Department of Philosophy - Manipal

08/11/2025

World Philosophy Day Celebrations
International Seminar on Philosophical Thoughts and Traditions of India
at Valley Block, DoP, MISHA, MAHE, Manipal

| .manipal | |
Manipal Academy of Higher Education |

15/05/2025

We are pleased to announce the publication of Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette’s latest article, “What is Yogic Gnosticism? Demarcating an Elite Ritual Identity Worth Reconsidering,” in the Journal of Yoga Studies.

This new contribution builds on the research presented in Dr. Bouthillette’s recent book (Metaphysics as Therapy, 2025), offering a concise synthesis of his work on yogic Gnosticism and Jnana-Yoga. In addition to revisiting key arguments from the book, the article also introduces several new avenues of inquiry that further develop the broader project. For readers and scholars interested in the intersections of Indic philosophy, spiritual exercises, and knowledge traditions, the piece serves as both a gateway and an extension of Dr. Bouthillette’s ongoing work in this field.

We congratulate Dr. Bouthillette on this publication and invite colleagues and students alike to engage with this exciting new work.

What is Yogic Gnosticism? Demarcating an Elite Ritual Identity Worth Reconsidering Authors Karl-Stephan Bouthillette Manipal Academy of Higher Education Keywords: gnostic, yoga, jnanayoga, yoga of knowledge, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Vivekananda Abstract In this paper I gather core definitional c...

12/05/2025

Indian Philosophical Knowledge Systems Series


Online link - https://bit.ly/IPKS2025

Date & time - Mon, 12 May at 1530 | Tue-Wed, 13-14 May at 1000

Location - LH3, MISHA valley block (https://g.co/kgs/E5B75NA)

09/05/2025

Mark your calendar and register:
Join Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette on his exciting next talk, at SOAS, next month, for a discussion on yoga that promises to deliver some depth!

SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies is delighted to bring together three internationally renowned scholars of yoga and Indian philosophy to discuss a groundbreaking new publication in the field: Metaphysics as Therapy: List-Making and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas (Springer, 2025), by Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette.

The event features a conversation between Dr. Bouthillette, Assistant Professor at MAHE Manipal, and two distinguished respondents: Dr. Jason Birch, co-Director of the “Yogacintāmaṇi Project” and founding member of SOAS’s Centre for Yoga Studies, and Dr. Mikel Burley, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Leeds.

Date: Monday, 23rd June 2025
Time: 19:00hr–20:30hr London time
Event Type: Online only (Zoom webinar)

The SOAS Centre of Yoga Studies is thrilled to host Dr Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, in conversation with respondents Dr. Jason Birch and Dr. Mikel Burley about his latest publication.

01/05/2025

Just released: A new episode of the New Books Network New Books in Indian Religions podcast featuring an interview with Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette about his recent book from Springer Nature, “Metaphysics as Therapy: List-Making and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas.”

Metaphysics As Therapy: List-Making and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas (Springer, 2025) examines the significance of metaphysical list-making as a determining feature of 'spiritual exercises' in South Asian gnostic yogas. It examines how these ancient traditions sought spiritual transformation through the dialectical practice of taxonomy. It highlights the gnostic thread that intersects 'spiritual exercises' and 'ways of life' in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina circles.

21/04/2025

If you are in or around Manipal this Wednesday, the 23rd at 4 pm, do not miss this event.
Join us for a fascinating book launch and talk aligning metaphysics, therapy, and yogic Gnosticism!

19/04/2025

Our Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette, coordinator for the Centre for Therapeutic Philosophy (CTP), will be giving a talk title "Yogic Gnosticism in Light of de Miranda’s ‘Philosophical Health’" @ Philosophical Health International, on May 27th.
Another international outreach for the CTP!

The present talk draws core ideas from my latest book, “Metaphysics as Therapy. List-Making and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas” (Springer, 2025) to explore how they resonate with the definition of ‘philosophical health’ proposed by Luis de Miranda. It first briefly defines ‘yogic Gnosticism...

15/04/2025

The talk given by our Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette on April 2025: “Revisiting Philosophical Yoga: The Other-Worldly Gnostic Turn Toward Introversion, Asociality, and Arationality” for the International Society for Philosophical Practice (IGPP) - Munich - is now available online on Youtube.

Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette April 2025: “Revisiting Philosophical Yoga: The Other-Worldly Gnostic Turn Toward Introversion, Asociality, and Arationality”

01/04/2025

It is with great pleasure that the Department of Philosophy (DoP) at MAHE Manipal announces the release of the latest monograph from its Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Centre for Therapeutic Philosophy (CTP), Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette.

Metaphysics as Therapy
List-Making and Renunciation in Gnostic Yogas

This book examines the significance of metaphysical list-making as a determining feature of ‘spiritual exercises’ in South Asian gnostic yogas. It examines how these ancient traditions sought spiritual transformation through the dialectical practice of taxonomy. It highlights the gnostic thread that intersects ‘spiritual exercises’ and ‘ways of life’ in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jaina circles. It fills a gap in yoga studies by proposing a new understanding of jñāna-yoga (yoga of knowledge). Departing from mainstream Anglophone philosophical traditions, it articulates an original meta-theory of philosophical practice, explaining how philosophy can be 'therapeutic' in concrete terms. The book theorizes yogic Gnosticism, as a South Asian religious undercurrent and as a distinctive form of philosophical practice and ascetic way of life internalizing a sacrificial worldview. Finally, the book analyzes four literary case studies, presenting therapeutic methods in competing gnostic traditions, namely, the "Verses on Sāṃkhya" of Īśvarakṛṣṇa; the "Advaita Instructions on the Doctrine" of Gauḍapāda; the Buddhist "Heart Sūtra;" and the "Twelve Contemplations" of the Jaina Kundakunda. The groundbreaking multidisciplinary and trans-sectarian book offers a must-read for scholars across the fields of world philosophy and religious studies.

For more information, you may visit my Academia page:
https://lnkd.in/dHmUm2Rd

or the springer Webpage:
https://lnkd.in/d_FDtFir

27/03/2025

Next Week, on April 2nd (not April Fool!) our Assistant Professor, Dr. Karl-Stéphan Bouthillette, Coordinator of the Centre for Therapeutic Philosophy (CTP), will give a talk to the members of the Internationale Gesellschaft für Philosophische Praxis (IGPP)
- The International Society for Philosophical Practice -
(founded in 1982 by Gerd B. Achenbach).

Title:
Revisiting Philosophical Yoga: The Other-Worldly Gnostic Turn Toward Introversion, Asociality, and Arationality

Abstract:
In this talk, I explore philosophical perspectives from Indian gnostic traditions that provide a fresh lens on the very nature of philosophizing. These traditions challenge conventional thinking on philosophy, both in academic and counselling contexts, by questioning standard methods and expected results. Central to this discussion is the often-misunderstood concept of ‘other-worldliness,’ which is frequently interpreted as an escape from reality or a stance ‘against’ the world. However, I reinterpret it as a therapeutic metaphor that signals a crucial shift in perspective, one that occurs through the ritual-like process of ‘inner’ purification inherent in philosophizing. This shift, I argue, by fostering detachment and equanimity, opens the door to a transformative re-engagement with the ‘world-as-it-is,’ challenging the conventions of the ‘world-as-it-appears.’

IGPP Talk im April

21/03/2025

Certificate course in Varmam Therapy!

Duration: 7 weeks (from 22 March 2025 till 3 May 2025)
See the schedule and contact information below

Register now!
Department of Philosophy - Manipal, Old WAGSHA Building, 1st floor

at Department of Philosophy - Manipal, , ,

16/03/2025

Department of Philosophy - Manipal is happy to invite all to yet another lecture by the brilliant scholar Dr. PEGGY MOHAN (writer-in-residence, Department of Languages, MAHE, Manipal) "IN SEARCH OF LANGUAGE X"

on 18 March, 2025
at 11 am

Department of Philosophy - Manipal, Old WGSHA Building, 1st floor
All are welcome!

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