I've learned a lot through my research on Hinduism. Not only have a grasped the overall idea of the beliefs of Hindus and expanded on my common knowledge of the religion, but I have also been able to dig deeper into Hindu practices and philosophies. I didn't really know what I was looking for when I was researching, I just wanted to learn about Hinduism and be able to research and have a better understanding of a foreign religion to the Western World. But as I was looking for a book to read for research, I found Patanjali's yoga aphorisms. I didn't know a lot about yoga, and so I've decided to bring my focus of research to Yoga practices, because it's a very interesting topic and an idea that it unique to Hinduism. I learned that not only is there the idea of yoga, but there are also many different types and stages of yoga. From the simple exercises that we know to help our minds and our bodies be healthy, to Patanjali's teachings that help Hindus climb the ladder of the Caste System and reach their own self realization and become one with the divine being. I find that there are different types of yoga to be very interesting, and they are all very unique and different from each other.
I would really like to focus in even more on Patanjali's aphorisms and how they helped Hindus reach the ultimate goal. To further my research, I want to look Hindu philosophy and the concept of reaching realization, and connect it back to yoga. I still have a lot of research I need to do before I can write this research paper. But I also think I've come a long way since we've began this assignment.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI've always found Hinduism and yoga intriguing and beautiful. Now, for your paper, do you plan on using Hindu philosophy to explain how one reaches realization, or simply researching how Hindu philosophy is inspired by yoga?
Wow, your topic narrowed a lot! I never knew there was so much behind yoga. I knew it was important to Hinduism and was somehow connected to their religious beliefs and culture. I think it is really cool that you found one philosopher to focus on, since his work will be able to guide you to draw definite conclusions. It would be interesting to include some history of Hinduism. It would be interesting to try and interview a yogi or someone who knows about yoga and compare the modern ideas behind it with the ancient ones.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely going to be interesting. I'm actually excited to read what you eventually come up with for your research paper. I feel like it is important to have a basic understanding of the religion and I'm glad to see that it seems you have taken that into account. I also think that it is good that you are narrowing down your topic to the teachings of one person because this will provide you with a solid sense of direction.
ReplyDeleteI've always agreed with the philosophy that training your body can also train your mind and therefore your soul and I can see how this is present in your topic. Very cool.