This book examines the significance of metaphysical list-making as a determining feature of 'spiritual exercises' in South Asian gnostic yogas. It examines how these ancient traditions sought spiritual transformation through the dialectical practice of taxonomy. It highlights the gnostic thread that intersects 'spiritual exercises' and 'ways of life' in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina circles. It fills a gap in yoga studies by proposing a new understanding of jñna-yoga (yoga of knowledge). Departing from mainstream Anglophone philosophical traditions, it articulates an original meta-theory of philosophical practice, explaining how philosophy can be 'therapeutic' in concrete terms. The book theorizes yogic Gnosticism, as a South Asian religious undercurrent and as a distinctive form of philosophical practice and ascetic way of life internalizing a sacrificial worldview. Finally, the book analyzes four literary case studies, presenting therapeutic methods in competing gnostic traditions, namely, the Verses on Skhya of varaka; the Advaita Instructions on the Doctrine of Gauapda; the Buddhist Heart Stra; and the Twelve Contemplations of the Jaina Kundakunda. The groundbreaking multidisciplinary and trans-sectarian book offers a must-read for scholars across the fields of world philosophy and religious studies.

Fills a gap in yoga studies and offers a fresh perspective on jñna-yoga (yoga of knowledge) Challenges norms of the mainstream Anglophone philosophical tradition by offering an alternative therapeutic approach Reflects on the universal practice of taxonomy, with a specific focus on religious studies, philosophy, and psychology

Autorentext

Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette is Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy (DoP), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). Following his Ph.D. in Munich, he pursued post-doctoral research in Leiden and Gent. His first monograph was Dialogue and Doxography in Indian Philosophy (Routledge, 2020).

Inhalt

List Making: From Universal to Spiritual Exercise.- Gnostic Yoga as Philosophical Practice.- Case Studies in South Asian Gnostic Spiritual Exercises.- Conclusion.