TWO MODELS OF SPIRITUAL JOURNEY: YOGA AND CONFUCIUS

Abstract

At first glance, to juxtapose the ascetical recommendations of Patanjali and Yoga next to the counsels of Confucius and the classical Chinese tradition seems improbable and even contradictory; indeed, each thrust contrasts very sharply with the other. India's Samkhya-Yoga tradition attests to an inward thrust, to a radical probing of what some have even described as the “frontiers of inner-space”. From the very dawn of history, Yogis have pioneered an interior exploration of the psyche and human spirit; ultimately these Yogis proclaim the hidden value of each person, a dimension they call “purusa”. The Sanskrit word purusa has been variously translated as “consciousness”, “spirit”, “light”, or simply as the authentic and genuine identity of the human being. Quite naturally then, the quest for realizing this purusa- identity became the preoccupation and all-consuming goal of the Yogis — even at the cost of an almost total disregard for the social order including the abandonment of such traditional values as our commonly accepted virtues of family, society, and social growth and development.