66%
Confidence
Belief overview
Yoga as spiritual discipline
Yoga can designate paths of spiritual discipline, not just physical technique.
2
Supportive
0
Contrary
1
Neutral
What it is: In the Hindu context, yoga can mean spiritual discipline, union, method of concentration, asceticism, and path of realization.
How the tradition understands it: There are many types of yoga, such as karma yoga, jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, and raja yoga, among other classifications. In many traditions, yoga is an integral path of transformation and not only bodily practice.
Textual basis and context: The Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras, and many traditions of gurus and modern schools helped popularize the term.
Debates and variations: The contemporary global meaning of yoga does not always coincide with traditional Hindu uses.
Documentary evidence
Supportive
Bhagavad Gita 6.5
Self-discipline and the elevation of the self.
Reference: Bhagavad Gita 6.5.
Content: The text links inner discipline to the elevation of one's own being.
Use in debate: It is used for the ethical and spiritual dimension of yoga.
Yoga Sutra 1.2
A classical definition of yoga as mental discipline.
Reference: Yoga Sutra 1.2.
Content: The sutra defines yoga in terms of the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.
Use in debate: It is an important basis for yoga as a spiritual and meditative discipline.
Neutral
Neiye
An ancient text on inner cultivation and vital energy.
Reference: Neiye, an inner chapter of the Guanzi in traditional Chinese reading.
Content: The text deals with mind, vitality, stillness, and inner cultivation.
Use in debate: It is highly relevant to qi and self-cultivation in an ancient context.