What if everything we think is a dream? Would nothing be real? Or might it reveal how to live in infinity, untroubled by suffering? 🤯
Tamara Cohen wrote her PhD about the Yogavāsiṣṭha – a text whose original name was the Mokṣopāya, or “means to liberation”. Structured as a dialogue between the sage Vasiṣṭha and the young prince Rāma, it explains how to set oneself free from conceptual delusions.
As we discuss, the text suggests its method is the ultimate summary of all possible philosophies. In the process, it incorporates yoga alongside Buddhism, Śaiva Tantra and – in the Yogavāsiṣṭha – non-dual Vedānta. It also brings ideas to life by telling stories, presenting worlds within worlds that stretch beyond imagination.
You can find out more about Tamara’s work here. She taught a course on the text at the start of this year and she’s writing a book about its teachings on yoga. For now, she recommends this translation by Swami Venkatesananda (which can be found online). The Sanskrit of the Mokṣopāya is here – it’s also available in German.
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