S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 5 - 1 S p r i n g 2 0 1 9 2 5 GEJzA M. TIMčáK 1 Introduction The topic of Yoga and its relation to religion are an issue that is a matter of discussion for some time. For some, religion and darshan, “philosophy”, are nearly synonyms, for some they are not. The concept of “Hindu religion” [1] – as will be shown later – is also a relatively vague concept, but this is how in the West and now also in the East, the Brahmanic tradition [2], plus the six philosophical darshans are often called. As pointed out also by Siddharth (personal communication with the author, 2019), the need to define “religious identity” of the Indians was originally more needed for non-Indians than for Indians. Still, by now religious identity is a formally acknowledged concept. At times, also the other philosophical and religions systems present in India are included in the concept of Sanātana Dharma [3]. The concept of religion is not easy to define and there are a number of ways how it is done. Thus, in religious studies references (Horyna 1994, 11–15, 18–19), after showing how difficult it is to define religion, arrives at the statement that religion defines the relationship of humans to God (Horyna 1994, 19). There is a number of views on this point. Usually religion links humanity with the “transcendental” or “spiritual” elements (Morreall and Sonn 2013, 12–17), others consider the procedural aspects: “Religion is a non-divisible system of beliefs and processes related to sacred things, i.e. things set apart or prohibited, that unite to the one and the same moral association called the church” (Durkheim 1964, 25). štampach (1998, 30) described it in a way that religion is a socially anchored relationship of human to the numinous transcendence. Horyna (1994, 18) in his definition of religion in the context of religious studies admits that neither religious studies nor any other science has a generally accepted definition of religion. Thus, religious studies deal with real aspects of religion in various cultures or communities. They are usually studied under three areas: (1) Religiously interpreted realities (“sacred reality”); (2) Experiences interpreted in religious context (e.g. mystical experience); and (3) Religious interpretation of standards (religious rules of normative, “sacred” character). Another concept is faith, which here relates people to the Sacred (Horyna 1994, 23–25). The broader essence of religion can perhaps be described as human beings’ relation to that, which they regard as Holy, Sacred, spiritual, or Divine. Worship is probably the basic element of religion, but moral conduct, right belief, and participation in religious acts are usually also elements of religious life. In practice, a religion is a particular system, or a set of About the author Doc. Ing. Gejza M. Timčák, PhD., is a Yoga tutor and author of a number of Yoga related books like Joga 1–4 in Slovak (6 editions), Joga 1–2 in Hungarian (2 editions), Yoga 1 in German (1 edition), Personal Development Strategies in Yoga, translation of the Gheranda Samhita, Goraksha Shatakam, Aparoksha Anubhuti, Sarva Upanishad, Satkarma Sangrahah or Shat Chakra Nirupanam. On conferences and courses he had countless presentations on diverse Yoga subjects. He co-authored books (e.g. teaching materials for Slovak Yoga Association’s yoga-teacher courses), films (e.g. Disregarded Possibilities), and videos (e.g. Hitting the Bull’s Eye) on Yoga. He is a co-developer of the Savita Yoga style, president of the Slovak Yoga Association, and chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Yoga. His activities relate also to the European Union of Yoga. He teaches Yoga in various European and Asian countries. His email contact is timcak.gejza@atk.sk.
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