in Samkhya and Patanjali's yoga-darshana
Radha:
the God-man Krishna's spouse; a name of the divine Mother
Raja-Yoga
("Royal Yoga"): a late medieval designation of Patanjali's eightfold yoga-darshana,
also known as classical yoga
Rama:
an incarnation of God Vishnu preceding Krishna; the principal hero of the
Ramayana
Ramayana
("Rama's life"): one of India's two great national epics telling the
story of Rama; cf. Mahabharata
Recaka
("expulsion"): exhalation, an aspect of breath control (pranayama)
Rig-Veda;
see Veda
Rishi
("seer"): a category of Vedic sage; an honorific title of certain
venerated masters, such as the South Indian sage Ramana, who is known as
maharshi (from maha meaning "great" and rishi); cf. muni
Sadhana
("accomplishing"): spiritual discipline leading to siddhi
("perfection" or "accomplishment"); the term is
specifically used in Tantra
Sahaja
("together born"): a medieval term denoting the fact that the
transcendental Reality and the empirical reality are not truly separate but
coexist, or with the latter being an aspect or misperception of the former;
often rendered as "spontaneous" or "spontaneity"; the
sahaja state is the natural condition, that is, enlightenment or realization
Samadhi ("putting
together"): the ecstatic or unitive state in which the meditator becomes
one with the object of meditation, the eighth and final limb (anga) of
Patanjali's eightfold path; there are many types of samadhi, the most
significant distinction being between samprajnata (conscious) and asamprajnata
(supraconscious) ecstasy; only the latter leads to the dissolution of the
karmic factors deep within the mind; beyond both types of ecstasy is
enlightenment, which is also sometimes called sahaja-samadhi or the condition
of "natural" or "spontaneous" ecstasy, where there is
perfect continuity of superconscious throughout waking, dreaming, and sleeping
Samatva
or samata ("evenness"): the mental condition of harmony, balance
Samkhya
("Number"): one of the main traditions of Hinduism, which is
concerned with the classification of the principles (tattva) of existence and
their proper discernment in order to distinguish between Spirit (purusha) and
the various aspects of Nature (prakriti); this influential system grew out of
the ancient (pre-Buddhist) Samkhya-Yoga tradition and was codified in the
Samkhya-Karika of Ishvara Krishna (c. 350 C.E.)
Samnyasa
("casting off"): the state of renunciation, which is the fourth and
final stage of life (see ashrama) and consisting primarily in an inner turning
away from what is understood to be finite and secondarily in an external
letting go of finite things; cf. vairagya
Samnyasin ("he
who has cast off"): a renouncer
Samprajnata-samadhi;
see samadhi
Samsara
("confluence"): the finite world of change, as opposed to the
ultimate Reality (Brahman or Nirvana)
Samskara
("activator"): the subconscious impression left behind by each act of
volition, which, in turn, leads to renewed psychomental activity; the countless
samskaras hidden in the depth of the mind are ultimately eliminated only in
asamprajnata-samadhi (see samadhi)
Samyama
("constraint"): the combined practice of concentration (dharana),
meditation (dhyana), and ecstasy (samadhi) in regard to the same object
Sat
("being/reality/truth"): the ultimate Reality (atman or brahman)
Sat-sanga
("true company/company of Truth"): the practice of frequenting the
good company of saints, sages, Self-realized adepts, and their disciples, in
whose company the ultimate Reality can be felt more palpably
Satya ("truth/truthfulness"):
truth, a designation of the ultimate Reality; also the practice of
truthfulness, which is an aspect of moral discipline (yama)
Shakti
("power"): the ultimate Reality in its feminine aspect, or the power
pole of the Divine; see also kundalini-shakti
Shakti-pata
("descent of power"): the process of initiation, or spiritual
baptism, by means of the benign transmission of an advanced or even enlightened
adept (siddha), which awakens the shakti within a disciple, thereby initiating
or enhancing the process of liberation
Shankara ("He
who is benevolent"): the eighth-century adept who was the greatest
proponent of nondualism (Advaita Vedanta) and whose philosophical school was
probably responsible for the decline of Buddhism in India
Shishya ("student/disciple"):
the initiated disciple of a guru
Shiva
("He who is benign"): the Divine; a deity that has served yogins as
an archetypal model throughout the ages
Shiva-Sutra
("Shiva's Aphorisms"): like the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, a classical
work on yoga, as taught in the Shaivism of Kashmir; authored by Vasugupta
(ninth century C.E.)
Shodhana
("cleansing/purification"): a fundamental aspect of all yogic paths;
a category of purification practices in hatha yoga
Shraddha
("faith"): an essential disposition on the yogic path, which must be
distinguished from mere belief
Shuddhi ("purification/purity"):
the state of purity; a synonym of shodhana
Siddha
("accomplished"): an adept, often of Tantra; if fully Self-realized,
the designation maha-siddha or "great adept" is often used
Siddha-Yoga
("Yoga of the adepts"): a designation applied especially to the yoga
of Kashmiri Shaivism, as taught by Swami Muktananda (twentieth century)
Siddhi ("accomplishment/perfection"):
spiritual perfection, the attainment of flawless identity with the ultimate
Reality (atman or brahman); paranormal ability, of which the yoga tradition
knows many kinds
Spanda
("vibration"): a key concept of Kashmir's Shaivism according to which
the ultimate Reality itself "quivers," that is, is inherently creative
rather than static (as conceived in Advaita Vedanta)
Sushumna-nadi
("very gracious channel"): the central prana current or arc in or
along which the serpent power (kundalini-shakti) must ascend toward the
psychoenergetic center (cakra) at the crown of the head in order to attain
liberation (moksha)
Sutra
("thread"): an aphoristic statement; a work consisting of aphoristic
statements, such as Patanjali's Yoga Sutra or Vasugupta's Shiva-Sutra
Svadhyaya
("one's own going into"): study, an important aspect of the yogic
path, listed among the practices of self-restraint (niyama) in Patanjali's
eightfold yoga; the recitation of mantras (see also japa)
Tantra
("Loom"): a type of Sanskrit work containing Tantric teachings; the
tradition of Tantrism, which focuses on the shakti side of spiritual life and
which originated in the early post-Christian era and achieved its classical
features around 1000 C.E.; Tantrism has a "right-hand" (dakshina) or conservative
and a "left-hand" (vama) or unconventional/antinomian branch, with
the latter utilizing, among other things, sexual rituals
Tapas
("glow/heat"): austerity, penance, which is an ingredient of all
yogic approaches, since they all involve self-transcendence
Tattva
("thatness"): a fact or reality; a particular category of existence
such as the ahamkara, buddhi, manas; the ultimate Reality (see also Atman, Brahman)
Turiya
("fourth"), also called cathurtha: the transcendental Reality, which
exceeds the three conventional states of consciousness, namely waking,
sleeping, and dreaming
Upanishad
("sitting near"): a type of scripture representing the concluding
portion of the revealed literature of Hinduism, hence the designation Vedanta
for the teachings of these sacred works; cf. Aranyaka, Brahmana, Veda
Upaya
("means"): in Buddhist yoga, the practice of compassion (karuna); cf.
prajna
Vairagya
("dispassion"): the attitude of inner ren
Excerpted with permission from the author: traditionalyogastudies.com. Copyright 1999 by Georg Feuerstein
