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.
