Customer Reviews:
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 I don't know the author, yet I love this book February 21, 2008
I am no expert on the Sutras. I read parts of several versions of the sutras looking for one I could study without constantly questioning the commentary. Other versions add a lot in the commentary that arguably is not meant in the original. For example, a version by Satchidananda mentions "God" after just about every line in the Sutras. I don't know Sanskrit, but the word which is being translated as "God" may mean something more like an impersonal pure awareness, and whatever it means, it does not appear in the text nearly as often as Satchidananda brings it up. Hartranft's was the best translation I for my purposes; his commentary seems to take fewer liberties.
Succinct, lucid, palatable October 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been studying Hatha Yoga with an Iyengar teacher for a couple of years. Curious about yoga's philosophical underpinnings, I took Hartranft's book out of the library.
I have read the disputes about the authenticity of Hartranft's translation in other reviews on Amazon. I can't split hairs over fine points of translations from Sanskrit, or Hindu philosophy, but as a translator in other languages, I can say without reservation that Hartranft's translation is lucid and beautifully crafted. Also, I find Hartranft's commentaries accessible, palatable, informative, and refreshingly dispassionate. Hartranft frankly, openly, fairly and succinctly addresses the relationship of the Yoga-Sutra to the teachings of other Hindu philosophical systems and of Buddhism, and to modern scientific and historical findings.
I suspect that the breadth of Hartranft's perspective is, in part, what some readers find objectionable. Or maybe it's that he avoids loading down the discussion with references to polytheistic Hinduism. But after all, the Yoga-Sutra is not about that, any more than the writings of Aristotle are about Greek gods.
If you are looking to cloak yourself in devotional yoga culture, look elsewhere. But for a clear and concise introduction to the Yoga-Sutra, or to guide your way in a yoga practice, I highly recommend this book.
 Misleading--Commentary purely Buddhist, not Yoga May 5, 2007
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
If you want to learn about Buddhism and in particular vipassana meditation there are plenty of books out there that are great. But the Yoga Sutras are about Yoga and though there are some strong overlaps, in the final analysis the Yogic philosophy is about union with God whereas Buddhist is not. This commentator intentionally ignores this "elephant in the room" so he can promote Buddhism using a Yogic text. He explains the difference away with a wave of his hand by saying the Patanjali's Ishvara (the ultimate godhead) is impersonal. My reaction is that this is gross over simplification and even if it were so, Buddhism strictly denies any godhead, personal or impersonal. Since the point of the Yoga Sutras is to teach union with the transcendent godhead through stilling the mind and the purpose of Buddhist meditation is to achieve total equanimity through stilling the mind, the 2 overlap but are not the same thing. The fact that the commentator (Chip Hartranft), with every good intention, glosses over this makes this particular version more about Chip Hartranft's ideas that Patanjali's. You encounter this a lot in translations of Yogic texts, the most egregious example being "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" which is nothing more than a distorted tract to indoctrinate the reader into the Hare Krishna movement and has little to do with accuracy. Having spent years as a vispassana meditator and now as a yogi, I can affirm that there are definite overlaps but one strong difference. The Yogi seeks God within himself, the Buddhist has nothing to do with such a quest. If you want a book on vipassa (Buddhist) meditation, try S.N. Goenka's book on Vipassana or perhaps on of the books by Joseph Goldstein. If you want an accurate commentary of the Yoga Sutra's, try Satchidananda's or Iyengar's. This book, though beautiful in it's explaination of Buddhism, is simply misleading because it does not address yoga acurately.
A consistent translation September 24, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
If I may clear up any confusion...translations of ancient Indian languages (Sanskrit and Pali) are works in progress. It is my understanding that there is no direct translation of Sanskrit or Pali. I have seen citta translated as mind, consciousness, of the heart, and thought. It largely depends on the context of the entire passage and whether or not there is consistency throughout the text. This is why it is important to have a translator who possesses transcendental knowledge into what he or she is translating.
Here, the translator uses consciousness for citta which is the mind in general. One could use mind if one feels more comfortable...consciousness and mind are synonyms.
Brilliant, lucid and concise June 19, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I found this guide to the Yoga Sutra to be highly coherent, logical and easy to follow. The author's commentary "rings true" with my own experience as a meditator, and it is in practice that the worth of the translation is to be found. A particularly interesting implication of the translator is that the awakened state frees the meditator to leave behind the emotional baggage that obstructs a rational, clear view of life and the universe; to me, this is the Universe waking up to itself, a way for existence to know itself, a path for dropping the masks we wear through the sheer inertia of habitual living. This is the beginning of a logical, rational life, and meditation is the path that opens the way to the ideals that such thinkers as Zeno the Stoic conceived. This book is an invaluable resoure for anyone who seriously wishes to explore the fully-awakened life. If the student of meditation wishes to discover the basis of logical, compassionate living, this book is a useful guide.
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