126 research outputs found
Haį¹hayogaās Early History: From VajrayÄna 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 haį¹ha, which means āforceā; haį¹hayoga means āyoga by means of forceā. In this chapter I shall analyse the history of the codification of haį¹hayoga techniques up to the composition of the c. 1400 ce Haį¹hapradÄ«pikÄ, which became haį¹hayogaās locus classicus
KÄlavaƱcana in the Konkan: How a VajrayÄna Haį¹hayoga Tradition Cheated Buddhismās Death in India
In recent decades the relationship between tantric traditions of Buddhism and Åaivism has been the subject of sustained scholarly enquiry. This article looks at a specific aspect of this relationship, that between Buddhist and Åaiva traditions of practitioners of physical yoga, which came to be categorised in Sanskrit texts as haį¹hayoga. Taking as its starting point the recent identification as Buddhist of the c.11th-century Amį¹tasiddhi, which is the earliest text to teach any of the methods of haį¹hayoga 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 NÄth Åaiva haį¹hayoga traditions, and proposes that this transition may provide a model for how Buddhist teachings survived elsewhere in India after Buddhismās demise there as a formal religion
Jaina Non-TÄ«rthas in MadhyadeÅa I: Fragments of Digambara Temples and A New Vaiį¹£į¹ava Inscription in Tumain
The article introduces the term 'non-tÄ«rtha' 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': MÄmoį¹ (BhÄmauna) and Tumain (Tumbavana). The Digambara temple of MÄmoį¹ has completely disintegrated, but is still listed as a tÄ«rtha in Jaina pilgrimage guides, while the non-tÄ«rtha 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 Vaiį¹£į¹ava 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 Ā£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
- ā¦