Rethinking 'Classical Yoga' and Buddhism

Rethinking ‘Classical Yoga’ and Buddhism offers a new and valuable discussion of the early history of yoga. It brings a careful assessment of metaphor theory into the discussion of early Indian soteriology, and explores the intertwined nature of Indian religious practices that we too easily divide off as “Hindu” and “Buddhist”. A wonderful contribution to our understanding of Indian religion, literature and history. * Naomi Appleton, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions, University of Edinburgh, UK * This book is ground-breaking, not only in its recognition and analysis of the Buddhist backdrop to Patanjali’s Yoga tradition, but also in the application of cognitive metaphor theory to the study of Indian philosophical texts. In overcoming reified and anachronistic notions of “Hindu” and “Buddhist” in the study of contemplative traditions of ancient India, this work is to be highly recommended to anyone wishing to understand the broader intellectual and yogic context out of which Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras emerged. * Richard King, Professor Emeritus of Buddhist and Asian Studies, University of Kent, UK * The author blends a keen historical sensitivity with intertextual analysis and the conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) of Lakoff and Johnson. ... The book makes important contributions to our understanding of the shared religiocultural environment that nourished the early discourse of yoga and the “conceptual sharing” between groups whose intellectual identity did not easily map onto any facile religious identity. * The Journal of Religion *