Yogabindu & Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya: The Yogas of Haribhadrasūri
Course Intro Video
Yogabindu & Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya: The Yogas of Haribhadrasūri
Course 3008
This course offers a close exploration of the teachings and historical contexts of two significant teachers of early Śvetāmbara Jain yoga: Haribhadra Virahāṇka and Haribhadra Yākinīputra.
Beginning with an introduction to Haribhadra Virahāṇka’s (ca. 6 th c. CE) hagiography, we will examine how his legendary name reflects the Jain path to liberation (mokṣa), setting the stage for a study of his yoga texts aimed for the same goal: the Yogabindu and Yogaśataka. In addition to looking at the limited historical evidence regarding Haribhadra Virahāṇka’s tentative 6 th c. CE dating, the course will analyze Haribhadra’s categorization of yoga practitioners into three levels, with a focus on the cāritrin (pathgoer), who embodies the path of comprehensive Jain yoga practice. Through a detailed examination of the five types of yoga in the Yogabindu, students will understand how these practices facilitate liberation according to Jain karma theory. Students will also appreciate how the Yogabindu represents Jainism’s first-known exposition of “yoga” as a spiritual path, rather than something that causes the inflow of karma as understood in the preceding classical period.
Transitioning to Haribhadra Yākinīputra (ca. 8 th c. CE), the course will delve into his hagiography as well as his distinct contributions to Jain yoga, the Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya and Yogaviṁśikā. We will investigate how Haribhadra Yākinīputra is historically (and tentatively) dated to the 8 th c. CE, while also appreciating how he both integrates but also simultanesouly critiques various traditions such as tantra, Buddhism, and Brahmanism within his Jain framework. Finally, students will understand how Haribhadra maps his yoga philosophy onto not only Patañjali’s 8-limbed yoga but also Jain concepts including the 14 guṇasthānas.
Students will appreciate how the two Haribhadras put their respective Jain teachings into dialogue with other religious and philosophical traditions, while maintaining a commitment to their own Jain tradition.
This is designed as a two-week course that will take approximately 4 hours to complete, and includes readings and a series of 10 lectures to guide you through the intricacies of the yogas of Haribhadra Virahāṇka and Haribhadra Yākinīputra.
It is recommended, though not required, that students complete course 3007 “Ancient and Classical Jain Yoga” before taking this course if they wish to have further background on Jain yoga.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn the histories and hagiographies of Haribhadra Virahāṇka and Haribhadra Yākinīputra to understand how their legendary names were created.
2. Understand Haribhadra Virahāṇka’s categorization of yoga practitioners, focusing on the cāritrin and the five types of yoga practices in the Yogabindu, to grasp their role in facilitating liberation through Jain karma theory.
3. Learn the contributions of Haribhadra Yākinīputra to Jain yoga, especially his
Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya, and how he critiques and integrates various traditions such as tantra, Buddhism, and Brahmanism within his yoga framework.
1. Learn the histories and hagiographies of Haribhadra Virahāṇka and Haribhadra Yākinīputra to understand how their legendary names were created.
2. Understand Haribhadra Virahāṇka’s categorization of yoga practitioners, focusing on the cāritrin and the five types of yoga practices in the Yogabindu, to grasp their role in facilitating liberation through Jain karma theory.
3. Learn the contributions of Haribhadra Yākinīputra to Jain yoga, especially his
Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya, and how he critiques and integrates various traditions such as tantra, Buddhism, and Brahmanism within his yoga framework.
Course Length
Course materials available February 19, 2025.Course Details
4 hours Self-paced Online Learning (Professor available by appointment in office hours)Learning Area
Jain Philosophy, History & Anthropology 
Yoga, Self-care and Spirituality Instructor
Christopher Miller, PhD
Christopher Jain Miller, the co-founder and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Arihanta Institute, completed his PhD in the Study of Religion at the University of California, Davis. He is Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Institute, Visiting Researcher at the University of Zürich's Asien-Orient-Institut, and Visiting Professor at Claremont School of Theology. Christopher's primary fields of research interest are Yoga Studies and Engaged Jain Studies, and he currently serves as the co-chair of the Yoga in Theory and Practice Unit at the American Academy of Religion as well as on the steering committees for the Dharma Academy of North America (DANAM) and the Yoga Darśana Yoga Sādhana conference. Christopher is the author of Embodying Transnational Yoga: Eating, Singing, and Breathing in Transformation (Routledge 2024) and the co-editor of Engaged Jainism: Critical and Constructive Studies of Jain Social Engagement (SUNY 2025) as well as Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2020).
Enrollment Options
14-DAY FREE TRIAL
- Free, unlimited access to our self-paced courses for 14-days.
- Already used your free trial? Enroll in our Monthly or Annual Membership options at anytime and continue learning immediately!
MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP
- $45 USD / Month
-
Immediate access to course
#### | Name. - Unlimited access to our live and self-paced courses for one month, with month-to-month auto rollover.
- Excludes graduate seminars, language courses, and courses hosted on partner platforms.
