Yoga Studies


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The Discerning Clear Gaze of Yoga

Gidi Ifergan [+–]
Monash University
Dr. Gidi Ifergan, a scholar of Indian philosophy and Tibetan Buddhism, currently conducts research and teaches at The Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, Monash University in Melbourne. He is the author of two seminal works, The Man from Samyé: Longchenpa on Praxis, Its Negation and Liberation (2014) and The Psychology of the Yogas (2021). With over 25 years of experience teaching and practicing yoga and meditation in Australia and Israel, Gidi skillfully integrates the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of yoga into his classes. Drawing from his extensive studies of the traditional teachings of Indian and Tibetan yogas, including his travels to Varanasi, India, Tibet, and Bhutan, he offers a distinctive perspective on classic Indian yoga and Dzogchen, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism.

Just as rays of light are projected onto a mirror and then reflected outwards by it, so the source of awareness, the true Self, is projected onto the mind to create a reflection of the world of phenomena. However, the mind, which carries within it the sense-of-self as the agent or ego, is mistakenly convinced that it is the source of primary awareness, the true Self. Furthermore, like a dusty and murky mirror, the mind too reflects reality in a distorted manner, its reflections become distorted through habitual tendencies and mental processes. And it is such distortion which produces confusion and suffering. Yoga in action redirects attention to the mind itself and seeks to remove the blemishes on it, just like polishing a mirror. At the culmination of this process, the mind is liberated from mental processes and the causes of affliction, and abides in an empty yet clear state. This is how the clear discerning gaze of yoga can be realised, by being able to distinguish between the source of light, which represents the true Self, and the mirror itself, which represents the mind and sense of self. Such a gaze has the power to liberate one from the misconceptions and emotions that distort the mind.

This study explores the road map of yoga as reflected in the Yogasūtra of Patañjali (third century CE) and the Sāṁkhyakārikā of Iśvarakṛṣṇa (350–450 CE) which leads to the rise of this discerning insight, evading interpretations motivated by naivety on the one hand, and excessive suspicion on the other. Inspired by the psychology of yoga, the author offers a meditation focused on the sense of self and the cultivation of a discerning clear gaze.

ISBN-13 (Hardback)
9781000000000
Price (Hardback)
£75.00 / $100.00
ISBN-13 (Paperback)
9781000000000
Price (Paperback)
£24.95 / $32.00
ISBN (eBook)
9781000000000
Price (eBook)
Individual
£24.95 / $32.00
Institutional
£75.00 / $100.00
Publication
01/11/2025
Pages
200
Size
234 x 156mm
Readership
students and practitioners

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