Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c16.160

c16.160

**Yoga Scheme of Discipline.** Yoga describes the measures by which the ascent of man can be achieved. It retraces in the reverse order the stages of experience as described in the Sāṁkhya system. It starts from the lowest level where the Mind is held in the grip of Matter by the operations of the senses. Yoga, therefore, begins with making the organs of knowledge and action abandon their operations so as to free the Mind from the clutches of Matter (*Yoga-śchitta-vṛitti-nirodhaḥ*). The idea is that such inhibition closes the avenue of the senses and, therefore empties the mind of its content of all sensory experience.