The problem of psychophysical agency in the classical Sāmkhya and Yoga - www.argument-journal.eu

Abstract

the paper discusses the issue of psychophysical agency in the context of Indian philosophy, focusing on the oldest preserved texts of the classical tradition of Sāṃkhya­Yoga. the author raises three major questions: What is action in terms of Sāṃkhyakārikā (ca. fifth century CE) and Yogasūtra (ca. third century CE)? Whose action is it, or what makes one an agent? What is a right and morally good action? the first part of the paper reconsiders a general idea of action — including actions that are deliberately done and those that 'merely' happen — identified by Patañjali and Ῑśvarakṛṣṇa as a permanent change or transformation (pariṇāma) determined by the universal principle of causation (satkārya). then, a threefold categorization of actions according to their causes is presented, i.e. internal agency (ādhyātmika), external agency (ādhi­ bhautika) and 'divine' agency (ādhidaivika). the second part of the paper undertakes the prob­ lem of the agent's autonomy and the doer' s psychophysical integrity. the main issues that are exposed in this context include the relationship between an agent and the agent's capacity for perception and cognition, as well as the crucial Sāṃkhya­Yoga distinction between 'a doer' and 'the self '. the agent's self­awareness and his or her moral self­esteem are also briefly examined. moreover, the efficiency of action in present and future is discussed (i.e. karman, karmāśaya, saṃskāra, vāsanā), along with the criteria of a right act accomplished through meditative in­ sight (samādhi) and moral discipline (yama).

Full text

www.argument-journal.eu Published online: 21.12.2015 (revised: 4.05.2016)
*




The problem of psychophysical agency
in the classical Sāmkhya and Yoga
*



Sāṃkhyakārikā
Yogasūtra


pariṇāma
satkārya
i.e.ādhyātmikaādhi
bhautikaādhidaivika



 
i.e.karmankarmāśaya
saṃskāravāsanā
samādhiyama

karman
.

 Marzenna JAKUBCZAK




darśanas
Sāṃkhyakārikā Yogasūtra


      
   

    













       
               



     
darśanas
             

i.e.Yogasūtra
i.e.Sāṃkhyakārikā 
       

Yuktidīpikā 


           
                    
                                

The problem of psychophysical agency in the classical… 
Yo
gasūtraSāṃkhyakārikā 


    
pariṇāma

           



Yogasūtrabhāṣya
                 
dharmas     dharmin
dravya
dharmas   
 dharmapariṇāma
       
i.e.dharminlakṣanapariṇāma
  avasthāpariṇāma
        
dharmas
 bhāva 
 satkārya





avyaktavyakta
satkāryavāda


              
   


          



 physis  
      
triguṇasprakṛti

 Marzenna JAKUBCZAK

pariṇāma

kāraṇakāryavibhāga

guṇas
sattva     
rajas
tamas 


        
 prakṛti
                




triguṇic
           
pariṇāma
            
  
kartṛtva

karman
   
karman   
     karman




             
MaitrīUpaniṣadtriguṇa
bhedapariṇāmavatvātChāndogyaUpaniṣadguṇas 
rajassattvatamas
Chāndogya
 sarvasya trivṛtkṛtatvāt sarvatra sarvopapatteḥ     
guṇas Chāndogya
The principal Upaniṣads 
karman


The problem of psychophysical agency in the classical… 




karman
 karmic 


           


saṃskāra
cittavṛtti

saṃskāra




             

  rāga dveṣa  



   
saṃskāras
etc
         
karmic
avidyā

 
kaivalyai.e.
saṃsārictriguṇic

    saṃskāra   

        
               
                  
                    


 Marzenna JAKUBCZAK
  






prāṇas



sattvic
rajasictamasic

bhogakarikā

       
duḥkhatraya
karman

 GauḍapādabhāṣyaSāṃkhyakārikā
of ĪśvarakṛṣṇaSuvarṇasaptati
duḥkhatraya
ādhyātmika
ādhibhautika
ādhidaivika             
śārīraetc.

mānasa

          

           

  
Tattvakaumudī








The problem of psychophysical agency in the classical… 
     The Tattvakaumudī  
 
avyaktavyakta

i.e.puruṣa
       

      puruṣa

     citta    antaḥkaraṇa     
prakṛti

karman
karman
ahaṃkāra

i.e.abhimāna
asmitāmamakāra

cittadharmin
paridṛṣtaaparidṛṣ
tacittadharmas
puruṣa     
     
puruṣabhoktṛ
  guṇas triguṇādviparyayād adhiṣṭānāt 
puruṣa


puruṣavikalpa

caitanyapuruṣa
cit
puruṣai.e.svarūpa 
puruṣaadharmin
citta
sattvic dharmascitta
cittavṛtti
akliṣṭapramāṇa
kaivalyaduḥkhaavidyā




 Marzenna JAKUBCZAK

         

          

YogasūtraSāṃkhyakarikākriyā
karmankriyā 
   guṇa rajaskarman
puṇya
spuṇyakarman
   saṃskāra

kleśas
               
karmāśayas
jātiāyus
bhoga

  karmāśayas  
   aniya
tavipākavedanīya
niyatavipāka

vāsanā


karman
pratipakṣa bhāvana
 pramāṇakarmaśaya 



yama
    
  niyama       jāpa  



karman      
karmaśayavāsanā



The problem of psychophysical agency in the classical… 

aśuklakṛṣṇa
yogin

puruṣārtha
    

ahaṃkāra
yogin
kaivalyasaṃsāra


 
          
puruṣa cit ahaṃ citta




darśanas








ahaṃ
   mamakāra  




 Gauḍapādabhāṣya  Sāṃkhyakārikā of Īśvarakṛṣṇa  

The principal Upaniṣads 
  Sāṃkhyakārikā of Īśvarakṛṣṇa          Classical
Sāṃkhya. An interpretation of its history and meaning

 Marzenna JAKUBCZAK
SāṃkhyaPravacanaBhāṣya  

Suvarṇasaptati.  Samkhya Karika  
        

 Tattvakaumudī The Tattvakaumudī: Vācaspati Miśra’s commentary on the Sāmkhyakārikā

Vācaspatimiśras Tattvakaumudī 

YogasūtraYogasūtrabhāṣya The YogaSūtra of Patañjali. A new translation and
commentary
 Yuktidīpikā. An ancient commentary on the SāṃkhyaKārikā of Īśvarakṛṣṇa  

Yuktidīpikā. The most signicant commentary on the Sāṃkhyakārikā 


Free will, agency, and
selfhood in Indian philosophy
Essays in actions and events 
Essays on eedom and action

Essays in actions and events 
Moral concepts

The concealed art of the soul 
A companion to the philosophy of mind

Yoga philosophy of Patañjali with Bhāsvatī

     et al Powszechna encyklopedia lozoi


ahamkaraasmitaArgument: Biannual Philosophical Journal, 1
The Sāṁkhya system: A history of the Samkhya philosophy

Classical Sāṃkhya: An interpretation of its history and meaning


Philosophical Perspectives 14
             
Selfdeception unmasked 
      Donald Davidson 

   
A companion to the world philosophies
Uniing Hinduism
Hindu ethics: A philosophical study
saṃskāraJournal of Indian Philosophy
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