Georg Feuerstein - The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice

Copyright 1998, 2001, 2008 by Georg Feuerstein
All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner for public or private use without the written permission of the publisher, except in cases of quotes used in reviews.

Cover design: Kim Johansen
Design and Layout: Visual Perspectives, Phoenix, Arizona

The Library of Congress originally catalogued this publication as:

Feuerstein, Georg.

The yoga tradition / Georg Feuerstein

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-1-938043-04-8

1. Yoga. I. Title.

B132.T6F489 199898-23466

181.45dc21CIP

Thirteen Digit ISBN: 978-1-890772-18-5
New Foreword by Subhash Kak

This book was printed in the U.S.A. on recycled, acid-free paper using soy ink.

HOHM PRESS
PO Box 2501
Prescott, Arizona 86302
800-381-2700
http://www.hohmpress.com

Select other books by Georg Feuerstein

Yoga Morality(Hohm Press, 2007)

Holy Madness(Hohm Press, rev. ed. 2007)

The Yoga Tradition(Hohm Press, 2d ed. 2001)

The Deeper Dimension of Yoga(Shambhala Publications, 2003)

The Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga(Shambhala Publications, 2000)

Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy(Shambhala Publications, 1998)

The Teachings of Yoga(Shambhala Publications, 1997)

The Shambhala Guide to Yoga(Shambhala Publications, 1996)

Lucid Waking(Inner Traditions, 1997)

The Philosophy of Classical Yoga Lucid Waking(Inner Traditions, repr. 1996)

The Yoga-Stra ofPatanjali(Inner Traditions, repr. 1989)

Transparent Leaves From the Tree of Life: Metaphysical Poems(Traditional Yoga Studies, 2007)

Aha! Reflections on the Meaning of Everything(Traditional Yoga Studies, 2007)

Green Yoga(Traditional Yoga Studies, 2007)

The Lost Teachings of Yoga(Sounds True, 2003) [6 CDs]

Yoga Gems(Bantam Books, 2002)

In Search of the Cradle of Civilization, coauthored with Subhash Kak and David Frawley (Quest Books, 2d ed. 2001)

The Mystery of Light(Integral Publishing, 1998)

Wholeness or Transcendence?(Larson Publications, 1992)

Addendum to Select Bibliography

Addendum on Green Yoga

by the late Sri Satguru Subramuniyaswami
Jagadacharya of the Nandinatha Sampradayas
Kailsa Parampara Guru Mahasannidhnam

T his book, The Yoga Tradition, is a mature rendering of Yoga, unlike other books in that, without submitting to the pitfalls of exclusivity, it preserves a deeply Hindu perspective. It outlines the end of the path as well as the path itself. While others see in Yoga a thousand techniques to be practiced and perfected toward a lofty spiritual attainment, Dr. Feuerstein intuits the Indian rishis revelation that it is not something we do but something we become and are. Yoga without the yogis all-comprehending consciousness is like the sun without heat and light. As the subject matter in this book is documented according to traditionremembering that tradition is the best of the past that has been preservedwe can assure ourselves that the advice and guidance here has been most useful to our forefathers, theirs, and the many generations that preceded them for thousands of years.

We are most happy to give blessings from this and inner worlds to Georg Feuerstein for a long life, that he may enjoy the four purusharthas, human goals, of dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation as a fulfillment of his personal quest.

I am delighted to write this foreword to the new edition of The Yoga Tradition. Georg Feuerstein is the worlds foremost interpreter of Yoga, and his many books have guided hundreds of thousands around the world for over thirty years. This book is his crowning achievement for it gathers his many unique insights in one place. It is especially noteworthy because of its comprehensiveness, translations of original source materials, and positioning of Yogas many paths in a historical sweep.

We live in an age of unparalleled prosperity and anxiety. The words of the Roman poet Lucretius are quite apt for these times: From the midst of the fountain of delights rises something bitter that chokes them all amongst the flowers. The machines to whose rhythms we are required to adjust at workplace and home alienate us from our spirit. It is no wonder that many start believing that they are no different from these machines. Taking the self to be no more than the body, they see happiness coming only from sensations and acquisitions.