Os fundamentos doutrinários e praxiológicos da tradição Śuddha Dharma Maṇḍalam: uma investigação a partir das obras Sanātana Dharma Dīpikā e Yoga Dīpikā

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the doctrinal and praxiological foundations proposed by the Śuddha Dharma Maṇḍalam (SDM) school through its canonical works: Sanātana Dharma Dīpikā e Yoga Dīpikā. SDM is a school of self-realization attainable (or achievable) through the practice of meditation (Dhyana). The terms Śuddha Dharma Maṇḍalam etymologically derive from the Sanskrit, in which suddha means “pure”, “undefiled”; dharma denotes the “eternal law”; and mandalam means “circle”, “organization”. Śuddha Dharma Maṇḍalam is an esoteric organization from India and was established in the year 1915 by the principal founder Subramania Iyer (1842-1924). Subramania Iyer was an Indian follower of the Vedānta philosophy (vedāntin) engaged in Vedic literature and the study of Sanskrit. From 1907 to 1911 Iyer was vice president of the Theosophical Society, whose headquarters is in present-day Chennai (formerly Madras), India. It is sought to make explicit in this research that Śuddha Dharma Maṇḍalam arose within the Theosophical Society, but its philosophy, doctrine and practices have their origin in the sacred literature of Hinduism because its founders belong to the Vedānta schools.