Chapter of the Self

by Trevor Leggett (Editor)

Overview

The Chapter of the Self forms part of Apastambam, an ancient Indian Law-book dated from around 500 BCE. The main theme of this text is yoga as the means to the realization of the universal Self. The text is the subject of a commentary by Shankara, the 8th century sage. Shankara saw himself not as propounding a theoretical world-view, but as teaching a change of consciousness. His aim is to go beyond individuality, through realization of the ancient truths by means of yogic meditation. The first part of this book comprises the translation of The Chapter of the Self, and Shankara's commentary. In its second part, Trevor Leggett explores Shankara's yogic practices, and provides for the first time an English translation of Shankara's commentary. Many of the book's insights are drawn from Leggett's eighteen years of study with Dr. Hari Prasad Shastri, the renowned scholar and fully-realized Yogi. Leggett explores themes such as worship, training the mind, dream and sleep, and free action.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780901032522
Publisher:	Global Book Sales
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

Trevor Leggett (1914–2000) was a British judo teacher, author, translator, and head of the BBC’s Japanese Service for 24 years. He published over thirty books on a variety of topics including judo, Eastern philosophy and Zen Buddhism. He is fondly remembered for his erudite yet approachable contributions to the understanding of Buddhism.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

How to use this book for Yoga Practice 12

Part 1 The Text 14

1 The Sacred Texts 15

2 The Law-book of Apastamba 20

3 The Chapter of the Self 22

4 Shankara the Teacher 30

5 Outline of the Commentary on the Chapter of the Self 40

6 Quotations in Sahkara's Commentary 49

7 The Chapter of the Self of the Apastamba Law-book, with the Commentary of Sankara 51

Part 2 Practice 78

8 Outline of Practice 79

9 Worship 81

10 Free Action 100

11 Independence of the Opposites 108

12 Training the Mind 124

13 The Four Feelings 130

14 Pranayama 148

15 The Self-terminating Experiences 153

16 The Light Experiences 157

17 Passionlessness 162

18 Dream and Sleep 163

19 The Chosen Form 166

20 Samadhi 170

Part 3 Knowledge 184

21 Knowledge 186

22 Knowledge-yoga 195

23 Freedom 203

Part 4 Appendices 208

Appendix 1 The Chapter of the Self (Historical) 209

Appendix 2 The Sankara Commentary 218

List of Illustrations 229

Acknowledgments 230

By the Same Author 231