| This dissertation is a comparative hermeneutic inquiry into the history of the spiritual practice of Integral Yoga. Sri Aurobindo and the Mother are acknowledged as the architects of Integral Yoga or Purnayoga, which is the process of seeking union with the Divine while increasingly manifesting such divine nature within and without, that is, in one's inner being as well as in one's relationship to others and the world. The dissertation argues that Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda laid the conceptual and practical foundations of Integral Yoga before Sri Aurobindo and the Mother took it to its fruition. To this end, a comprehensive comparison of the works of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, and the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo is offered. The comparative analysis includes an examination of both convergences and divergences among these works, specifically focused on the following features of Integral Yoga: (a) synthesis of different schools of Vedanta, (b) integration of Vedanta and Tantra, (c) perfection of body, (d) perfection of mind, (e) integration of body, mind, and spirit, (f) synthesis of different schools of yoga, (g) integration of the impersonal and the personal aspects of the Divine, (h) integration of the world with the beyond, (i) transformation of nature, (j) integration of all religions while considering them to be the manifestation of one Integral Truth, and (k) awakening of India. The dissertation shows how Sri Aurobindo's ideas can be understood as an extension of the thoughts of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, and discusses the presence of the evolutionary thread of the progression of integral thought from Sri Ramakrishna to Swami Vivekananda to Sri Aurobindo. Finally, this dissertation explores the historical connection between Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Sri Aurobindo, as well as critically examines the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda in the light of Sri Aurobindo's vision. |
