This episode focuses on the idea of liberation in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra (Patanjala-yoga-shastra). We touch a little on how Patanjali's system inherits key aspects from the Upanishads, and then focus on the first four sutras of chapter one, which constitute what is known as the classical definition of yoga. From these foundational sutras, it is possible to get a solid sense of how Patanjali frames a simple definition of Yoga, the nature of the problem of ignorance that Yoga intends to address, and the nature of the liberated state. Crucially, the discussion lends nuance - in a surprising way - to the common notion that Yoga - as "union" - is the desired end of our practices. 

This episode investigates notions of liberation from the traditional early and late Vedic literature, with an emphasis on the nuance that exists in the late Veda, also known as the Upanishads. In particular, we present the views of the three great commentators: Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva. This investigation reveals subtle and exciting differences in how the Upanishads have been interpreted, and what this means for conceptions of enlightenment. 

There are many different ideas about what enlightenment is: some come from the dogma of particular schools; some come from individuals only vaguely associated with a set of schools, etc. What follows is a list of “contemporary definitions” from teachers important to the Shala. The list is gleaned from Marianna Caplan’s very valuable book: Halfway Up the Mountain: the Error of Premature Claims to Enlightenment. Are there desires after awakening? Does liberation mean that all of my problems are going to disappear?