Apramāda and Yoga in Hindu and Buddhist Traditions: Text, Theory, and Practice

Taking an integrated approach of text, theory, and practice, this paper considers apramāda (heedfulness, conscientiousness) in the context of yoga in dharmic traditions. The variably translated term implies a carefulness that is crucial to being diligent on one’s path. This paper will initially compare yogic usage of apramāda in Hindu texts with Yogācāra texts. It will also consider how yoga theory in Mahāyāna Buddhism extends into Tibetan Vajrayāna Buddhism. This paper primarily advances two claims: 1) that the concept apramāda demonstrates intertextuality between yogic disciplines in dharmic traditions, and 2) that for Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna Buddhism it has a technical understanding that implies a crucial role for attention in the ethical cultivation of an embodied subject. In a “mad world,” apramāda as a yogic concept in dharmic traditions offers a way to think about navigating conflict and chaos.