Goal of Yoga...

                    ...YOGA CONTINUITY....                                                                                                                                     The ultimate goal of Yoga is moksha (liberation), although the exact definition of what form this takes depends on the philosophical or theological system with which it is conjugated.

According to Jacobsen, "Yoga has five principal meanings:^[28]

1. Yoga as a disciplined method for attaining a goal;
2. Yoga as techniques of controlling the body and the mind;
3. Yoga as a name of one of the schools or systems of philosophy (darśana);
4. Yoga in connection with other words, such as "hatha-, mantra-, and laya-," referring to traditions specialising in particular techniques of yoga;
5. Yoga as the goal of Yoga practice."^[28]

According to David Gordon White, from the 5th century CE onward, the core principles of "yoga" were more or less in place, and variations of these principles developed in various forms over time:^[29]

1. Yoga as an analysis of perception and cognition; illustration of this principle is found in Hindu texts such as theBhagavad Gita and Yogasutras, as well as a number of Buddhist Mahāyāna works;^[30]
2. Yoga as the rising and expansion of consciousness; these are discussed in sources such as Hinduism EpicMahābhārata, Jainism Praśamaratiprakarana;^[31]
3. Yoga as a path to omniscience; examples are found in Hinduism Nyaya and Vaisesika school texts as well as Buddhism Mādhyamaka texts, but in different ways;^[32]
4. Yoga as a technique for entering into other bodies, generating multiple bodies, and the attainment of other supernatural accomplishments; these are described in Tantric literature of Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as the Buddhist Sāmaññaphalasutta;^[33]

White clarifies that the last principle relates to legendary goals of "yogi practice", different from practical goals of "yoga practice," as they are viewed in South Asian thought and practice since the beginning of the Common Era, in the various Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophical schools.^[34]

Schools of Yoga[edit]

The term "yoga" has been applied to a variety of practices and methods, including Jain and Buddhist practices. In Hinduism these include Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Laya Yoga and Hatha Yoga.

The so-called Raja Yoga refers to Ashtanga Yoga, the eight limbs to be practiced to attain samadhi, as described in theYoga Sutras of Pantajali.^[35] The term raja yoga originally referred to the ultimate goal of yoga, which is usually samadhi,^[36]but was popularised by Vivekananda as the common name for Ashtanga Yoga.^[37]

Buddhism[edit]

Main articles: Buddhist meditation, Dhyāna in Buddhism, Yogacara and Vajrayana

Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of meditation techniques that aim to develop mindfulness, concentration,supramundane powers, tranquility, and insight.

Core techniques have been preserved in ancient Buddhist texts and have proliferated and diversified through teacher-student transmissions. Buddhists pursue meditation as part of the path toward Enlightenment and Nirvana.^{[note 3]} The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are bhāvanā^{[note 4]} and jhāna/dhyāna.^{[note 5]}

Hinduism[edit]

Classical Yoga[edit]

Yoga is considered as a philosophical school in Hinduism.^[38] Yoga, in this context, is one of the six āstika schools of Hinduism (those which accept the Vedas as source of knowledge).^[39][40]

Due to the influence of Vivekananda, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are nowadays considered as the foundational scripture of classical yoga, a status which it only acquired in the 20th century.^[37] Before the twentieth century, other works were considered as the most central works, such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Vasistha,^[37] while Tantric Yoga and Hatha Yoga prevailed over Ashtanga Yoga.^[37]

Ashtanga Yoga[edit]

Main articles: Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and Rāja yoga

Yoga as described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali refers to Ashtanga Yoga.^[37] The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is considered as a central text of the Yoga school of Hindu philosophy,^[41] It is often called "Rāja yoga", "yoga of the kings," a term which originally referred to the ultimate, royal goal of yoga, which is usually samadhi,^[36] but was popularised by Vivekananda as the common name for Ashtanga Yoga.^[37]

Ashtanga Yoga incorporates epistemology, metaphysics, ethical practices, systematic exercises and self-development techniques for body, mind and spirit.^[42] Its epistemology (pramanas) is same as the Samkhya school. Both accept three reliable means to knowledge – perception (pratyākṣa, direct sensory observations), inference (anumāna) and testimony of trustworthy experts (sabda, agama). Both these orthodox schools are also strongly dualistic. Unlike Sāṃkhya school of Hinduism which pursues non-theistic/atheistic rationalist approach,^[43][44] Yoga school of Hinduism accepts the concept of a "personal, yet essentially inactive, deity" or "personal god".^[45][46] Along with its epistemology and metaphysical foundations, Yoga school of Hindu philosophy incorporates ethical precepts (yamas and niyamas) and an introspective way of life focused on perfecting one's self physically, mentally and spiritually, with the ultimate goal being kaivalya (liberated, unified, content state of existence).^{[42][47][48]...IT WILL BE CONTINUER..}