November 2015 Issue of Sutra Journal

Christopher Tompkins on the Origins of Vinyasa

November, 2015 by Vikram Zutshi

Well, to date I don't know of a single publication on the history of yoga, including the recent BRILL Encyclopedia entry on Yoga, which has recognized and accurately depicted the fundamental and critical place of Yoga in the thousand year long tradition of Tantra, so revolutionary for its major contribution to the yoga tradition, including the Hatha based innovation of non-seated Asana sequencing. Instead Western scholarship in particular has simply skipped over it, and has... read more

The Tale of Two Zodiacs

November, 2015 by Freedom Cole

The English word zodiac literally means the circle of animals: a zoo-circle. The Sanskrit word for the grouping of the constellations is bhachakra. Chakra means a circle or wheel- the earliest Vedic Saṁhitās saw the movement of the Sun and the progression of time as the turning of a wheel. Bha means light, star, or constellations. The bhachakra is the circle of lights or the wheel of stars. This circle of stars can be divided in an infinite number of ways. I will share some views about.. read more

The Divine Mother Durga

November, 2015 by Laura Amazzone

As we face the many ecological, political, social, and religious crises of these shifting times, a 1500 year old myth, the Devi Mahatmya and the millennia-old ritual worship of the Great Goddess Durga provide philosophical and spiritual insight into the powers that can aid us in the deep process of transformation which we face both globally and personally. read more

How Deepest Tantra Saves the World: Part Two

November, 2015 by Dr. Stuart Sovatsky

Numerous spiritual teachers are calling Now-consciousness the ultimate enlightenment based in the giving up of all seeking and finding Wholeness right here, right Now. Yet, this fully-attentive, being present, unchanging or always in the Now awareness seems to fit the ars erotica definition of pratyahara or dharana or, possibly, some glimmers of dhyana - de-sticking one's bare attention from inner and outer objects... read more

Interview with Christopher Chapple

November, 2015 by Sutra Journal

Chris Chapple is Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University. He served as Assistant Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions and taught Sanskrit, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism for five years at the State University of New York at Stony Brook before joining the faculty at LMU. He co-founded LMU’s program in Asian and Pacific Studies, chaired the Department of Theological Studies for five years, and served as Associate Academic Vice President... read more

In Conversation with Dr.Jeffery Long - Dharma, Religion and Politics

November, 2015 by Vikram Zutshi

Rather like maya in the teaching of Shankara, it is both real and unreal. The American academy of South Asian Studies and of religion in South Asia is not a monolith. It is extremely diverse. It is not uncommon for scholars to pursue this field of study because, like me, their lives have been transformed in positive ways by these traditions. read more

Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka: Wisdom of the Seer and the Seen

November, 2015 by Richard Miller, PhD

All objects are perceived by the senses. The senses are, in turn, perceived by the mind. The mind, in turn, is a movement that unfolds in Awareness. Awareness is not perceived by any other structure. It is its own perceiving. read more

HER Farm: Fighting Domestic Abuse in Nepal

November, 2015 by Sutra Journal

Her Farm started out as a home for women and their children, who needed a safe-haven to escape domestic abuse. It was Sunita’s idea and based on her own life experience. Her parents were hoping for a son, but got a daughter, which isn’t a joyous occasion in Nepal. A daughter represents a future dowry to pay, and a daughter cannot perform burial rites under Hindu law, to ensure proper passage of parents from this life. read more

Sanskrit in Croatia: From Sarasvati to Hrvati

November, 2015 by James Cooper

For most of the Croatian people (or as they call themselves, Hrvati) when it comes to defining their origins and tracing their ancient roots they turn towards the land of Iran and Persia. According to academia the name Hrvat comes from Hrovat which comes from the Slavic Horvat which originates from the Indo/Slavic Harvat and which is ultimately traced to Persia and the name Harahvaiti. read more

Royal Kumari - the Goddess who peers through the eyes of a child

November, 2015 by Dr. Jeffrey S. Lidke

The identification and worship of a prepubescent girl, called kumārī, as living goddess has a long-standing history in South Asia. The Kathmandu valley is home to a vibrant millennium-old tradition of royal kumārīs whose virginal bodies are believed to protect and empower the nation and its citizens. Some of the myths, liturgies, and ideologies that inform contemporary interpretations of Nepal’s living goddess follow. read more

Priya's Shakti: Addressing Gender Imbalance through Religious Art

November, 2015 by Sutra Journal

I think the most important thing we want to emphasize with the comic book is that change is possible. Trying to create a cultural shift is incredibly difficult, but not impossible. India is going through some remarkable and monumental changes in a short period of time. People’s views have not caught up with the speed in which things are changing in India. But, what was clear to me from the massive protests that happened all over India after the horrible rape on the bus is that we... read more

Devī Series by Keshav Venkataraghavan

November, 2015 by Keshav Venkataraghavan

A beautiful watercolor series of the devīs of Navaratri by Keshav Venkata Raghavan. An artist from childhood, Keshav lives both in Chennai and the world of Krishna’s Leela. He works at The Hindu as a cartoonist, and continues with his passion, drawing and painting. With guidance of ‘Chitrasutra’, (from the Vishnudharmottara) a treatise on painting, he sketched episodes from the Indian epics, revealing a treasure house of ... read more

Unity in Diversity at Parliament of World's Religions

November, 2015 by Philip Goldberg

In mid-October I spent six days at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was my second parliament, the first being 2004 in Barcelona, and the differences were significant. read more

Parvati Saves the World: A Short Film by Ram Devineni

November, 2015 by Ram Devineni

A new re-mix film using dozens of Bollywood Hindu mythological films from the 1970s, but re-cut to focus on gender-based violence. The main character is the Goddess Parvati and eventually became the nucleus of the comic book Priya’s Shakti. read more

A Conversation with Charles Tart (podcast)

November, 2015 by Philip Goldberg and Dennis Raimondi

Charles T. Tart. Dr. Tart is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and is renowned for his research on consciousness and parapsychology. One of the founders of transpersonal psychology, he is the author of many books, including Altered States of Consciousness and Transpersonal Psychologies. His most recent book is The End of Materialism. We spoke of science and spirituality and the many lessons he’s learned over half a century of research and scholarship. read more

A Conversation with Christopher Chapple (podcast)

November, 2015 by Philip Goldberg and Dennis Raimondi

Dr. Chapple is a professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The author of numerous academic articles and books, he has taught Sanskrit, Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and in 2013 established the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies program. We spoke about his own spiritual history, his distinguished academic career and his experience creating the first ever masters degree program in Yoga Studies. read more

Critics Corner: Mat, Block and Bolster

November, 2015 by John Weddepohl

Thinking that simple asanas are Yoga is a mistake that has proliferated as thousands of different styles in teacher trainings worldwide. Thousands, maybe millions, live under the misguided notion that they are yogis and what they are doing and teaching is Yoga. This arguably comes down to one organization: Yoga Alliance of America read more

dharma	yoga	tantra
ayruveda	meditation	buddha

November 2015 Issue of Sutra Journal

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