Liber VIII · Eastern Mysticism

Introduction

Hindu philosophy, yoga and samadhi, kundalini, tantra, qigong, Taoist alchemy, Zen and the Sufi path.

Esoteric knowledge is not only a Western story. This section covers the philosophies of Hinduism, from the Vedas and Upanishads to Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita; the eight limbs of Patanjali's yoga culminating in samadhi; the subtle-body traditions of kundalini, the chakras and nadis, hatha yoga and the tantric schools of Shaivism, Shaktism and Buddhism; qigong, neigong and the internal alchemy of Taoism; Zen and Chan meditation; the Vajrayana practices of Tibet; and the mystical path of Sufism within Islam. Each article explains the original context and texts, and distinguishes them from their later Western adaptations.

7 min readWhat Is Eastern Mysticism? Yoga, Tantra, the Dao and ZenWhat is Eastern mysticism? An overview of Vedanta, yoga and samadhi, tantra, Buddhist meditation, Zen, Tibetan Vajrayana, Daoism and Sufism, and their reception.

Forthcoming in this chapter

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Patanjali: Life, Works and Influence
Matsyendranath: Life, Works and Influence
Gorakhnath: Life, Works and Influence
Svatmarama: Life, Works and Influence
Abhinavagupta: Life, Works and Influence
Kshemaraja: Life, Works and Influence
Swami Lakshmanjoo: Life, Works and Influence
Gopi Krishna: Life, Works and Influence
Swami Sivananda: Life, Works and Influence
Swami Satyananda Saraswati: Life, Works and Influence
Swami Muktananda: Life, Works and Influence
Yogi Bhajan: Life, Works and Influence
Ramakrishna: Life, Works and Influence
Paramahansa Yogananda: Life, Works and Influence
Ramana Maharshi: Life, Works and Influence
Adi Shankaracharya: Life, Works and Influence
Ramanuja: Life, Works and Influence
Madhva: Life, Works and Influence
Kabir: Life, Works and Influence
Mirabai: Life, Works and Influence
Sri Aurobindo: Life, Works and Influence
Anandamayi Ma: Life, Works and Influence
Neem Karoli Baba: Life, Works and Influence
Nisargadatta Maharaj: Life, Works and Influence
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Life, Works and Influence
Bodhidharma: Life, Works and Influence
Huineng: Life, Works and Influence
Dogen: Life, Works and Influence
Hakuin: Life, Works and Influence
D. T. Suzuki: Life, Works and Influence
Padmasambhava: Life, Works and Influence
Milarepa: Life, Works and Influence
Naropa: Life, Works and Influence
Tsongkhapa: Life, Works and Influence
Laozi: Life, Works and Influence
Zhuangzi: Life, Works and Influence
Ge Hong: Life, Works and Influence
Zhang Boduan: Life, Works and Influence
Wang Chongyang: Life, Works and Influence
Lü Dongbin: Life, Works and Influence

and 107 more.