Haṭhayoga’s Early History: From Vajrayāna Sexual Restraint to Universal Somatic Soteriology

In India physical methods have been used for religious ends since at least 1000 bce. For two millennia these methods were simple techniques of privation in which the body was mortified, usually by holding a particular posture for long periods, in order to acquire tapas, ascetic power. The details of their performance were not transmitted in texts but, we must assume, passed on orally within lineages of renouncer ascetics. In the early part of the second millennium ce, a somatic soteriology whose physical methods are body-affirming appears in textual sources; some of its practices are depicted soon after in the material record. In certain Sanskrit texts these methods of yoga were classified as haṭha, which means “force”; haṭhayoga means “yoga by means of force”. In this chapter I shall analyse the history of the codification of haṭhayoga techniques up to the composition of the c. 1400 ce Haṭhapradīpikā, which became haṭhayoga’s locus classicus

Kālavañcana in the Konkan: How a Vajrayāna Haṭhayoga Tradition Cheated Buddhism’s Death in India

In recent decades the relationship between tantric traditions of Buddhism and Śaivism has been the subject of sustained scholarly enquiry. This article looks at a specific aspect of this relationship, that between Buddhist and Śaiva traditions of practitioners of physical yoga, which came to be categorised in Sanskrit texts as haṭhayoga. Taking as its starting point the recent identification as Buddhist of the c.11th-century Amṛtasiddhi, which is the earliest text to teach any of the methods of haṭhayoga and whose teachings are found in many subsequent non-Buddhist works, the article draws on a range of textual and material sources to identify the Konkan site of Kadri as a key location for the transition from Buddhist to Nāth Śaiva haṭhayoga traditions, and proposes that this transition may provide a model for how Buddhist teachings survived elsewhere in India after Buddhism’s demise there as a formal religion

Jaina Non-Tīrthas in Madhyadeśa I: Fragments of Digambara Temples and A New Vaiṣṇava Inscription in Tumain

The article introduces the term 'non-tīrtha' as a new analytical category to designate Jaina sacred sites that have vanished or do not yet exist, according to the cyclical Jaina conception of history. It presents new evidence on two different Digambara 'non-sites': Māmoṃ (Bhāmauna) and Tumain (Tumbavana). The Digambara temple of Māmoṃ has completely disintegrated, but is still listed as a tīrtha in Jaina pilgrimage guides, while the non-tīrtha of Tumain is not listed, despite its numerous ancient Jaina sculptures, pillars, and other historical remains. The article presents evidence for the long-sought location of a Jaina temple, and a previously unpublished 10th to 11th century Vaiṣṇava copper-plate inscription, featuring one of the oldest known epigraphic records pertaining to the history of yoga

Development of a very light rail vehicle

The collaborative very light rail project involves the development of a novel railcar designed to revolutionise the rail industry: a self-powered, Very Light Rail (VLR) vehicle. Each of the two bogies contains a complete diesel-electric series-hybrid drive system, whilst the whole vehicle has undergone significant lightweighting activity to realise a target weight of less than 18 tonnes, or 1 tonne per linear meter. The target cost is £500,000, which is to be achieved through the use of standardised, modular components, and appropriate materials and structural design methodologies. The research covers several aspects of the GB Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) chapter relating to Rolling Stock. Lightweighting leads to a reduction in the propulsion requirements and reduces the infrastructure installation and maintenance costs. The use of higher efficiency drive systems achieved through on-board energy systems enables a reduction in carbon emissions. These hybridisation activities improve the passenger experience through quieter operation, decreased vibration and the possible elimination of exhaust emissions in stations. Combining new drive systems with modular lightweight structures will lead to lower life-cycle costs and thus could enable the economical reopening of lines