Vaj wrote: > Actually he missed the key point IMO: > > Gyan- / Gna- (jJa), Gno- and Kno- (as > in to know") are all connected across a > huge array of culture and peoples. > Apparently the 'gnostic' philosophy came much later than the knowledge philosophies of India. According to what I've read, the Knowledge, 'Sophia', is an Eastern religious concept.
According to Mircea Eliada, the yogic enlightenment tradition is unique to South Asia. 'Yoga' isn't found in any other cultures. It seems to be an indigenous practice, beginning with the first historical yogin, Shakya the Muni, in the fifth century BC. The enlightenment tradition as a yogic endeavor, isn't found in shamanism, according to Eliade. Apparently there are no parallels to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (circa 200 BC) outside India. The 'conciousness only' school of the Vajrayana is termed the 'Yogacara' - those who employ yoga (meditation) as the practical means to experience the Transcendental Consciousness. The object of yoga is to transcend the physical senses and to *isolate* the Pure Consciousness by yogic means, that is, by following the Eightfold Path, etc.
