Samadhi Burial and the Continued Presence of the Realized Yogin
SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies in London has invited Professor Mark McLaughin to present his lecture, "
Samadhi Burial and the Continued Presence of the Realized Yogin," on Wednesday, March 6th, 2019.
A Hindu samadhi shrine marks the final resting-place of a realized yogin's body and reflects the traditional understanding that the realized sage's perfected bodyshould not be cremated but rather should be preserved as a localized instantiation of sacred power.
Using the samadhi compound of the 13th century Makarashtrian sain Jnanesvar Maharaj as a case study, this talk will briefly trace the roots of samadhi burial practice and its relation to yoga before making an argument for Jnanesvar's entombed body functioning as a murti and the samadhi shrine as a temple. The talk will conclude by providing an example of the impact Jnanesvar's perceived living presence has had on the development of the site and certain ritual practices taking place there.
