The Upanisads
with Christopher Key Chapple
The Upanisads include some of the earliest mention of Yoga. Dating from nearly three thousand years ago, these seminal Sanskrit masterpieces helped shape the civilization of India, just as the writings of Plato influenced Europe and the West. We will begin with the earliest image from the Brhadaranyaka Upanisads: the sacrifice of the cosmic horse and the related creation of the world through desire.
From the Chandogya Upanisad we will explore the primacy of the breath, and the contest between gods and demons that leads not to good and evil, but to the profound understanding of the fourfold complexity of human presence in this reality, the world of dreams, and beyond.
The role of animals and the elements will be considered in the story of Satyakama and the early practice of Yoga will be examined in the Maitri and Svetasvatara Upanisads. A grand collection of dialogues between guru and disciple, stories, and philosophical assertions, the Upanisads hold an important key for understanding the wisdom of Yoga.
*This course is also available for one unit of academic credit for CIIS students
Read Christopher Key Chapple's biography
