Hinduism: Details about 'Jnana Yoga'

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Jnana in Sanskrit means "knowledge", and is often interpreted to mean "knowledge of the true self". In the Vedanta school of the Hindu religion, to know Brahman as one's own Self is jnana. To say, "I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness," is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.

Jnana yoga is one of the four basic paths in yoga (jnana, bhakti, raja and karma.)

Jnana yoga teaches that there are four means to salvation:

  • Viveka - Discrimination: The ability to differentiate between what is real/eternal (Brahman) and what is unreal/temporary (everything else in the universe.)
  • Vairagya - Dispassion: After practice one should be able to "detach" her/himself from everything that is "temporary."
  • Shad-sampat - The 6 Virtues: Tranquility (control of the mind), Dama (control of the senses), Uparati (renunciation of activities that are not duties), Titiksha (endurance), Shraddha (faith), Samadhana (perfect concentration).
  • Mumukshutva - Intense longing for liberation from temporal limitations.

One of the philosophical fundamental pillars of Jnana yoga is nondualism which is a fundamental belief in the



unity of the universe, especially of the individual soul atman with bhraman or transcendent, all pervasive ultimate reality. The desire for liberation mentioned above might be described as "wanting to be one with the universe."

See also

Topics in Yoga
Yogas: Agni Yoga - Anahata Yoga - Anusara Yoga - Arhatic Yoga - Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga) - Bikram Yoga - Hatha yoga - Integral yoga - Iyengar Yoga - Kriya yoga - Kundalini yoga - Natya Yoga - Sahaj Marg - Sahaja Yoga - Siddha Yoga - Six yogas of Naropa (Tumo) - Surat Shabd Yoga - Viniyoga - Yoga in Daily Life - Yoga Nidra
Texts: Hatha Yoga Pradipika - Yoga Sutra - Gherand Samhita
Hinduism paths: Bhakti yoga - Karma Yoga - Jnana Yoga - Raja Yoga (Ashtanga Yoga)
Raja Yoga limbs: Yama - Niyama - Asana - Pranayama - Pratyahara - Dharana - Dhyana - Samadhi
Lists: Yoga schools and their gurus - Hatha yoga postures
Related topics:Ayurveda - Chakra - Tantra - Vedanta - Yoga as exercise

Jnana Yoga Jnana-Yoga


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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Jnana_Yoga". A list of the wikipedia authors can be found here.