Chapter 3, “Classical Yoga as a Religious Therapeutic,” analyzes
Patañjali’s Yoga-s ̄utrasand its commentaries Yoga-bha ̄Ósyaand Tattva-
vi ́s ̄arad ̄ı to present a matrix of classical Yoga as a system of religious ther-
apeutics. This analysis shows Yoga’s stance on meanings of health in the
psychophysical and the spiritual dimensions of human life, and explores
connections between Yoga’s therapeutic and soteriological elements. De-
terminants of health excavated from Åyurveda illuminate the ultimate
soteriological healing that Yoga offers: the concepts of wholeness, iden-
tity, and freedom integral to psychophysical health are operative in meta-
physical and soteriological domains as well. Classical Yoga’s most signif-
icant feature as a religious therapeutic is that liberation is healing: the
curing of limitations and suffering in an ultimate sense.
Chapter 4, “Tantra and Aesthetic Therapeutics,” draws on the tra-
dition of Tantra, particularly the texts Mah ̄anirv ̄aÓna Tantraand ÓSÓat-
cakra-nirup ̄ a ̄Ónato add aestheticsas a dimension of religious therapeutics.
As an example of comparative inquiry into religious therapeutics, I dis-
cuss sacred music as a religious therapeutic in several Asian and Native
American traditions. In the conclusion, “Community: Relationality in
Religious Therapeutics,” the model of religious therapeutics is supple-
mented with the dimension of community, incorporating ecological, so-
cial, and religious relationality and communication.
Inquiry into religious therapeutics can address particular traditions,
or be done comparatively. One line of inquiry is investigation of particular
themes such as sacred music, or meditation practices, or ways of praying
for healing. Another approach is examination of entire traditions or
sects, in order to excavate their therapeutic concerns and contributions.
Inquiry into medicine and religion in world traditions benefits from col-
laborative effort. Here I offer initial steps toward identifying relations
among body, health, and religiousness, finding the Indian tradition fertile
ground for accomplishing the main purpose of this study: establishing
foundations of an interpretive model of religious therapeutics.
the idea of religious therapeutics 9